STORY OF THE ZARZUELA FOUNDATION AND PACIFICA CULTURAL PRODUCTION By: Gigi Felix Velarde

Gigi Felix Velarde, an academician and an artist

I am Gigi Felix- Velarde and this is my story of the Zarzuela Foundation linked with the Pacifica Cultural Production, a theatre group of generation.

When the Zarzuela was still being conceived in the mind of my father, Dr. Herminio Velarde, Jr., I was only 10 years old. One day inside the car as we fetch my mother, Joji Felix- Velarde from St. Paul’s University, Manila finishing one of the Broadway plays she was doing or choreographing with Father James Reuter, my father said “The plays of Father Reuter are beautiful but I can’t help but to wonder why we do not patronize something that is ours”. OURS- was the word meaning coming from our ancestors, back to our roots, something that describe us as a Filipino. So after that day, my father talked to Doroy Valencia, a man from whom I remember as “Over a Cup of Coffee”. This was his radio program that I would hear every day as my father took me to school. My father asked Doroy to help him fund the idea of reviving the zarzuela in the Philippines since it died with the war. Of course, Doroy was interested. So, with Doroy’s help- we went to see our then First Lady Imelda Romualdez- Marcos in Malacanang. She was so excited and all out for this project. To start off, we had a launching of top businessmen in Malacanang to raise the money to start the show. The likes of Andres Soriano, Carlos Palanca, the Ayalas, Eizaldes, Puyat, etc. In that merienda party hosted by Imelda, we were all set to start the production.

My father thought of reviving the “Walang Sugat”, a famous zarzuela during the Spanish regime and it was also because the composer, Fulgencio Tolentino was my father’s grandfather. He says as a young boy he sat by his grandfather’s side as he did the music and told stories about the Spaniards cruelty towards the Filipinos. He could not forget these stories and so the first project of the Zarzuela Foundation together with the Pacifica Cultural Production, where he was the founder, was ‘Walang Sugat’. When Doroy Valencia agreed to help my father with funding he did not waste any time and became obsessed to revive it during his lifetime.

The reconstruction began by tying to put the libretto together since half or almost all was burned during the war. The playwright, Severino Reyes and the composer, Fulgencio Tolentino were long gone. So, my father with his mother Eling Tolentino Vda. Velarde went to the house of Pedrito Reyes, son of the playwright, who later found a copy of the libretto musical scores were gone. Knowing this, my father asked Doroy Valencia to mention on his radio program that we were inviting all those people who could still remember the zarzuela “Walang Sugat” to come to the house and discuss it. Doroy Valencia did not just announce it on his radio program but he wrote it on his column in the Manila Times. So, the search for people who saw the play, who remembered the story and the melody and lyrics now started to come to the house every Sunday. My parents would tape every detail of the story, songs sung by old people who saw it and some even performed it. I was there watching the old people with their “saklay” and wheelchairs singing the songs with old cracking voices. After I watched and listened, I was responsible to make sure the maids would prepare some snacks for our guests and I also helped serve the foods and drinks.

With this visit in our house the reconstruction of the music took a faster pace. After 6 to 7 months the script and music was ready.

My father felt it was now time to sit down and conceptualize the characters, (who will play who), Directors, Musical Director, conductor, Choreographer, etc. Now everything was ready to take off with the help of so many zarzuela lovers. But don’t get my father wrong, it doesn’t mean he was only concerned with reviving the zarzuela in the Philippines. For him, the zarzuela revival was only just the beginning of looking back into our cultural heritage, our past and embracing who we really are, passing it on to our children, so our children will pass it on to their children and because of this we will forever have our own identity in the arts. I am a living proof of a culture past on and if you review the papers I submitted to you, I was able to direct zarzuela “Walang Sugat” and I hope when I am long gone my son will also be able to do the same taking it from his memory. Like me, he was also part of the Walang Sugat performed in San Beda College Dulaang Bedista and Quezon City Academy workshop anniversary presentation.

“Walang Sugat” did not just stay within our midst. The producers then brought it to the key cities of the world- New York Lincoln Center, San Francico Opera House, Chicago, Virginia, Los Angeles and Canada. Aside from performances all over the Philippines.

We performed for the Filipinos who missed home and would like to see a glimpse of our culture in a foreign land. In this way it will remind them that they are Filipinos wherever they will be and they must be proud of their cultural heritage and of who they really are. As for the performers who have left their families to perform for our countrymen abroad, it is a duty as “an artist (especially during Martial Law), a free man in service for the Filipinos”.

Today I write and recall how Walang Sugat came to life, because I may never have the chance to share with everyone how it came to be. I have noticed souvenir programs, Cd’s, booklets being sold without having the history behind the reconstruction, or revival of the libretto Walang Sugat. It makes me sad to see how the efforts of many artists are pushed aside. When you make an art, you make history and isn't it so that history must contain every detail? Since the libretto was burned during the war it is fair enough that writers must make the history of the revival of Walang Sugat complete. I just noticed only the writer was given credit and not the composers. Without the music of Walang Sugat there will be no Zarzuela?! It was so difficult to put the music together, that my father decided to invite National Artist Constancio De Guzman to render some compositions since he wanted to use “Bayan Ko” after the battle scene and so, National Artist Constancio De Guzman graced us with three more compositions such as “ Ikaw Lamang”, Huwag Mong Dulutan and my favorite "Paalam"

     He was able to retrieve Fulgencio Tolentino’s works such as: “Ang Karayom kong Iduro,” “Huwag mong Silaban,” “Dalawang Braso,” “Huling Habilin,” “Huwag Mong Dulutan,” “Kunin Niyaring Dibdib,”  at “Di Bawal ang Umibig.”

      He asked Tito Mike Velarde, Jr. The composer of ‘Dahil Sayo’, not the preacher, to conduct the Manila Symphony Orchestra for the shows of Walang Sugat and to allow some to use his compositions for Walang Sugat which are “Sa Hirap at Ginhawa,” “Ako’y Lubayan,” and “Makikiliti Kang Totoo”. Since Tito Mike was family, and eventually my father wanted to do one song for his grandfather’s work so he composed “Kalayaan Ipaglaban” to be added to the music of Walang Sugat. Our stage director was National Artist Daisy H. Avellana.

     Year after year as I grew older the writers have failed to acknowledge these wonderful Artists. I as a Humanities teacher believe we must never ignore and forget the efforts that our great Artists manage to put together in collaboration to make a masterpiece which we use to emphasize our identity as a people.

     Now, I have finished writing the beautiful memories of how the Sarswela “Walang Sugat” was brought back to life. With the help of so many people but proud to say with the initiative to revive it came from my father Dr. Herminio Velarde, Jr, the grandson of Fulgencio Tolentino.

     We, as artists, teachers, historians, must make sure that we protect the artworks and artists of the past, present and future for this will tell the story of who we really are as Filipinos. Our cultural heritage will and still is the pride of our country. And it is because of our history that we can face the world with our head up high. So we must make sure that when we write history, whether it is about our heroes, our athletes, our politicians, our artists, our tribes with their unique rituals, our traditions, our works, our places all this including songs, dance and theater, the way we write it must be complete, and must speak of only the truth.

     

       Mabuhay ang Artistang Pilipino!


GIGI FELIX VELARDE- DAVID
October 06, 2014