The Pearl of The Orient sings The Third Day of Creation
"In the Beginning" is a sacred cantata for baritone solo, quartet, and mixed chorus, which was constructed by the Filipino composer and pianist, Lucrecia Kasilag. As a composer, Kasilag was notably recognized as “prolific, exploring, in particular, the possible conjunction of Eastern and Western instruments and material.” Her contributions in music have been widely acclaimed by locals, and she has attained various official honors across the globe. Aside from being a composer, she was also a reputable teacher, writer, and administrator. This paper provides a comparative analysis on musical interpretations of the Creation story through Kasilag’s "In the Beginning" and The Creation by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. The discussion will primarily focus on parts that illustrate the third day of creation and the similarities or differences in how the two composers interpreted this biblical narrative.
Part 7 of "In the Beginning" illustrates the creation of mountains, valleys, trees, hills, and flowers. Meanwhile, Haydn’s interpretation of the third day in part 7 illustrates the sea, plains, rivers, mountains, and rocks. In addition to this, it may be observed that The Creation’s 9th part, which narrates, “With verdure clad the fields appear delightful to the ravish’d sense; by flowers sweet and gay enhanced is the charming sight…” also coincides with an elaborate depiction of flowery elements that was briefly narrated in the last line of "In the Beginning’s" 7th part: “The flowers bloom, the trees spread their branches in thanksgiving.” Aside from this, another similarity may be discerned in part 9 of "In the Beginning" in relation to part 7 of The Creation.
The fifth line of Part 7 from "In the Beginning" narrates, “Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof”, which follows the first line in Haydn’s work, “Rolling in foaming billows uplifted roars the boist’rous sea.” Both lines depict the aggressive nature of the sea by personifying it as a body of water that “roars.” In the context of how the music is performed, Part 7 of The Creation is an aria that should be sung by a bass vocalist who plays the character of the angel Raphael. On the other hand, part 7 of "In the Beginning" is performed by a quartet and chorus.
For Part 8, The Creation primarily focuses on vegetation, illustrating earthy elements such as the grass and trees. Meanwhile, Kasilag’s interpretation in Part 8 illustrates bodies of water, rain, and grass with respect to the mountains. Both part 7 of The Creation and "In the Beginning" may also be perceived as having similar aspects in relation to parts 8 of The Creation and "In the Beginning." The last few lines from part 7 of Kasilag’s work illustrates: “The flowers bloom, the trees spread// their branches in thanksgiving// The grass grows in the wind.” These elements similarly narrate The Creation’s depiction of grass, and trees. Likewise, part 7 of The Creation illustrates the movement of waters through the use of personification: “Rolling in foaming billows uplifted roars the boist’rous sea, "Thro’ th’ open plains outstretching wide in serpent error rivers flow,” and “Softly purling glides on thro’ silent vales the limpid brook,” which similarly reflect part 8 of "In the Beginning": “...the waters stood above// the mountains// They go up by the mountains.// They go down by the valleys// Unto the place which he appointed for them.” In terms of how the music is performed, part 8 of "In the Beginning" is a baritone solo in which a male vocalist ranges between tenor and bass. Conversely, part 8 of The Creation is a recitative sung by a soprano vocalist who would play the role of angel Gabriel.
A macro analysis of the two interpretations would lead me to perceive Kasilag’s works as a similar depiction and interpretation of the third day of Creation to Haydn’s. In the Biblical context, however, The Creation may be regarded as a somewhat closer narration of the story, given that most of the lyrics were derived from the Bible in verbatim, such as the text from Genesis chapter 1, verse 11: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so,” which are the exact lyrics of part 8 in The Creation. Disregarding the slight differences in Kasilag and Haydn’s process of depicting certain elements, the third day is essentially a narration how God created the land and seas. With Philippines being a predominantly Catholic nation, Kasilag is able to capture the essence of the Creation story in the Filipino context through her own musical interpretation of the narrative.
Bibliography
“Welcome to Naxos Records.” History of Classical Music - Eras, www.naxos.com/education/opera_libretti.asp?pn=&char=ALL&composer=Haydn&opera=The_ Creation&libretto_file=English/Part_1.htm.
Naxos.com. (2018). Lucrecia Roces Kasilag- Bio, Albums, Pictures – Naxos Classical Music.. [online] Available at: https://www.naxos.com/person/Lucrecia_Roces_Kasilag/23491.htm [Accessed 6 Dec. 2018].