OPERA

IN THE PHILIPPINES
 19 th
CENTURY –
Filipino opera emerged in the
Philippines when foreign
performers, including instrumental
virtuosi, as well as opera singers and
Spanish zarzuela performers came to the
country to perform for enthusiastic
audiences.
 OPERA
- Is an art and music form in which singers
and musicians perform a dramatic work
combining text (called a libretto) and a
musical score.
- It is accompanied by an orchestra or
smaller musical ensemble.
- The dialogue is entirely sung and not
spoken.
Local Theatres
and Early
Philippine
Operas
 LOCAL THEATERS

 Zorrilla Theater, 1817-1893

 Principe Alfonso Theater, 1862-1876
 Variedades Theater, 1847
 Quiapo Theater
 Tondo Theater, 1841
 Manila Grand Opera House, mid-19th
 Metropolitan Theater, 1931
ZORRILLA THEATRE
(1817-1893)
PRINCIPE ALFONSO THEATRE
(1862-1876)
VARIEDADES THEATRE
(1847)
QUIAPO THEATERS
(TIMES THEATRE)
MANILA GRAND OPERA
HOUSE
METROPOLITAN
THEATER
 “SANDUGONG PANAGINIP”
 Composed by LADISLAO BONUS, “Father of
Philippine Opera)
 Said to be the FIRST FILIPINO OPERA by
PEDRO PATERNO, a poet, novelist, musician,
and government official. (La Alianza Soñada)
 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.
“SANDUGONG
PANAGINIP”
 BONIFACIO ABDON

First
Filipino
Opera
Conductor
DR. RAMON JAVIER
First Filipino
Impresario who
promoted local
talents to
participate in
foreign
productions.
 PATRICIO MARIANO
Wrote the
“Lakangbini” that
was first staged at
the Metropolitan
Theater in
December 19,
1933
 POPULAR SINGERS

NELIA MANALO
as Violetta in La Traviata
MERCEDES MATIAS-SANTIAGO
 as Lucia in Lucia di Lamemoor
JOVITA FUENTES
as Mimi in La Boheme
 CULTURAL CENTER OF
THE PHILIPPINES

Established by then First Lady

Imelda Romualdez-Marcos in
1969 paved the way for other
Filipino operas to be staged at a
legitimate venue of international
standard.
 FELIPE PADILLA DE LEON
Composed Noli
Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo
Presented at the
CCP Main
Theater in 1970
and 1975
Famous
Filipino
Operas
 “LA LOBA NEGRA”

 The Black She-Wolf

 A Three-act Filipino Opera
 The music was composed by
Francisco Feliciano with libretto
by soprano Fides Cuyugan
Asensio
 “NOLI ME TANGERE”

 The three-act opera composed by

National Artist Felipe Padilla de
Leon, with libretto by National
Artist Guillermo Tolentino.
 It premiered in 1957 at the FEU
Auditorium.
 “EL FILIBUSTERISMO”

 It was written four years after the

Noli Me Tangere
 It was in three acts and written in
Tagalog (with Libretto by Anthony Morli)
 It tells of the continuing struggle of the Filipinos to
achieve freedom and emancipation from Spanish
colonial rule.
 BALLET
IN THE PHILIPPINES
 The Filipino ballet
presents folktales based
on local fables and epics
from neighbouring
regions.
 “LOLA BASYANG”
 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.
MUSICAL PLAYS
IN THE PHILIPPINES
 In the Philippines, the
musical play rely mostly on
adaptations from novels,
literary works, or
biographical sketches of
famous artists.
 MUSICAL PLAY

Lighter form than the opera

Themes are usually
contemporary
Acting is less intense and
dramatic
 BROADWAY MUSICALS

“Showboat” was the

first broadway musical
which featured the popular
mode of transport in the
American frontier.
 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
 Interracial gang rivalry and romance
in West Side Story
 ANDRES BONIFACIO: ANG
DAKILANG ANAK-PAWIS
 It is a five-act work
commissioned by Alfonso
Puyat in 1979, depicting the life
of revolutionary hero Andres
Bonifacio.
 Music was by Jerry Dadap.
 ATANG - DULANG MAY
MUSIKAL

It is a musical based on the

life of the first superstar of
the Philippines, ATANG
DELA RAMA.
 ATANG - DULANG MAY
MUSIKAL

 written by Floy Quintos and

directed by Alexander Cortes,
was shown at UP Diliman in
2008 as part of the Zarzuela
Festival organized by the UP
College of Arts and Letters.
 KATY!
 is about the life of bodabil star Katy
de la Cruz.
 The music and musical arrangements were
done by Nonong Buencamino
 The play commissioned Ryan Cayabyab for
the music, Jose Javier Reyes for the lyrics,
and starred Mitch Valdes in the title role
 FLORANTE AT LAURA
It was presented in
celebration of the 200 th

birth anniversary of the

author Francisco Balagtas-
Baltazar.
 DARAGANG MAGAYON

 It is based on a poem by
MERLINDA C. BOBIS.
 It was produced by the CCP
Women’s Desk and the
Coordinating Center for Dance
to celebrate Women’s Month.
 MAGSIMULA KA
It 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.
 MAGSIMULA KA

by Gines Tan, staged at

the CCP Main Theater from
April 7 to 24, 1988.
one of the longest running
musicals at the CCP.