El Secreto a Voces - La Desdicha de la Voz

El Secreto a Voces and La Desdicha de la Voz are the titles of two wonderful plays from the quill of Pedro Calderón de la Barca. He is considered to be the most significant Spanish dramatist of the 17th century and with his entertaining entanglement-comedies created countless pieces full of wit, suspense, and with profound meaning that remains to this day. The original manuscripts of both pieces are stored in the Spanish National Library in Madrid. These allow the high time of Spanish Baroque theater under Calderón de la Barca to be vividly resurrected!

A Figure of World Literature

Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–1681) was a great Spanish poet and the most important Spanish dramatist of the Baroque period. Calderón de la Barca originated from a noble family, his father held office at the royal court in Madrid. The young Pedro was already fascinated with literature at a young age. He enjoyed great praise through the Spanish poet Lope de Vega, whose office as court dramatist under King Philip IV was taken over by Pedro after his death in 1635. Caledrón de la Barca was already considered by his peers to be “the best dramatist of his time.” He was nonetheless also a member of the Spanish army and as such continuously took part in campaigns. Around the middle of the century, Calderon finally devoted himself to a religious path and was ordained as a priest. He served as a chaplain in Toledo and was named court chaplain in 1663. As such, in the last ten years of his life he composed the so called Autos Sacramentales, Corpus Christi plays, or allegorical pieces characterized by Christian beliefs.

The Open Secret

El secreto a voces, the title translates into English as The Open Secret, is by contrast one of the most beloved romantic comedies by the dramatist. El secreto a voces originated in the year 1642 as the so-called Comedia Palantina, a work by the court dramatist. Belonging together with this is the second surviving play in the form of a manuscript, La desdicha de la voz. This piece, translated as The Misery of the Voice, is a piece from the year 1639. El secreto a voces is one of the most famous and important comedies by Calderón de la Barca. The precious manuscript of this masterpiece of 17th century Spanish drama can be found today in the Spanish National Library in Madrid. Calderón de la Barca composed a wonderfully entertaining play on 116 pages.

The Comedies of a Great Dramatist

These comedies are known as the so-called Comedias de enredo, comedies that could also come up with an excitingly complicated story. In these entanglement-comedies secrets and surprises, as well as errors and ambiguities play a large roll. Calderón de la Barca arranged comedies from complicated intrigues and entanglements, which lend the events their enormous entertainment value and fine sense of humor. Yet, a more profound philosophical background is also not neglected. Thus arose theater pieces, which are not only significant for Spain, but for world literature as a whole! The success and popularity of Calderon’s pieces is probably rooted in the fact that he made use of all kinds of human characters and activities. The comedies from the quill of the great Calderón de la Barca are still pieces of unique beauty to this day!