El zortzico (The Zortziko) is a 1-act zarzuela by Miguel Marqués for a libretto (in prose) by Emilio Sánchez Pastor [es].
[1][2] The zarzuela takes place in a square of a small town Pasajes in the North of Spain during the Third Carlist War (1874).
The action begins with a dialogue between the sacristan Josecho and a miquelet sergeant, who considers him to be a Carlist spy.
Josecho gave Chiquivar a loan to buy the very boat with which Magdalen performed the feat, and now his wife Ramona wants the money back by the next morning.
In a trio the lovers are accompanied by comic prayers of Josecho, who stays in some distance; the captain tells the girl of the forthcoming sally; she promises to pray and sings an ancient zortziko which he likes (No.
While Urbieta offers Josecho to repay Chiquivar's debt, the girl tells Ramona about the sacristan's indecent plan.
The festivities commence, and a procession of fishermen and oarswomen accompany Magdalen to the alcalde, who decorates her with the Cross in the middle of the square; Josecho rings the church bells diligently to please the girl (No.
While there, he listens to Urbieta and the sergeant's talk about the sally: they want to dispose some lanterns on this tree to make the Carlists fire in a wrong direction in case they get noticed.