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Cecilia Valdés is the zarzuela (form of Spanish operetta) in two acts, music by Gonzalo Roig to the libretto by Agustin Rodríguez and José Sánchez-Arcilla, based on the novel Cecilia Valdés, or the Angel's Hill by Cirilo Villaverde, premiered in Havana, Cuba in 1932. Zarzuela (θarˈθwela in Spain in Latin America is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes the latter incorporating Operatic Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Gonzalo Roig, Cuban musician and composer was born in Havana, Cuba on July 20, 1890 and died in the same city on June 13 A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and Cirilo Villaverde, Cuban poet novelist journalist and freedom fighter was born October 28, 1812 in San Diego de Núñez Cuba, died October Havana ( IPA: aˈβana officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the Capital city, major port and leading The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. The story deals with racial prejudices in Cuban society under the Spanish rule during the first half of the 19th century.

Contents

Plot outline

Action (in both the novel and the zarzuela) takes place in colonial Cuba about year 1830, at the time when a young and beautiful light skinned mulatta woman, Cecilia Valdés, comes to an age, she being illegitimate daughter of powerful land magnate and slave trader, Candido de Gamboa, and Leonardo de Gamboa being 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, however his advances Cecilia rejects.

Love between Leonardo and Cecilia does not last very long, however. Soon he abandons her regardless that she gives birth to his baby, being more concerned about his own status in high society than desire of his own heart, following usual rules and conventions of that time when it would be unthinkable to legally marry a mulatta by the white man. He becomes involved with another woman of his own color and class, a certain Isabel Llincheta. On the day of his wedding he is assassinated on the steps of the cathedral by vengeful Pimienta who acts on instigation of abandoned Cecilia.

Critique

Now, in the Villaverde's novel (written in 1882), that melodramatic plot serves as merely a background of presenting broad social life in Cuba at that time, with slavery, injustice, and what crises and personal tragedies it produced, following colorful presentation in detailed characterization and description, even to the point that plot itself loose its pace during many initial pages, long before reaching explosive point, as if author would lost interest in continuation of 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, particularly in melody and orchestration. The Caribbean island of Cuba has developed a wide range of creolized musical styles based on its cultural origins in Europe and Africa In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or Orchestration is the study or practice of writing Music for Orchestra (or more loosely for any Musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed

History of performances

Sources

Available recordings

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