A burletta (Italian, meaning little joke), also sometimes burla or burlettina, is a musical term generally denoting a brief comic Italian (or, later, English) opera. The term was used in the 18th century to denote the comic intermezzos between the acts of an opera seria, but was sometimes given to more extended works; Pergolesi's La serva padrona was designated a 'burletta' at its London premiere in 1750.

In England the term began to be used, in contrast to burlesque, for works that satirized opera but without using musical parody. Burlettas in English began to appear in the 1760s, the earliest identified being Midas by Kane O'Hara, first performed privately in 1760 near Belfast, and produced at Covent Garden in 1764. The form became debased when the term 'burletta' began to be used for English comic or ballad operas, as a way of evading the monopoly on opera in London belonging to Covent Garden and Drury Lane. After repeal of the 1737 Licensing Act in 1843, use of the term declined.

The word 'burletta' has also been used for scherzo-like instrumental music by composers including Max Reger and Bartók. In America, the word has sometimes been used as an alternative for burlesque.

Fabio Machado (Funchal, Madeira, 1985) is a Portuguese mandolin virtuoso.

Fabio Machado was born in Funchal and started studying mandolin at the age of 9 years. He joined the Madeira Mandolin Orchestra (Recreio Musical União da Mocidade) and became its Concertmaster for several years, performing in several venues as a soloist.

In 1998, he toured central and northern Portugal, performing in Águeda, Vila do Conde, Benavente, Santarém and Expo 98. In 2002, he had a successful concert tour in the United Kingdom, performing in several English cathedrals such as St. George's Bristol, and in the St. George's Chapel, Windsor. This last concert was officially inserted in the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.

Machado is mostly known for having performed some Caprices of N. Paganini, and the recording of a DVD playing "Chaconne" in G minor of Tomaso Vitali. Besides having recorded 2 CDs and a DVD with the Madeira Mandolin Orchestra, he performs regularly in Italy, Germany, England, Portugal and the USA.

Franz Joseph Haydn (  /ˈdʒoʊzəf ˈhaɪdən/; German pronunciation: [ˈjoːzɛf ˈhaɪdən] ( listen); 31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809), known as Joseph Haydn, was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms. He was also instrumental in the development of the piano trio and in the evolution of sonata form.

A lifelong resident of Austria, Haydn spent much of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Esterházy family on their remote estate. Isolated from other composers and trends in music until the later part of his long life, he was, as he put it, "forced to become original". At the time of his death, he was one of the most celebrated composers in Europe.

Joseph Haydn was the brother of Michael Haydn, himself a highly regarded composer, and Johann Evangelist Haydn, a tenor. He was also a close friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a teacher of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Esteban Sánchez Herrero (April 26, 1934 – February 3, 1997) was a Spanish pianist. Born in the town of Orellana la Vieja in Badajoz in the province of Extremadura, Sánchez studied with his grandfather, Joaquin Sánchez Ruiz, choirmaster in the cathedral. He went to the Real Conservatorio (Royal Conservatory) in Madrid and studied piano with Julia Parody. He perfected his technique under Carlo Zecchi in Rome and Alfred Cortot in Paris. Sánchez won numerous major international awards, including the Ferruccio Busoni in Bolzano, the Alfredo Casella in Naples, and the Dinu Lipatti Medal from the Harriet Cohen Foundation. In 1954, at the age of 20, he released "Impressions of Spain" by Joaquin Turina on Capitol Records. He chose to return home in 1978 to teach at the Badajoz Conservatoire.

Between 1968 and 1974 he made a series of recordings in Barcelona, with producer Antonio Armet, of Beethoven, Fauré, Albéniz, and Turina. In 1976 he recorded an album of solo piano music by Manuel de Falla at Abbey Road Studios in London. These recordings have been issued on CD by the Spanish label Ensayo, and the complete Albéniz recordings have been reissued in a budget box set by Brilliant Classics. The recording of Albéniz's Iberia has been singled out for special praise and has been favorably compared to the recordings of Alicia de Larrocha by professional reviewers such as Jed Distler. Sánchez remains little known outside of Spain, but Cortot called him "a musical genius," and Daniel Barenboim asked, "How is this possible? How can Spain have hidden away a performer of this class?"