DIGOS CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Rizal Avenue, Digos City

20th and 21st CENTURY MULTIMEDIA FORMS

MUSIC 10 4th Quarter

OPERA IN THE PHILIPPINES

The emergence of the Filipino opera started to take shape during the middle part of the 19th century. Foreign
performers, including instrumental virtuosi, as well as opera singers and Spanish zarzuela performers came to the country to
perform for enthusiastic audiences.
OPERA - A western classical music form and tradition started in Italy at the end of the 16th century.
- an art and music form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (called a
libretto) and a musical score, usually in an elaborate theatrical setting.
- Incorporates many of the elements of spoken theater, such as acting, scenery, costumes, and sometimes
includes dance, usually performed in opera house, cultural center, theater, or auditorium, accompanied by an
orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.
- The dialogue is entirely sung and not spoken.
As the locals were being exposed to Western art and music, they were also realizing their inner talents and passion for the
opera. The themes were ripe for voicing their own sentiments about love of country and longing for independence from
colonial rule. The element of tragedy, emanating from the popular themes of romance, deceit, murder, vendetta, and other
elements of human frailty, became a favorite story pattern of the Filipino opera. Some operatic works were based on previous
literary creations, such as Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The tragic endings and unresolved conflicts made them
excellent choices for an operatic production.
LOCAL THEATRES AND EARLY PHILIPPINE OPERAS
Local theaters, including the Zorilla, Principe Alfonso, Variedades, Quiapo and Tondo Theaters, were the choice venues for the
mainly Italian operas that came to the country, such as Lucia di Lammermoor, La Boheme, La Traviata, and Aida. Later, other
opera venues were established, led by the Manila Grand Opera House and the Metropolitan Theater (Met).
The first Filipino opera is said to be to Sandugong Panaginip by Pedro Paterno, a poet, novelist, musician, and government
official. This was first presented at the Zorilla Theater on August 2, 1902. It was later translated by the Englishman M.W. Loving
with the title The Dreamed Alliance.
The musical play entitled Andres Bonifacio: Ang Dakilang Anak-Pawis is a five-act work commissioned by Alfonso Puyat in
1979, depicting the life of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio. Music was by Jerry Dadap.
The musical Florante at Laura was presented by Tanghalang Pilipino at the CCP Little Theater (Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino)
from July 7 to 24, 1988 in celebration of the 200th birth anniversary of the author Francisco Balagtas-Baltazar. It was selected
as the official Philippine entry to the first ASEAN Theater Festival in August 1988.
The musical play on Noli Me Tangere was staged at the CCP Little Theater from February 1 to 4, 1996 as a production of
Tanghalang Pilipino. The musical play closely follows the storyline of the original novel and the opera. The musical play
assumes a more contemporary approach in the musical compositions owing to Cayabyab’s chromatic and rhythmically
innovative style.

The musical play El Filibusterismo was staged at the CCP Main Theater from August 8 to 10, 1997 as a production of
Tanghalang Pilipino. The musical play closely follows the Rizal novel, whose major character Crisostomo Ibarra disguised as
Simoun.
The musical play Magsimula Ka by Gines Tan was staged at the CCP Main Theater from April 7 to 24, 1988. As the winner of
the CCP Playwriting Contest in 1983, it became one of the longest running musicals at the CCP. Magsimula Ka is the story of
young dreamers whose ambitions begin to fade in life’s realities. They are part of the graduating class filled with hope but end
up compromising their idealism for their own survival.

BALLET IN THE PHILIPPINES

Ballet – A dance form used to interpret stories of all kinds (novels, folktales) and provides visual excitement as the
characters come alive not in spoken dialogue but in body movements or pantomime; story is told through body movements
and facial expressions. The performance is further enhanced by colorful costumes, elaborates sets, visually suggestive music,
and synchronized choreography.
Filipino ballets vividly present folktales based on local fables for example, Lola Basyang as well as epics from
neighboring regions, such as India’s Ramayana. Highly communicative movements and steps dramatize the actions in the
respective stories. The colorful sets and costumes add to the glitter and attraction of the productions.
 Lola Basyang is a ballet adaptation of Severino Reyes’ folktales Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang. It was meant to instill
and rekindle the interest of the Filipino youth in the beauty, richness, and heritage of Philippine literature.
 Rama Hari, translated as King Rama, is the Philippine adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana set to music, dance, and
drama.
Prepared by: John Paul S. Mangaron Music 10_4th Quarter
MUSICAL PLAYS
The musical play is a popular and generally lighter form of musical drama than the opera. The themes are usually more
contemporary, and the musical melodies more manageable by the average singer. The acting is less intense and dramatic. The
choreography and dance sequences provide visual breaks from the ongoing plots.
Musical plays have been associated with the Broadway plays of New York City and West End Productions in London,
including West Side Story, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Wicked, Mama Mia, Cats,
and Miss Saigon.

Broadway Musicals
The first major Broadway musical was Showboat, which featured the popular mode of transport in the American frontier. Since
then, musicals have presented other themes: Siamese royalty in The King and I, English aristocracy in My Fair Lady, Austrian
history in The Sound of Music, medieval English tragedy in Camelot, and interracial gang rivalry and romance in West Side
Story. Many Broadway musicals were also made into films.

Lea Salonga on Broadway

One Filipino artist who attained international status on both London’s West End and Broadway is Lea Salonga. Best known for
her portrayal of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, a role for which she won the prestigious Tony Award for theater in the USA
and the Laurence Olivier Award in London. The first Filipina to have won various international awards for a single role.

The Phantom of the Opera is a Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe, based on the novel The
Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. The story focuses on a beautiful singer Christine Daaé as she is seduced by a
mysterious disfigured musical genius known as The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom lives beneath the Paris Opera House
and terrorizes those who work there.
Les Misérables, known as “Les Mis,” is a musical composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg with libretto
by Alain Boublil. It is based on the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It is perhaps the most famous of all French musicals
and one of the most famous musicals performed worldwide.

MUSICAL PLAYS IN THE PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, the musical play is a more recent development than Broadway and West End, relying mostly on
adaptations from novels, literary works, or biographical sketches of famous artists.
The musical play Andres Bonifacio: Ang Dakilang Anak-Pawis is a five-act work commissioned by Alfonso Puyat in
1979, depicting the life of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio. It was co-produced by the Cultural Center of the Philippines
and the Andres Bonifacio Music Foundation, Inc., and was staged again at the CCP Main Theater on August 20 and 21, 1994
with Jerry Dadap as composer-conductor and the late Elmo Makil as Bonifacio.

ATANG - DULANG MAY MUSIKA -is a musical based on the life of the first superstar of the Philippines, Atang de la Rama.
Atang, The Musical, written by Floy Quintos, directed by Alexander Cortes, and with music by Von de Guzman, was shown at
the Guerrero Theater, Palma Hall in UP Diliman in 2008 as part of the Zarzuela Festival organized by the UP College of Arts and
Letters.
KATY! THE MUSICAL
The musical Katy! is about the life of bodabil (vaudeville) star Katy de la Cruz. It was initially presented by Actors Studio East
Production in 1988. The play commissioned Ryan Cayabyab for the music and Jose Javier Reyes for the lyrics.

FLORANTE AT LAURA, THE MUSICAL

The musical Florante at Laura was presented by Tanghalang Pilipino at the CCP Little Theater in year 1988 in celebration of the
200th birth anniversary of the author Francisco Balagtas-Baltazar. The musical was selected as the official Philippine entry to
the first ASEAN Theater Festival in August 1988.
Songs from Philippine Operas:
a. La Loba Negra (Napakahaba na ng Gabi)
b. Noli Me Tangere (Kay Tamis ng Buhay, Huwag mo akong pabayaan, Awit ng Gabi ni Sisa)
c. El Filibusterismo

Songs from Broadway Musicals:

a. Phantom of the Opera (All I Ask of You, Music of the Night, Think of Me, Phantom of the Opera)
b. West Side Story (I Have a Dream, Somewhere, Maria, Tonight)
d. Sound of Music (My Favorite Things, Eidelweiss, Do Re Mi, So Long Farewell, Maria, and The Sound of Music)
e. Miss Saigon (Sun and Moon, Movie in My Mind, I’d Give My Life for You, I Still Believe, Last Night of the World)
f. Les Miserables (On My Own, I Dreamed a Dream, Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, Do You Hear the People Sing?)
g. Beauty and the Beast (Something There, Be Our Guest, If I Can’t Love Her, A Change in Me, Beauty and the Beast)

Songs from Philippine Musical Plays:

a. Noli Me Tangere (Buksan Mo ang Iyong mga Mata, Paalam na Pag-ibig,Sa Muling Pagkikita, Dalawang Liham)
Prepared by: John Paul S. Mangaron Music 10_4th Quarter
b. El Filibusterismo (Awit ng Isang Lawin, Aklas)
c. Andres Bonifacio: Ang Dakilang Anak-Pawis (Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan, La Deportacion, Awit ng Manggagawa)
d. Katy! (Balut!; Ang Entablado ay Mundo; Tale, Tale; Pahiram ng Kanta; Tupada; Bituing Tahimik; Minsan ang Minahal ay Ako)
e. Atang - Dulang May Musika (Nasaan Ka Irog, Pakiusap,Madaling Araw)
f. Florante at Laura (Pag-ibig ay Laging May Panahon, Sa Gubat, Prutas at Lason)
h. Magsimula Ka (Magandang Gabi, Magsimula Ka, Pangarap, Pagibig, Pag-asa, May Dilim, May Liwanag)

Prepared by: John Paul S. Mangaron Music 10_4th Quarter