Tata Vasco (opera)
Encyclopedia
Tata Vasco is an opera
in five scenes composed by Miguel Bernal Jiménez
to a Spanish libretto
with nationalistic and devoutly Roman Catholic themes by the Mexican priest and poet, Manuel Muñoz. It premiered in Pátzcuaro
, Mexico
on 15 February 1941. The opera is based on the life of Vasco de Quiroga
, the first Bishop of Michoacán
and known to the Indians of the region as 'Tata Vasco'. Considered one of Bernal Jiménez's most emblematic scores, the music incorporates native melodies, dances, and instruments as well as elements of Gregorian chant
.
Described as a drama sinfónico (symphonic drama), Tata Vasco was the first and only opera by Bernal Jiménez and composed when he was 30 years old. It was to be part of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Vasco de Quiroga
's arrival in Pátzcuaro
and was set to a libretto in rhyming verse by Manuel Muñoz Mendoza, a Catholic priest, poet, and writer who lived in Morelia
, the composer's native city. The world premiere was originally planned for 1940 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes
in Mexico City
but was postponed due to fears that it would "provoke religious controversy". Instead, it premiered on 15 February 1941 in a performance conducted by the composer in the ruins of the Franciscan
monastery chapel in Pátzcuaro.
The opera had its Mexico City premiere at the Teatro Arbeu on 15 March 1941 and in September of that year was performed to great enthusiasm in Morelia
. It was performed in 1943 at the Teatro Degollado
in Guadalajara
and in 1948 had its Spanish premiere, when at the invitation of General Franco
, a reduced oratorio
version was performed in Madrid
. Part of Spain's commemorations for the 400th anniversary of the death of Hernán Cortés
, the Madrid performance met with considerable success. On 29 September 1949, eight years after its premiere, Tata Vasco was finally staged at the Palacio de Bellas Artes where it was given a run of two performances, both conducted by the composer. The opera was revived there in 1975, 1992 (in concert version), and in 2006 to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.
Tata Vasco was given two performances by the National Opera Company of Mexico at the Teatro de la Ciudad de Mexico in February 2010, the year which marks not only the bicentenary of the Mexican War of Independence
and the centenary of the Mexican Revolution
but also the 100th anniversary of the composer's birth.
, cymbals, drum, timbales
, bombo (type of bass drum
), pandero (type of frame drum
), gong, glockenspiel
, bells, maracas, vibraphone
, teponaztli
, and strings
.
The cast also includes a mixed chorus
, children, and dancers
Scene 1. At night in a forest where the Tarascan kings are buried, the warriors, led by the sorceror Petámuti, are dancing around a bonfire. They have sworn revenge for the death of their king who was burnt at the stake by the Spanish conquistador
, Nuño de Guzmán. Princess Coyuva, the king's daughter, arrives bearing his ashes. Her betrothed, Prince Ticátame, expresses his hatred for the Spanish and determination to avenge her father's death. But Coyuva, who has become a Christian, tells him to forgive his enemies and to follow the teachings of 'Tata Vasco', Don Vasco de Quiroga
, a priest and the Spanish judge (Oidor
) for the territory. When Ticátame is persuaded by Coyuva's words, Petámuti tries to kill him but is defeated by the prince in the ensuing struggle. In a fury, Petámuti curses the young lovers.
Scene 2. In the sacristy of the Franciscan
church in Tzintzuntzan
, Indian children play while waiting for their lesson. A jovial friar arrives and after the lesson tells the children a story and asks them to sing like minstrels. When their song is finished, the children depart and Tata Vasco enters to receive a delegation from the Indians in Tzintzuntzan, led by Cuninjángari, the city's governor and a relative of the dead king. Don Vasco assures them of his desire to help them and urges them to give up nomadic life and polygamy
and convert to Christianity. Ticátame and Coyuva then arrive for an audience and ask Vasco (who has been made Bishop of Michoacán) to marry them in a Christian ceremony.
Scene 3. At dawn in the courtyard of the Franciscan church, Indians can be heard singing as they work in the fields. They then come to the courtyard bringing gifts. Vasco and his entourage arrive for the wedding of Ticátame and Coyuva. Before entering the church, he speaks to the couple about the sacrament
of marriage and they promise to be faithful to each other. The doors of the church swing open and a choir is heard singing. As the wedding party are about to enter the church, the sorcer Petámuti arrives, dagger in hand, to murder Ticátame and Coyuva. Petámuti accidentally falls on the church steps and is mortally wounded by his own weapon. Hearing his cries, Cuninjángari calls to Don Vasco to minister to the dying man. After Vasco speaks to him, Petámuti asks to be baptised before he dies. A group of Indians then carry off his body while songs of praise (ablados) heard in the distance.
Scene 4. On a hill overlooking Lake Pátzcuaro
, there is a fiesta to celebrate Ticátame and Coyuva's wedding. Don Vasco arrives and watches four dances performed by the Indians and listens to a song and toast to the couple in their native language. Before leaving, he addresses the Indians and invites them to come to Pátzcuaro
where they can learn new trades to better their lives. Don Vasco departs and the scene closes with another dance in which all present take part.
Scene 5. In the audience room of the Bishop's palace in Pátzcuaro
, Don Vasco is looking over plans for the new cathedral and seminary. A group of Indians arrive to present the first fruits of the industries he has taught them. A colourful parade ensues in which gourd cups, pottery, fishing nets, guitars, blouses and shawls are displayed to Don Vasco. Deeply touched, he tells the Indians that he will dedicate his life to their welfare and shows them an image of the Virgin of Good Health, who he says will protect them and their children.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in five scenes composed by Miguel Bernal Jiménez
Miguel Bernal Jiménez
Miguel Bernal Jiménez was a Mexican composer, organist, pedagogist and musicologist.He is widely regarded as the best representative of 20th century Mexican religious music, in addition to his important contributions to the Mexican nationalist music movement...
to a Spanish 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...
with nationalistic and devoutly Roman Catholic themes by the Mexican priest and poet, Manuel Muñoz. It premiered in Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on 15 February 1941. The opera is based on the life of Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico and one of the judges in the second Audiencia that governed New Spain from January 10, 1531 to April 16, 1535....
, the first Bishop of Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
and known to the Indians of the region as 'Tata Vasco'. Considered one of Bernal Jiménez's most emblematic scores, the music incorporates native melodies, dances, and instruments as well as elements of Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
.
Background and performance history
Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico and one of the judges in the second Audiencia that governed New Spain from January 10, 1531 to April 16, 1535....
's arrival in Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center...
and was set to a libretto in rhyming verse by Manuel Muñoz Mendoza, a Catholic priest, poet, and writer who lived in Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, the composer's native city. The world premiere was originally planned for 1940 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes
Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
but was postponed due to fears that it would "provoke religious controversy". Instead, it premiered on 15 February 1941 in a performance conducted by the composer in the ruins of the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery chapel in Pátzcuaro.
The opera had its Mexico City premiere at the Teatro Arbeu on 15 March 1941 and in September of that year was performed to great enthusiasm in Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
. It was performed in 1943 at the Teatro Degollado
Teatro Degollado
Teatro Degollado is a neoclassical Mexican theater known for its diverse performances and artistic design. It is located on a downtown plaza on the street Belen between Hidalgo Avenue and Morelos Avenue in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. Many performances take place at this building...
in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
and in 1948 had its Spanish premiere, when at the invitation of General Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, a reduced oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
version was performed in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. Part of Spain's commemorations for the 400th anniversary of the death of Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, the Madrid performance met with considerable success. On 29 September 1949, eight years after its premiere, Tata Vasco was finally staged at the Palacio de Bellas Artes where it was given a run of two performances, both conducted by the composer. The opera was revived there in 1975, 1992 (in concert version), and in 2006 to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.
Tata Vasco was given two performances by the National Opera Company of Mexico at the Teatro de la Ciudad de Mexico in February 2010, the year which marks not only the bicentenary of the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
and the centenary of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
but also the 100th anniversary of the composer's birth.
Score
The opera is scored for: 2 flutes, 1 piccolo, 2 oboes, 1 cor anglais, 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, harp, piano, celestaCelesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, cymbals, drum, timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
, bombo (type of bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
), pandero (type of frame drum
Frame drum
A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. Usually the single drumhead is made of rawhide or man-made materials. Shells are traditionally constructed of bent wood scarf jointed together; plywood and man-made materials are also used. Some frame drums have mechanical...
), gong, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, bells, maracas, vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, teponaztli
Teponaztli
A teponaztli is a type of slit drum used in central Mexico by the Aztecs and related cultures.-Structure:Teponaztli are made of hollow hardwood logs, often fire-hardened. Like most slit drums, teponaztli have three slits on their topside, cut into the shape of an "H". The resultant tongues are then...
, and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
.
Roles and premiere cast
- Vasco de QuirogaVasco de QuirogaVasco de Quiroga was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico and one of the judges in the second Audiencia that governed New Spain from January 10, 1531 to April 16, 1535....
("Tata Vasco", Bishop of MichoacánMichoacánMichoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
), baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
– Gilberto Cerda - Coyuva (daughter of the TarascanTarascan stateThe Tarascan state was a state in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, roughly covering the geographic area of the present-day Mexican state of Michoacán. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico it was the second-largest state in Mexico. The state was founded in the early 14th century and lost its...
king, Tangaxuan IITangaxuan IITzimtzincha-Tangaxuan II was the last monarch of the Tarascan state, the kingdom of the P'urhépecha from 1520–1530. He was baptized Francisco when his realm made a peace treaty with Hernán Cortés. He was executed by burning by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán....
), sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
– Leonor Caden - Ticátame (a Tarascan prince), tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
– Ricardo C. Lara - Petámuti (a Tarascan sorceror), bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
– Felipe Aguilera - Cuninjángari (the Tarascan governor of TzintzuntzanTzintzuntzan, MichoacánTzintzuntzán is a town and municipality located in the north of Michoacán state, 53 km from the capital of Morelia and 17.5 km from Pátzcuaro, located on the northeast shore of Lake Pátzcuaro. It is best known as the former capital of the Tarascan state until it was conquered by the...
), baritone – Ernesto Farfán - Three friarFriarA friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
s, tenor, baritone, and bass – Nicolás Rico, Miguel Botello and Saturnino Huerta - Watchman, baritone
- First singer, tenor
- Second singer, mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
- A child, boy sopranoBoy sopranoA boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
The cast also includes a mixed chorus
SATB
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
, children, and dancers
Synopsis
- Setting: MichoacánMichoacánMichoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, circa 1537
Scene 1. At night in a forest where the Tarascan kings are buried, the warriors, led by the sorceror Petámuti, are dancing around a bonfire. They have sworn revenge for the death of their king who was burnt at the stake by the Spanish conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
, Nuño de Guzmán. Princess Coyuva, the king's daughter, arrives bearing his ashes. Her betrothed, Prince Ticátame, expresses his hatred for the Spanish and determination to avenge her father's death. But Coyuva, who has become a Christian, tells him to forgive his enemies and to follow the teachings of 'Tata Vasco', Don Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico and one of the judges in the second Audiencia that governed New Spain from January 10, 1531 to April 16, 1535....
, a priest and the Spanish judge (Oidor
Oidor
Oidor is the Spanish name of the member judge of the Royal Audiencias and Chancillerías, originally courts of Kingdom of Castile, which became the highest organs of justice within the Spanish Empire...
) for the territory. When Ticátame is persuaded by Coyuva's words, Petámuti tries to kill him but is defeated by the prince in the ensuing struggle. In a fury, Petámuti curses the young lovers.
Scene 2. In the sacristy of the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
church in Tzintzuntzan
Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán
Tzintzuntzán is a town and municipality located in the north of Michoacán state, 53 km from the capital of Morelia and 17.5 km from Pátzcuaro, located on the northeast shore of Lake Pátzcuaro. It is best known as the former capital of the Tarascan state until it was conquered by the...
, Indian children play while waiting for their lesson. A jovial friar arrives and after the lesson tells the children a story and asks them to sing like minstrels. When their song is finished, the children depart and Tata Vasco enters to receive a delegation from the Indians in Tzintzuntzan, led by Cuninjángari, the city's governor and a relative of the dead king. Don Vasco assures them of his desire to help them and urges them to give up nomadic life and polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
and convert to Christianity. Ticátame and Coyuva then arrive for an audience and ask Vasco (who has been made Bishop of Michoacán) to marry them in a Christian ceremony.
Sacraments of the Catholic Church
The Sacraments of the Catholic Church are, the Roman Catholic Church teaches, "efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper...
of marriage and they promise to be faithful to each other. The doors of the church swing open and a choir is heard singing. As the wedding party are about to enter the church, the sorcer Petámuti arrives, dagger in hand, to murder Ticátame and Coyuva. Petámuti accidentally falls on the church steps and is mortally wounded by his own weapon. Hearing his cries, Cuninjángari calls to Don Vasco to minister to the dying man. After Vasco speaks to him, Petámuti asks to be baptised before he dies. A group of Indians then carry off his body while songs of praise (ablados) heard in the distance.
Scene 4. On a hill overlooking Lake Pátzcuaro
Lake Pátzcuaro
Lake Pátzcuaro is a lake in the municipality of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.The natives believe that the lake is the place where the barrier between life and death is the thinnest....
, there is a fiesta to celebrate Ticátame and Coyuva's wedding. Don Vasco arrives and watches four dances performed by the Indians and listens to a song and toast to the couple in their native language. Before leaving, he addresses the Indians and invites them to come to Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center...
where they can learn new trades to better their lives. Don Vasco departs and the scene closes with another dance in which all present take part.
Scene 5. In the audience room of the Bishop's palace in Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center...
, Don Vasco is looking over plans for the new cathedral and seminary. A group of Indians arrive to present the first fruits of the industries he has taught them. A colourful parade ensues in which gourd cups, pottery, fishing nets, guitars, blouses and shawls are displayed to Don Vasco. Deeply touched, he tells the Indians that he will dedicate his life to their welfare and shows them an image of the Virgin of Good Health, who he says will protect them and their children.
Sources
- Brennan, Juan Arturo, "Tata Vasco: ópera revisionista", La Jornada, 28 November 2008 (in Spanish, accessed 29 March 2010)
- Cortés, Raúl Arreola, La poesía en Michoacán: desde la época prehispánica hasta nuestros días, Fimax Publicistas, 1979 (in Spanish)
- Protocolo, "Con la ópera Tata Vasco, Bellas Artes inicia su temporada 2010", 12 February 2010 (in Spanish, accessed 29 March 2010)
- Saavedra, Leonora, "Staging the Nation: Race, Religion, and History in Mexican Opera of the 1940s", Opera Quarterly, Vol. 23, 2007, pp. 1-21
- Sosa, José Octavio, Tata Vasco, Diccionario de la Ópera Mexicana, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 2005 (reprinted on operacalli.com with permission of the author) (in Spanish, accessed 29 March 2010)
- Standish, Peter, A Companion to Mexican Studies, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 2006. ISBN 1855661349
- Stevenson, Robert, Music in Mexico: A historical survey, Crowell, 1952