Opera in Latin America

The history of opera in Latin America dates back to at least the early 18th century. Newspaper articles suggest that, around the time that Italian opera was introduced to Latin America, it was received with some disdain due to the language barrier.[1] However, translations in the librettos of certain operas suggest that there was greater interest from Latin Americans than the news had credited.[1] Opera arrived in Latin America as a consequence of European colonization. On October 19, 1701, La púrpura de la rosa premiered in Lima in the Viceroyalty of Peru, the first opera known to be composed and performed in the Americas. It is an opera in one act by Spanish composer Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco with a libretto by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and is the only surviving opera by Torrejón y Velasco. It tells the myth of the love of Venus and Adonis, which provoked Mars's jealousy and his desire for vengeance.[2] Although the libretto follows the Greek myth, the tragic love story is seen as a resemblance of the alliance that was formed from a political marriage between the Spanish and French monarchies.[3] Opera performances were performed also in the country of Mexico. It is within that nation that the first indigenous opera composers of Latin America emerged, with Manuel de Zumaya (c. 1678–1755) being considered the first and most important early opera composer. Outside of Perú and Mexico, opera was slower to gain a foothold, and it wasn't until the early to mid-19th century that other nations in Latin America began producing their own opera composers. Many of these 19th-century operas focus on the historical conflict between Europeans and indigenous peoples and were influenced by zarzuela, a form of Spanish opera. Mexican zarzuelas, as well as revistas, soon arose from Spanish influence and gained popularity.[4]

In the 20th century many nationalist operas were composed across Latin America, with particularly thriving opera scenes in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. Today, there are numerous active opera houses throughout Latin America and composers continue to write new operas. We also have organizations such as the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC) and Opera Hispanica who are promoting new Latin American operatic repertoire internationally.

  1. ^ a b Vogeley, Nancy (June 1996). "Italian Opera in Early National Mexico". Modern Language Quarterly. 57 (2): 279–288. doi:10.1215/00267929-57-2-279. S2CID 162163744.
  2. ^ Stein, Louise K. (1999), La púrpura de la Rosa Archived 2006-05-24 at the Wayback Machine (Introduction to the critical edition of the score and libretto), Ediciones Iberautor Promociones culturales S.R.L. / Instituto Complutense de Ciencias Musicales, 1999, ISBN 8480482923 (reprinted with permission of the publisher on Mundoclasico.com). Accessed 5 September 2008.
  3. ^ Araico, Susana Hernández (1993). "Of Banquets, Borders, and Baroque Mexico: Sor Juana and the First 'New World' Opera". Pacific Coast Philology. 28 (2): 121–128. doi:10.2307/1316628. JSTOR 1316628.
  4. ^ Koegel, John (February 2015). "Música de la Independencia a la Revolución. Artes de México, 97. Mexico City: Artes de México, 2010, with compact disc. - Arias de opera para soprano. By Melesio Morales. Introduction by Karl Bellinghausen. Edited by Sonia Machorro. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Conservatorio Nacional de Música, 2012. - La ópera en México: De la Independencia al inicio de la Revolución (1821–1910). By José Octaviano Sosa. Mexico City: Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 2010. - 200 años del espectáculo: Ciudad de México. Edited by María Cristina García Cepeda, Déborah Holtz, and Juan Carlos Mena. Mexico City: Auditorio Nacional, Trilce Ediciones, Editorial Océano de México, 2010. - Puntos de vista. Ensayos de crítica. By Alba Herrera y Ogazón. Introduction by Yael Bitrán Goren. Mexico City: Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes,, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes 2012 (facsimile of original edition published Mexico City: Secretaría de Gobernación, 1920). - Álbum de Ricardo Castro: Investigación iconográfica y documental. By Gloria Carmona. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 2009. - José Rolón: Músico. By Ricardo Miranda. Creadores Artísticos de Jalisco, vol. 2. Guadalajara: Secretaría de Cultura Jalisco, 2009. - Canto roto: Silvestre Revueltas. By Julio Estrada. Vida y Pensamiento de México. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México>, 2012. - Silvestre Revueltas en escena y pantalla: La música de Silvestre Revueltas para el cine y la escena. By Eduardo Contreras Soto. Mexico City: Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2012. - La música en los siglos XIX y XX. Edited by Ricardo Miranda and Aurelio Tello. El Patriomio Histórico y Cultural de México (1810–2010), vol. 4. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 2013. - La música en México: Panorama del siglo XX. Edited by Aurelio Tello. Biblioteca Mexicana: Serie Historia y Antropología. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 2010". Journal of the Society for American Music. 9 (1): 108–126. doi:10.1017/s1752196314000558.