Music

• Opera


  Part of western classical music form and tradition
• Opera


  Started in italy at the end of the 16th century and soon spread throughout the rest of europe
• Due to opera, english, french and italian operas had flourished
• opera


  is both a musical and art form, wherein singers and musicians perform a dramatic work, combining text (libretto) and the music. Usually in an elaborate theatrical setting
• opera incorporates many of the elements of theaters including:


  1. acting
  2. scenery
  3. costume
  4. dance
• opera's performance is typically presented at:


  1. opera house
  2. cultural center
  3. theater
  4. auditorium
• operas are accompanied by:


  1. orchestra
  2. chamber ensemble
• recitatives


  dialogues were sung and not spoken
• the emergence of the filipino opera started to take shape during the middle part of the 19th century
• foreign performers who dominated the philippine theater scene:


  1. instrumental virtuoso
  2. opera singers
  3. spanish zarzuela (aka drama simbolico)
• performers came to the country to perform for enthusiastic audiences
• as the locals were being exposed to western art and music, they were also realizing their inner talents and passion for opera
• the themes of filipino opera were ripe for voicing out sentiments about their love for the country and longing for independence from colonial rule
• the element of tragedy, emenating from the popular themes of romance, deceit, murder, vendetta, and other elements of human frailty, became a favorite narrative of the filipino opera
• some works on filipino operas were based on previous literary creations, such as rizal's noli me tangere and el filibusterismo
• tragic endings and unresolved conflicts made for excellent choices for opera productions
• local theater and early philippine operas

  A) metropolitan theater (MET)

  
• local theater and early philippine operas

  A) zorilla theater

  
• local theaters


  1. teatro zorilla
  2. metopolitan theater (MET)
  3. vista del teatro principe alfonso XII (located nerby modern day MET)
  4. variedades
  5. teatro de tondo
  6. circo teatro de bilibid
  7. teatro filipino
  8. teatro popular
• local theaters such as zorillaa theater, etc. were the choice venues for the mainly italian operas that came into the country, such as:


  1. il barbiere di siviglia
  2. ernani
  3. la sonnambula
• later on, other opera venues were established, led by manila grand opera house and the metropolitan theater (MET)
• the first filipino opera is the sandugong panaguinip with libretto in spanish by pedro paterno, translated into tagalog by roman reyes, and music by ladislao bonus
• pedro paterno


  he was the one who used spanish libretto in sandugong panaguinip
• pedro paterno


  a poet, novelist, musician, and government official
• roman reyes


  the one who translated sandugong panaguinip
• ladislao bonus


  the one who made the music of sandugong panaguinip
• the sandugong panaguinip was first staged at the zorilla theater on august 2, 1902
• sandugong panaguinip was produced by molina-benito theater company which was owned by juan molina (father of soprano and actress titay molina and national artist antonio molina)
• sandugong panaguinip was later translated by the englishman M.W. loving with the title, the dreamed alliance
• following the historic development, other prominent figures and ensembles contributed significantly to the promotion of opera
• the orquesta molina (molina orchestra) was known for the interpretation of opera as well as other classical compositions
• subsequent filipino operas followed sprodically, such as lakangbini by patricio mariano that was staged at the metropolitan theater on december 19, 1933
• in the performance of the lakangbini, operatic divas included were:


  1. nelia manalo
  2. mercedes matias-santiago
  3. jovita fuentes (national artist)
  4. isang tapales
  5. jose mossesgeld santiago (bass-baritone)

  and later some of their students including:

  1. elmo makil
  2. gamaliel viray
  3. emmanuel gregorio
  4. irma potenciano
  5. fides cuyugan
• the establishment of the cultural center of the philippines (CCP) by virtue of the executive order no. 30 in 1966 paved the way for other filipino operas to be staged at a legitimate venue of international standard
• in regards to CCP, leandro locsin designed its architectural structures, carlos "botong" francisco designed the logo, and lucrecia kasilag became the first theater director -- all three eventually became national artist
• in regards to CCP, jaime zobel de ayala and former first lady imelda romualdez-marcos served as exevutive director and chairman alongside its board of trustees, juan ponce enrile, antonio quintos, fr. horacio dela costa, ernesto ru fino, and antonio madrigal
• original philippine operas


  1. la loba negra
  2. noli me tangere, the opera
  3. el filibusterismo, the opera
• la loba negra


  a three-act filipino opera
• english translation of la loba negra is the black she-wolf
• acts 1 and 2 in la loba negra are based on history, act 3 is based on a legend attributed to fr. jose burgos -- one of the martyred priests, gomez, burgos, and zamora who were executed in bagumbayan (luneta) in 1872