Cecilia Valdés
Encyclopedia
Cecilia Valdés is both a novel
by the Cuban
Cirilo Villaverde
(1812–1894), and a zarzuela
based on the novel. It is a work of importance for its quality, and its revelation of the interaction of classes and races in Cuba.
in 1839; its definitive and larger version, was published in New York
in 1882, being re-edited several times. It has never been out of print in Spanish, and there are several English editions (as Cecilia Valdes or Angel Hill). It is widely regarded as the best Cuban novel of th 19th century.
Love between Leonardo and Cecilia does not last, however. He abandons her and becomes betrothed to a white upper class woman, a certain Isabel Ilincheta. Cecilia turns to the faithful Pimienta to plan revenge. On the day of his wedding he is assassinated on the steps of the cathedral by Pimienta who acts on the instigation of Cecilia. He is executed, and she is thrown in prison.
Cecilia Valdés reveals the intricate problems of race relations in Cuba. There are the elite social circles of Spanish-born and creole whites; the growing number of mulattos, of which Cecilia is one, and the blacks, some slaves, some freed men. The blacks are also divided between those who were born in Africa and those who were born in Cuba, those who worked on the sugar plantation and those who worked in the households of the wealthy in Havana. Cecilia Valdés is a canvas displaying the sexual, social, and racial interaction of the Cubans of the day.
. The libretto
was by Agustin Rodríguez and José Sánchez-Arcilla, based on the novel Cecilia Valdés, o la Loma del Angel by Cirilo Villaverde
. The storyline is about a tragedy of manners, love and revenge, in colonial Cuban society of the early 19th century.
In Roig's zarzuela, however, dramatic element is more exposed, more consistent and in swift action, presented as an interesting unrolling story pointing toward inevitable climax, which shows great talent and theatrical experience on the part of the composer, the piece containing mixture of traditional Cuban music, with all its genres, forms and vivid rhythms and dances, interlaced in good balance with predominantly romantic in style music of the Western tradition
, particularly in melody
and orchestration
.
as Leonardo de Gamboa.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the Cuban
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
Cirilo Villaverde
Cirilo Villaverde
Cirilo Villaverde was a Cuban poet, novelist, journalist and freedom fighter....
(1812–1894), and a zarzuela
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
based on the novel. It is a work of importance for its quality, and its revelation of the interaction of classes and races in Cuba.
The novel
The first version of the novel Cecilia Valdés o la Loma del Angel appeared in HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
in 1839; its definitive and larger version, was published in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1882, being re-edited several times. It has never been out of print in Spanish, and there are several English editions (as Cecilia Valdes or Angel Hill). It is widely regarded as the best Cuban novel of th 19th century.
Synopsis
Action (in both the novel and the zarzuela) takes place in colonial Cuba about 1830. The young and beautiful light skinned mulatta, Cecilia Valdés, is the illegitimate daughter of powerful land magnate and slave trader, Candido de Gamboa. Leonardo de Gamboa is his legitimate son. Leonardo falls in love with Cecilia not realizing that she is his own half-sister, and they become lovers. At the same time, hopelessly in love with Cecilia is also another man, the poor black musician, José Dolores Pimienta. His advances Cecilia rejects; and she conceives Leonardo's son.Love between Leonardo and Cecilia does not last, however. He abandons her and becomes betrothed to a white upper class woman, a certain Isabel Ilincheta. Cecilia turns to the faithful Pimienta to plan revenge. On the day of his wedding he is assassinated on the steps of the cathedral by Pimienta who acts on the instigation of Cecilia. He is executed, and she is thrown in prison.
Cecilia Valdés reveals the intricate problems of race relations in Cuba. There are the elite social circles of Spanish-born and creole whites; the growing number of mulattos, of which Cecilia is one, and the blacks, some slaves, some freed men. The blacks are also divided between those who were born in Africa and those who were born in Cuba, those who worked on the sugar plantation and those who worked in the households of the wealthy in Havana. Cecilia Valdés is a canvas displaying the sexual, social, and racial interaction of the Cubans of the day.
Zarzuela
The zarzuela is in two acts with music by Gonzalo RoigGonzalo Roig
Gonzalo Roig was a Cuban musician, composer, musical director and founder of several orchestras. He was a pioneer of the symphonic movement in Cuba....
. The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
was by Agustin Rodríguez and José Sánchez-Arcilla, based on the novel Cecilia Valdés, o la Loma del Angel by Cirilo Villaverde
Cirilo Villaverde
Cirilo Villaverde was a Cuban poet, novelist, journalist and freedom fighter....
. The storyline is about a tragedy of manners, love and revenge, in colonial Cuban society of the early 19th century.
Performance history
- World premiere: Havana, Cuba 1932
- Metropolitan OperaMetropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
premiere: July 17, 1965 - Toronto Operetta Theatre: February 15, 2003.
Critique
In Villaverde's novel (completed in 1882), the melodramatic plot serves as a background for social life in Cuba, with slavery, injustice, crises and personal tragedies, following colorful presentation in detailed characterization and description, even to the point that plot itself loses its pace at times, long before reaching its climax, as if author had lost interest in his story and wanted to finish it as fast as possible.In Roig's zarzuela, however, dramatic element is more exposed, more consistent and in swift action, presented as an interesting unrolling story pointing toward inevitable climax, which shows great talent and theatrical experience on the part of the composer, the piece containing mixture of traditional Cuban music, with all its genres, forms and vivid rhythms and dances, interlaced in good balance with predominantly romantic in style music of the Western tradition
Western tradition
Western tradition can refer to:*Western culture*The Western Tradition, a 1989 television series of lectures by Eugen Weber...
, particularly in melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
and orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
.
- "The zarzuelaZarzuelaZarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
Cecilia Valdes can be more pleasing to listen to than Verdi, and at times more profound than Meyerbeer or BelliniVincenzo BelliniVincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
."
Film
A film based on the novel was produced in Cuba in 1982. The film stars Daisy Granados as Cecilia Valdés and Imanol AriasImanol Arias
Imanol Arias born Manuel María Arias Domínguez , is a Spanish actor and one off film director.Imanol Arias began his career with a travelling theatre group in Spain performing in the Basque Country of northern Spain. He debuted on TV in 1976 and his first film was in "Cecilia " of 'Humberto Solas'...
as Leonardo de Gamboa.
- Cecilia (1982 film)Cecilia (1982 film)Cecilia is a 1982 Cuban drama film directed by Humberto Solás. The film is based on the novel Cecilia Valdés by Cirilo Villaverde. It was entered into the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:The film takes place in 19th-century Cuba...
Literary References
- Cuban writer Reinaldo ArenasReinaldo ArenasReinaldo Arenas was a Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright who despite his early sympathy for the 1959 revolution, grew critical of and then rebelled against the Cuban government.- Life :...
wrote his own version of Villaverde's novel in his book Graveyard of the Angels (La loma del ángel).
- Cuban writer Daína ChavianoDaína ChavianoDaina Chaviano is a Cuban writer.She is considered one of the three most important female fantasy and science fiction writers in the Spanish language, along with Angélica Gorodischer and Elia Barceló , forming the so-called “feminine trinity of science fiction in Latin America.”In Cuba, she...
also offered a different and personal version of Villaverde's story in her novel The Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
(Riverhead, 2008), where both protagonists and even the author himself appear as characters.