20th/21st Century Philippine Music

20th and 21st Century Philippine Music Developments

• Music saw development in the 20th and 21st centuries, including the emergence of multimedia forms such as Philippine opera and ballet.

Identifying Composers

• Antonio Buenaventura composed a song musical.
• Francisco Feliciano composed a song for an international choir competition.
• Levi Celerio could create music by blowing a leaf.
• Jose Maceda composed "Ugma-ugma."
• Felipe de Leon composed "Pasko Na Naman."

Musical Performance Types

• Ballet uses communicative dance to present dramatizations of folktales.
• Musical plays include performances such as "My Fair Lady," "The Sound of Music," and "West Side story".
• Opera’s dialogue is entirely sung, originating in Italy in the late 16th century.

Prominent Performance Venues

• Metropolitan Theater (The MET) is important venue.
• Manila Grand Opera House was a venue for opera in the mid-1900s.
• Zarzuela Foundation of Manila, also known as Aurelio Varela Manila, is also a venue.
• Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) paved the way for Philippine operas, ballet, and musical plays.
• Valenzuela City Center for Performing Arts serves as a home for Valenzuela’s performance talents.

Philippine Opera

• Emerged in the mid-19th century with foreign and Spanish zarzuela performers.
• Combines texts (libretto) and musical score in a theatrical setting, incorporating acting, scenery, costumes, and dance.
• Typically performed in opera houses, cultural centers, theaters, or auditoriums, accompanied by an orchestra.
• Often based on stories of tragedy, such as Rizal’s "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo."
• "Sandugong Panaginip" was the first opera in Tagalog, presented in 1902, composed by Ladislav Bonus.

Key Figures in Philippine Opera

• Bonifacio Abdon was the first Philippine opera conductor.
• Dr. Ramon Javier was the first Filipino opera impresario.
• Orchestra Molina interpreted operatic works.

Subsequent Philippine Operas

• "Lamberto Avellana" directed the premiere of "La Loba Negra" in 1984.
• Mercedes Matias-Santiago portrayed Lucia.
• National Artist Jovita Fuentes portrayed Mimi in "La Boheme."
• "La Loba Negra" (The Black She Wolf) is a three-act Filipino opera with music by Francisco Feliciano, based on history and a legend attributed to Father Jose Burgos.

Noli Me Tangere Opera

• Composed by National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon, based on Jose Rizal’s novel.
• Premiered in 1957 at the FEU Auditorium.

El Filibusterismo Opera

• Also composed by Felipe Padilla de Leon, staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1970.
• A sequel to "Noli Me Tangere," portraying the Filipino struggle for freedom.

Philippine Ballet

• Uses dance to interpret stories through body movements and pantomime.
• "Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang" is a ballet adaptation of Severino Reyes’ folktales.
• "Rama Hari" is the Philippine adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana, presented in 1980, with music by Ryan Cayabyab and choreography by Alice Reyes.

Ballet Manila

• Lisa Macuja-Elizalde is the Prima Ballerina.
• Featured Stories are Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya and Labindalawang Masasayang Prinsesa.
• "Rama Hari" is the Philippine adaptation.

Assessment Questions

• "La Loba Negra" is a three-act Filipino opera based on history and legend, with music by Francisco Feliciano.
• "Rama Hari" is a Philippine adaptation of an Indian epic set to music, dance, and drama.
• Lisa Macuja is known as the Prima Ballerina and is the executive director of Ballet Manila.
• "La Loba Negra" was first presented and performed at the CCP.

The Importance of Respect

• The greatest respect an artist can give to music is to give it life.