 His Italian musical training led him, under the favour of Queen Isabel II, to concentrate on operatic writing; and though he later composed "zarzuelas," he remained less committed to the renascent art form than his contemporaries such as Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, who continued to write in an essentially Italianate style throughout his life.His "zarzuela" "Marina", one of the most popular lyric stage works in the Spanish repertoire, has been produced and recorded both on CD and DVD many times.Arrieta died in Madrid, aged 70.