MUSIC EXAM

• opera - both a musical and art form wherein singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining the text
• • The dialogues were sung and not spoken they are called recitatives.
• OPERA

  • During the middle part of the 19th century.
  • Foreign performers, including instrumental virtuoso, as well as opera singers and Spanish zarzuela which is also known as the drama simbolico dominated the Philippine theater scene.
  •  Performers came to the country to perform for enthusiastic audiences.
• OPERA

  • The element of tragedy, emanating from the popular themes of romance, deceit, murder, vendetta, and other elements of human frailty, became a favorite narrative of the Filipino opera.
  •  Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Tragic endings and unresolved conflicts made for excellent choices of opera productions.
• LOCAL THEATERS AND EARLY PHILIPPINE OPERAS

  • Zorilla Theater
  • Metropolitan Theater (MET)
  • Cultural center of the Philippines (CCP)
• • First  Filipino opera is the Sandugong Panaguinip with libretto in Spanish by Pedro Paterno. (A poet, novelist, musician, and government official)
  • Translated into Tagalog by Roman Reyes, and music by Ladislao Bonus (also known as Father of Philippine Opera)
  • The Dreamed Alliance, it tells of the Moros and Muslims invading Luzon and exploiting its people and how the Tagalogs, with the help of their newly discovered allies, the Americans, fought to restore peace in their lands.
• • Leandro Locsin designed its architectural structures, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
  •  Carlos “Botong” Francis codesigned the logo
  • Lucrecia Kasilag became the first Theater Director
  • Jaime Zobel de Ayala and former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos served as Executive Director and Chairman
• • The Libretto is the story.
  • The Librettist writes the words to the story.
• • La Loba Negra (The Black She-Wolf)

  A three-act Filipino opera. Acts I and II are based on history. Act III is based on a legend attributed to Fr. Jose Burgos, one of the three martyred priests Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora who were executed in Bagumbayan (now Luneta) in 1872.
• • NOLI ME TANGERE, THE OPERA

  The three-act opera Noli Me Tangere was composed by National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon, with libretto by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino. It premiered in 1957 at the FEU Auditorium. 

  The cast included Juanita Javier Torres as Maria Clara, Don David as Ibarra, Fides Cuyugan Asensio as Sisa, Milo Cristobal as Padre Damaso, and Morli Daram as the director. There were several other productions that followed the premiere staging.
• • EL FILIBUSTERISMO, THE OPERA

  The opera El Filibusterismo was composed by National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon in 1970, with libretto by Anthony Morli. It is in three Acts and written in Tagalog. It was first staged at the Cultural center of the Philippines.
• • The Novel Behind the Opera

  El Filibusterismo (The Filibuster) was a novel by Dr. Jose Rizal and a sequel to the earlier Noli me Tangere.

  It tells of the continuous struggle of the Filipino people to achieve freedom and emancipation from colonial rule. 
• What is ballet?

  • The dance form known as ballet has been used to interpret stories of all kinds. 
  • It is a performance in which a story is told without words by using body movements and facial expressions.
  • Lack of spoken words or sung lyrics is more than made up for by the creative movements and gestures of the dancers.
  • It enhanced by colorful costumes, elaborate sets, visually suggestive music, and sophisticated choreography.
• Lola Basyang is a ballet adaptation of Severino Reyes’ folktales "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang."

  The typical storytelling scene shows the grandmother (Lola Basyang, the pen name of the author) on a rocking chair with her grandchildren listening to her fascinating tales.
• Two of those collections were presented by Ballet Manila, with prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde as the company’s Artistic Director. Entitled Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2009) and Tatlo Pang Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2013), the stories were taken from dozens of stories in the collection of Severino Reyes.
• Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya

  This is a fantasy story set to neo-ethnic music in a contemporary style. It is about a hero’s fantastic journey to different kingdoms in pursuit of his bewitched sisters. The music is written by Joey Ayala, with choreography by Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.
• Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin

  This is a local version of the Pied Piper tale where the main character mesmerizes his followers through the music of his violin. The story instills in them the moral lesson that “good triumphs over evil.” The music is by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, arranged by Arnold Buena, and choreography is by Tony Fabella.
• Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon

  This is a love story where a princess falls in love with a bird. It was choreographed by Ballet Manila danseur (a male ballet dancer) Osias Barroso. The music is taken from selected musical works of National Artists arranged by Mon Faustino.
• Ang Palasyo ng mga Dwende

  This is a romantic adventure wherein the heroine Yani is being maltreated by her envious stepmother and stepsisters. The cursed bird is changed back into a prince with the help of Yani. It depicts Mindanao and the ancient Pintados through its neo-ethnic movements.
• Labindalawang Masasayang Prinsesa

  This is a romantic fantasy of the twelve daughters of the king. Macuja-Elizalde herself danced in the ballet portraying the role of the eldest among the king’s twelve daughters. Her real life daughter Missy Elizalde played the role of Ate Missy who sat and listened to Lola Basyang’s stories. Lola Basyang was played by veteran character actress Luz Fernandez – a role that she has reprised countless times.
• Labindalawang Masasayang Prinsesa

  Choreography was done by Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, in collaboration with Francis Jaena, Sofia Peralta, Rudy de Dios and the Ballet Manila dancers. It featured fairly simple classical ballet movements with the traditional adagios or slow movementsfor the prince and princess.
• Anting-Anting

  This is a horror-comedy play wherein the cowardly hero Huan tries to overcome his fears in order to win his love. 

  Musical arrangements were done by Juan Carlo Magsalin, with choreography by Osias Barroso in collaboration with Michael Divinagracia. Illustration was doneby Hubert Fucio. Costumes featured farmers’ clothing for men and kimona/saya for women.
• Rama Hari, translated as King Rama, is the Philippine adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana set to music, dance, and drama.

  The major roles were performed by Basil Valdez (Rama), Kuh Ledesma (Sita), and Leo Valdez (Ravana). Their counterpart dancers were composed of Alice Reyes as Robert Medina’s Sita, Nonoy Froilan and Robert Medina as Rama, Effie Nanas as NonoyFroilan’s Sita, Ester Rimpos, and Butch Esperanza as Ravana.
• The Ramayana is one of the two great Indian epics that talk about Indian life around 1000 BC and how dharma was practiced.  Dharma is a type of behavior said to be in accordance with the order that makes life and the universe possible.
•  The Ramaya, cccording to its meaning, explains the expectations in fulfilling duties, respecting rights, observing proper conduct, practicing virtues, and maintaining a rightful way of living. The epic Ramayana consists of 18 books containing approximately 24,000 verses divided into 500 songs.