Kasilag’s Cross
Oratorio and operas are known to be different from one another, they are of different styles and when and how they are played also differ from one another. To illustrate this point, an examination of what an opera and an oratorio are is needed. The Opera can be likened to a theatrical performance but with music and singing. There are costumes, a storyline and dramatic performances done by the performers of the opera to drive a narrative with the characters interacting with one another. In contrast, the oratorio lacks those qualities that would make it an opera. The oratorio does not use a narrative but rather the sacred scriptures as its source material for the music. The oratorio also lacks acting, a narrative and costumes. It can be likened more to a concert musical piece where the performers stand in their positions and perform the piece. Another main difference is that operas are usually secular in nature, most of the time lacking religious connotations in the performance as most of the narratives are derived from secular experiences. That is in contrast with oratorio which are religious in nature and its performance can be applied in religious institutions and celebrations such as mass for example.
However, there are situations that despite the differences of the two styles of music, they can be combined in order to construct a masterpiece. That combination is called the operatorio, which Lucrecia Kasilag was to compose numerous examples such as the cross of Saint John.
Lucrecia Kasilag was a Filipino composer who is considered a national artist for music and was recognized in 1989 for her achievements in the field including the compositions of over 200 pieces. Born in 1917 in San Fernando, she excelled early on from a young age graduating as a valedictorian twice, the first time in 1930 and the second time in 1933. She went to Philippine Women’s University where she graduated as cum laude in English and got her teaching license in 1939 where she proceeded to teach in UP conservatory from 1946- 1947. In 1949, she got her music degree from PWU and went to Eastman school of music the same year.
Her academic achievements were numerous but so were her professional ones. She became a dean in PWU, she collaborated with numerous other composers to create some of the most note worthy musical pieces in the Philippines and helped promote the arts and music in the country. When she died in 2008, she had left a lasting legacy in the Philippine music for years to come therefore cementing her place as one of the greats of Philippine music.
Kasilag composed many operatorios in her life and one of them was her adaptation of “The Spiritual Canticle”, a work by Saint John of the cross who was a poet and a saint. Saint John of the cross is known throughout the catholic world as one of the doctors of the Catholic Church, more specifically, the doctor of mystic theology. Born in 1542 and canonized as a saint in 1726, St John is best known for his works of poetry and is also considered one of the best theologians of the Catholic Church (Zimmerman,1910). One of his most well known works of poetry was his work known as the “Spiritual Canticle”. This work of poetry is where St John explains his theories of mysticism using allegories. The wife, representing the human soul, goes on a search for her husband, representing Christ himself. The wife searches everywhere for the husband until she finds him in the garden or otherwise known as heaven or paradise where they happily reunite.
Besides Kasilag’s adaptation, there is another well-known adaptation of the work of Saint John and American Composer Kile Smith composed it. There are notable differences between the two and the following paragraph would be dedicated to examining those differences.
Kasilag’s adaptation was an operatorio that included soprano, bass baritone and chorus for the vocals of the adapted piece. She also included dancing and speech choir to drive the narrative of the story that was presented in “The Spiritual Canticle” and lastly, she added in an orchestra as a musical accompaniment to complete the set that would perform the piece.
In contrast, Kile Smith takes a different approach from the one that was undertaken by Kasilag. Smith, in his adaptation, employs the use of a choir that is accompanied by three cellos and one percussionist, greatly differing from the method that Kasilag employed on her own adaptation of the piece. The piece is spread out over three sections and is around an hour long, just as how saint john intended for his work.
In analyzing the Operatorio of “The Spiritual Canticle”, it can be said that the elements of both an opera and an oratorio can be seen in the piece “The Spiritual Canticle”. The use of allegories such as Christ representing the husband and the wife representing the human soul shows elements from the oratorio as the religious aspects of the work are presented in the piece. It also helps that the original writer for the work,. St John, intended the work to be religious in the first place and only used secular elements as allegories for the religious. The elements of the opera are present as well in the way the work was presented to the audience. In Kasilag’s version of the work, there was dancing and a sppech choir to lead the narrative along. The presence of costumes and a musical accompaniment to the piece that in addition to proving that accompaniment to the singers of the piece, it also helps work the narrative along to the conclusion. Overall, the piece is a combination of two worlds, the world of the religious and the world of the secular and Kasilag masterfully brings those two worlds together in her work.
References:
Catholic Treasury | Interior Castle. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/spiritual_canticle/cn_1.php
Smith, K. (2018, March 16). Canticle. Retrieved from https://kilesmith.com/2016/04/21/canticle/
Zimmerman, B. (1910). St. John of the Cross. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved July 12, 2018 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08480a.htm
ABS-CBN News. (2008, August 17). National Artist for Music Lucrecia Kasilag, 90. Retrieved from http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/metro-manila/08/18/08/nationalartist-music-lucrecia-kasilag-90
Hasa. (2016, August 16). Difference Between Opera and Oratorio | Meaning, Features, Characteristics. Retrieved from http://pediaa.com/difference-betweenopera-and-oratorio/
Salido, B.M., M.M., Caroline Besana.2002. THE PIANO COMPOSITIONAL STYLE OF LUCRECIA ROCES KASILAG. Ohio State University
Photo Sources:
Unknown(2014 April 26) Lucrecia Roses, Public Domain
Francisco Zurbaran (1655 December 31) St.John of the Cross , Public Domain
Kile Smith (Unknown) Kile Smith, kilesmith.com