Los Locos (Disparate): Recovery and First Complete Critical Edition of an Eighteenth-Century Spanish Opera

This resource presents the modern recovery, reconstruction, and first complete critical edition of the opera Los Locos, composed by Félix Máximo López (1742–1821). The original manuscripts were fragmentary drafts, inaccessible for over two centuries. The publication documents the editorial process, including analysis of autograph sources preserved at the National Library of Spain, addressing issues of transmission, chronology, and material condition. It also describes the philological and musicological methodology, including computer-assisted transcription and analytical tools. Clear editorial criteria were applied to produce a coherent and performable musical text while respecting the composer’s intentions. This critical edition provides the first reliable fixation of the musical text and libretto, enabling interdisciplinary research, historically informed performance, and broader reassessment of Spanish operatic heritage. Note: This resource was prepared and authored by Alberto Cobo, as the responsible researcher and editor of the abstract and critical edition. Félix Máximo López is acknowledged as the original composer of the work.