THE Philippine Theater:

SARSWELA
Prepared by MARIBEL M. MORADA-DE LUNA
The Philippine Theater
A Zarzuela is a play with songs and
dances. It is usually in prose, some are in
verse and consisting of 1-5 acts (yugto). It
depicts Filipino characteristics and
situations in the framework of a romantic
love story and incorporates contemporary
social issues.
 The Philippine Sarzuela

The Philippine Sarswela is a combination of three

influences; the Sainete, a one-act comic skit; the Aida,
an Italian opera; and the Spanish Zarzuela which is
considered as the mother of the Philippine sarswela.
The first zarzuela is in Spanish and the Father of
Spanish Zarzuela in the Philippines is Alejandro
Cuvero. The Father of Tagalog Zarzuela is
Hermogenes Ilagan while Severino Reyes is the
Father of Zarzuela. “Juga con Fuego”, a
Spanish zarzuela first launched in Manila.

The first Tagalog Zarzuela is “Budhing

Nagpahamak” first introduced and staged in
1879. The Zarzuela became popular in 1902-
1940.
 From 1940, the zarzuela lost its
popularity because of the Vaudeville and
the silent movies. It was only revived in
1969 with the staging of “Paglipas ng
Dilim” and “Walang Sugat” in 1970. In
1971, the Zarzuela Promotion Foundation
of the Philippines was established.
 Basic Elements of Sarswela
STAGE: • Sarwela were performed in
entablados or open-air stages in front
of town churches.

MUSIC: • Singing is done by a natural operatic

voice, and later by singing kundiman
songs, balitaws, danzas, valses, and
tangos
 • They are based on typical Filipino
CHARACTER: characters like the heroine who plays as
the shy, soft-spoken, soft-hearted and
the villain who is sleek and
sophisticated.

COSTUME
• It is also one kind of visual
characterization that is why the
heoines and the villains are dressed
in beautiful but conservative
costumes
THEME • It tells story about romantic
connections which includes social,
political, economic, historic, or any
relevant situation in the period where
the play is written
 Sarswela
Pag-ibig sa
Tinubuang Lupa
By Severino Reyes
By Pascual Poblete

BUDHING
NAGPAHAMAK
By Anonymous
Playwright

Paglipas ng
dilim

Directed by: By Precioso Palma

Jose Nepomuceno and Leon Ignacio
By Hermogenes Ilagan
• Dalagang Bukid is a Love Story About a Young Flower Vendor
• Dalagang Bukid is a love story about a young flower vendor, Angelita (Atang de la Rama), who is betrothed by her
parents to a rich, old man, Don Silvestre, but she loves Cipriano, a law student. The play consists of three acts and is
filled with music (18 songs), which made it suitable for a screen adaptation with an accompanying orchestra. The
film showed many of the woes plaguing the Filipino society, as well as issues relevant for the society of the time:
gambling, Americanisation, infidelity, poverty, the power of money versus the power of love, parents view on
marriage, and corrupt government officials.The home of Angelita, the pretty heroine, is a certain picture of many
Philippine families, although it somewhat exaggerates the negative tones. Angelita, the flower girl of the Cabaret,
the “Dalagang Bukid”, loves Cipriano with the sincere and spontaneous passion of her twenties. Cipriano is a Law
student who loves her back equally. The parents of Angelita, without much financial resources, limited in their
moral honesty because of the gambling demon, don’t see with good eyes the love of the happy couple, where
tenderness and affection are abundant but money the great dominating ingredient, is missing. This is why Mrs
Biang is inclined into accepting the propositions from Don Silvestre, an old loan shark, rich in aches and gold, who
still has a young heart and allows himself to visit the cabarets and buy flowers from the pretty florists [ladies] such
as Angelita; this doesn’t prevent him from lending money with a high interest, low mortgage, and still give away
some money to Angelita’s parents, who see in Don Silvestre the source who will let them continue without working,
the father spending time in his favourite sport at the “chicken fighting games”and her, the mother gambling.M
eanwhile, Angelita and her brothers, all younger and working as shoe shiner sat the threshold of the Church of the
Holy Cross, maintain the expenses of the house with their honest and hard work. Don Silvestre, who is a pro inthese
issues, takes over the will of Angelita’s parents and since he was able to have Angelita win a beauty contest in “La
Vanguardia” thanks to the power of gold, he requests the parents to have the florist as his wife. They acceptand a
date is fixed for the wedding, which is the next day of the formal crowning of Angelita as the Beauty Queen. But
Cipriano, who just finished his studies brilliantly after many long nights of studying, goes to the home of his beloved
in the moment that she is going to get in Don Silvestre’s car to be taken to the Crowning ceremony. Already secretly
in agreement from the day before, the love birds go in the same car of the old loan shark towards a church where
they are wed in holy matrimony by a generous minister of God: having finished the ceremony they go to the
Crowning event where the whole world learns about their union. Don Silvestre faints and this is how the movie
finishes.
Nabasag ang
Banga
This is a song from the sarswela Dalagang Bukid (1919)
made famous by National Artist Atang de la Rama. Music
by Leon Ignacio. Lyrics by Hermogenes Ilagan.
• CHORUS:
Ano ang nangyari?
NABASAG ANG BANGA Nabasag ang banga
'Pagkat ang lalaki ay napadupilas
• May isang dalagang nagsalok ng
Kaya't ang babae lalo't umiiyak
tubig
habang ang sinasabi ay
Kinis ng ganda nya'y hubog sa nilatik
sila'y napahamak
Ano at pagkakaibig ng lumapit
ang isang binatang makisig
Ang kinasapitan pagdating ng bahay
"Ano't umiiyak?" tanong ng magulang
Wika ng dalaga'y, "Wag kang
Sagot ng dalaga, "Ay mangyari po, Itay
magalaw"
ako ay tinakot ng isang aswang.
Tugon ng lalaki, "Ako'y kaawaan"
Nang sasabihin kong wag magalaw
Sagot ng babae, "Wag kang
agad niyang inagaw ang banga kong
mamwisit"
tangay
Sambot ng binata, "Ako'y umiibig."
kaya nga po't ako'y umuwing walang
dalang tubig
Nabasag ang at pati na ang baro'y napuno ng putik."
Banga
Repeat CHORUS
 Different kinds of
Music used in Sarswela

• A lyrical song which is in triple time

with different melody, the lyrics
express a romantic love.

Bituing Marikit

Maalala Mo Kaya
KUNDIMAN
Hatinggabi

Nicanor Abelardo
The Father of Kundiman
 BONIFACIO ABDON

He is a violinist, music
teacher, conductor
and composer known

Father of Modern Kundiman

 BITUING MARIKIT

•Bituing Marikit is a
kundiman composition of
Dr. Nicanor Abelardo
with lyrics written by S.
Angeles.
 MAALAALA MO KAYA

•It is a Kundiman love

song by Constancio de
Guzman
 HATINGGABI

•It is a Kundiman love

song by Antonio Molina
 DANZA

• A dance form in Duple time same in

Tango
BALSE /
WALTZ

• It is an Austrian dance in Triple

Time Signature
KUMINTANG Mutya ng Pasig

• A Tagalog tune where the kundiman is

originated. This is a popular wedding song
in Batangas and Bulacan and considered as
a Tagalog chant about love and courtship.

HABANERA

• A kind of music in Duple time

 FRANCISCO BUENCAMINO

Francisco Buencamino worked as musical

director for Sarswela Productions. Among
his well-known Sarswela compositions
were MARCELA (1904), “SI TIO SELO”
(1904) and “PANGAKONG HINDI
NATUPAD”(1905).
 NICANOR SANTA ANA
ABELARDO

He wrote music for Sarswelas like

“KAWANGGAWA”, “DAKILANG
PUNGLO”, and “ANG TALA NG
UNIVERSIDAD”
Answer the following:
A.
What is zarzuela?
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Who introduced the zarzuela to the Philippines?

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What is the title of the first Tagalog Zarzuela?

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When they revived the zarzuela in 1969, what zarzuela was staged?
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From what zarzuela is the song “Nabasag ang Banga”?

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B. In not less than five sentences, discuss the importance of zarzuela to the Filipino culture.
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