Thread by @Silpayamanant

THREAD: #OperaDiversity

Taking @GarrettMcQueen's comments (Quote Tweeted below) as a point of departure.

I may add to this from time to time, so this is going to be an open-ended thread. But first a few caveats.

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https://twitter.com/Silpayamanant/status/1316442098166632450

When I say "Opera Diversity" I'm talking about <<Diversity OF Opera>> not <<Diversity IN Opera>>. These are two very different ideas and I articulate that a bit in this piece:

silpayamanant.wordpress.com/2018/07/18/div…

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One of my other research projects is compiling a list of First Language Operas: a catalogue of the first time languages are used in the libretti of Operas historically. Many examples here will pull from that list.

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Some examples might be considered Opera-adjacent. I.e., these might be works that emerged in hybridized traditions due to colonialism and cultural imperialism; or are from convergent evolutionary traditions.

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One example of a hybridized tradition are the Mugham Operas of Uzeyir Hajibeyov. One example of a convergent evolutionary tradition are Thai Likay (ลิเก), a type of folk Opera that my mother absolutely adores!

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Keep in mind that by considering these different boxes for Opera Types, we've veered close to the <<Logic of Exclusion of Colored Bodies>> that I started articulating in this piece:

silpayamanant.wordpress.com/2020/09/15/col…

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And how that <<Logic of Exclusion of Colored Bodies>> is at play in how we treat some sounds as other: thus creating a <<Perpetually Foreign Music>> that I've tweeted about lately.

twitter.com/search?q=Perpe…

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Now for examples of the three types mentioned above.

1) Opera in non-Canonical Language (NCL)
2) Opera from Hybridized Opera Tradition (HOT)
3) Opera from a Convergently Evolutionary Tradition (COT)

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Opera in non-Canonical Languages (NCL) 1/5

"Sangdugong Panaguinip" (1902)
Ladislao Bonus - music
Roman G. Reyes - libretto (Tagalog adaptation of Pedro Paterno's "La Alianza Soñada"

filipinaslibrary.org.ph/himig/sangdugo…

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Opera in non-Canonical Languages (NCL) 2/5

"Salawat Yulayev" (1955)
Zagir Ismagilov - music
Bayezit Bikbay - libretto (Bashkir)

Based on life of Bashkir national hero, Salawat Yulayev


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Opera in non-Canonical Languages (NCL) 3/5

"Agni" (2007)
Premasiri Khemadasa - music
Eric Illayapparachchi - libretto (Sinhalese)
Premiered on 26 May 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka



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Opera in non-Canonical Languages (NCL) 4/5

"Ìrìn Àjò" (2018)
Bode Omojola - music and libretto (Yoruba, English)
Story of Kayode, Nigerian immigrant who seeks a better future in the US



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Opera in non-Canonical Languages (NCL) 5/5

"Nikola Šubić Zrinski" (1876)
Ivan Zajc - music and libretto (Croatian)
Battle of Szigetvár in 1566 - Croatian/Hungarian forces vs Ottomans



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It might seem like "Agni" (Sinhalese) and "Ìrìn Àjò" (Yoruban) are examples of HOT rather than NCL (see 3.0) Operas, given the usage of indigenous and traditional Sri Lankan and Nigerian music and instruments.

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However, they are both relatively recent works and not in an established tradition of fusing non-Eurological musical elements into Opera. Though they may start to reflect a newly emerging HOT.

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These aren't hard and mutually exclusive Operatic categories. For example, HOT are often the first operas in non-Canonical Operatic Languages.

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Let's look at a couple Hybridized Opera Traditions. These examples are from adjacent countries in a broadly related Islamic pan-musical culture which have roots in much older indigenous art music traditions.

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Hybridized Opera Traditions (HOT) 1/2

"Leyli və Məcnun" (1908)
Uzeyir Hajibeyov - music
Jeyhun Hajibeyov - libretto (Azeri)

The ill-fated lovers of Niẓāmi Ganjavi's Persian version.

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I also discussed this one in my thread "Classical Music, the Perpetual Foreigner Trope, and Colonialism." It's a fusion of Mugham vocals/instruments and Western Opera.

https://twitter.com/Silpayamanant/status/1078553946996776960

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And especially considered it in relation to an opera in the Canon, which also just happens to be based on a story from the same source (Niẓāmi Ganjavi), namely Puccini's "Turandot."

https://twitter.com/Silpayamanant/status/1078553947781124097

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Should probably do a shout out for Darvishi and Lakerveld's re-imagining of the Puccini in her opera intercultural rewirting. "Turan Dokht," which

hollandfestival.nl/en/program/201…

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Hybridized Opera Traditions (HOT) 2/2

"Mowlavi" (2009)
Behzad Abdi - music
Behrouz Gharibpour - libretto (Persian)

Persian Puppet Opera about the life of Rumi.

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Again, another opera I've discussed before. This one combines the Persian dastgāh system, sama dance, and Western Opera produced by Behruz Gharibpur's puppet opera company.

https://twitter.com/Silpayamanant/status/1242596090165297153

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Since I now have access to portions of my website again, I can actually post my list of Persian Opera. Note that the it starts with a Convergently Evolutionary Opera Tradition, Ta'zieh.

silpayamanant.com/Projects/NotBe…

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Hybridized Opera Traditions (HOT) P.S.

"El golfo de las sirenas" (1657)
Juan Hidalgo de Polanco - music
Pedro Calderón de la Barca - libretto (Spanish)

Brief description here: zarzuela.net/ref/history.htm

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Hybridized Opera Traditions (HOT) P.S.

I debated whther to include Zarzuelas here or the third (Convergently Evolutionary Tradition) given its "other" status in opera history. Really, it could go both ways.

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Hybridized Opera Traditions (HOT) P.S.

Given the 1900s revival of the genre in protest against Italian and French Music/Operatic Hegemony, it seemed fitting in this category given its nearly 400 year legacy.

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Hybridized Opera Traditions (HOT) P.S.

There's also the fact that Zarzuelas were composed in the New World in some of the Spanish colonies. More works excluded from the canon due to non-canonical genre status.

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Hybridized Opera Traditions (HOT) Pop Music Perspective
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https://twitter.com/Silpayamanant/status/1325920237808709633

Let's take a look at some Opera from a Convergently Evolutionary Tradition (COT). I mentioned earlier I've access to parts of my website again, including a list of Persian/Iranian Operas.

https://twitter.com/Silpayamanant/status/1318393326945566723

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The first item in that list is Ta'ziye (تعزیه), which is sometimes referred to as a type of Persian Opera. It can be traced back to the 10th century, and some 250 repertory pieces have been documented.

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Opera from a Convergently Evolutionary Tradition (COT)

This short documentary by Seyyed Azim Mousavi about Ta'ziye is a great introduction to the genre.


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And going back to 3.22, the modern Persian Puppet Opera about Rumi, it should be easy to see how the hybridized modern form merges elements of Western Opera and Ta'zieh.

https://twitter.com/Silpayamanant/status/1318236071034060800

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It's fascinating, though not unproblematic, to see Ta'zieh being adapted in the University Curriculum. Here's a playlist from UMass Theater Dept.

Nikoo Mamdoohi, Q-Mars Haeri, Ifa Bayeza
youtube.com/playlist?list=…

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And in 2008, my introduction to Ta'zieh was Nasser Taghvai’s documentary "Dress Rehearsal: The Brave Hurr's Ta'zieh" which opened my mind to Persian Opera/Passion Play traditions!



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