BY MULUGETA GUDETA
It is a universally acknowledged fact that music genres and styles are so numerous that it would be virtually impossible to enumerate them in such a brief article. There are tons of books and research findings that outline the various music genres that are popular in many parts of the world including in Africa. One of them is opera music which is defined as, “music performed in a theatre and set to classical music. For centuries opera was among the most popular forms of entertainment in Western music.” Another definition of opera is “an art form that combines theatre (both comedic and dramatic) and classical music.
In typical performance opera singers play roles in theatre productions which feature the full classical orchestra. “There are two types of operatic singing recitative which is nearly spoken yet sung to pitched arias, which are formal songs interspersed throughout the piece.” Although opera music is considered to be part of Western cultural tradition, it would be misleading to think that opera music was invented in the West. It may be more developed there but the Western world is not the inventor of music in general or opera music in particular. This fact is often overlooked because in Africa and in many other parts of the world opera is relatively less common as popular genre music.
In other words, the Western world has developed opera thanks to the great musicians it had produced and the classical heritage it could firmly established for many centuries. A number of studies indicate that classical music, including opera singing, has its roots in Africa. “In his 2006 book “Listening to Artifacts”: Music Culture in Ancient Israel/Palestine, Theodore Burgh suggests that classical music ultimately has its roots in North Africa, in the art of Ancient Egypt.” Contemporary African opera music is highly developed in South Africa while other countries too are following suit, reinforcing the belief that Africa is not only home to ancient opera but also a player in modern opera music, although this fact is rarely given attention in the continent.
According to one study, “African opera provides the framework for exploring salient features of African music, including ensemble practice, the role of dance, and musical storytelling culminating in African performance of an African opera. These operas are noted for their use of African mythology and performance practices featuring song, chant, dance and drumming while utilizing the resources of the Western theatre.” In other words, African opera has developed its own identity while borrowing from Western classical traditions that are part and parcel of the human cultural heritage in general.
As briefly outlined above, there is no denying the fact that Africa has developed its own operatic tradition starting from the 17th century. According to one story among many published online, “The origins of the musical-dramatic genre extend as far back as the 17th century, when the Alaafin, king of the ancient Yoruba kingdom of Oyo in Western Nigeria declared that the origin egungun (masquerade) performance, hitherto performed as part of religious rituals should henceforth also be performed as royal entertainment.”
According to a recent blog post entitled, “Seven Black Singers who are Currently Dominating the Game” the author of this particular article says that, “February is Black History Month and you better believe there is no shortage of Black individuals who have changed opera for the better. Last year we rounded up six Black opera singers lack singers that are currently killing the opera game.” Among the Black opera singer mentioned by the blog post are, J’Nai Bridges, Russell Thomas, janai Brugger, Lawrance Broownlee, Pretty Yende, John Holiday Morrris Robinson and Taylor Raven.
When we come to the history of opera music in Ethiopia, it is important to put it in the context of Africa opera music as one of the origins of the music genre as we tried to indicate above and as its place in the international context of the development of international opera music. Whenever musicologists discuss the history of opera music in the West they are inevitably led to one particular piece entitled, “Aida” written and performed by Italian music legend Juseppe Verdi.
Juseppe Verdi was a 19th century Italian composer best known for his operas. He has composed more than 20 musical works that are considered the best of the best. His opera called la Traviata is one of the best known and most loved compositions. The other is Aida which is among the best opera music Verdi has written. According to sources, the opera is written on the basis of a story that was famous for its dramatic effects. According to a synopsis of the story, “The Egyptians have captured and enslaved Aida, an Ethiopian princess. An Egyptian military commander, Radames struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the King of Egypt.
To complicate the story further, the king’s daughter Amneris is in love with Radames, although he does not return her feelings.” ‘Aida’ is of course an opera written by a foreigner and stage in foreign lands, little known here in the country of historical inspiration because we do not have such a tradition. There may be attempts in that direction but they have been sparse, intermittent and largely unknown. Although not in opera form, classical music is also known in Ethiopia and the best example is Emahoy Tsegue-Mariam Guebrou, an Ethiopian nun and legend of classic piano music who recently died at the age of 99.
In an obituary by The Guardian online, it was stated that, “her music has been used in the Oscar-nominated 2020 documentary Time, and in Rebecca Hall’s Netflix dram Passing. Over her life, Gebrou composed more than 150 original works of music for piano, organ, opera, and chamber ensembles.” Mulatu Astatke, the father of a music genre known as Ethio-Jazz can also be considered a legend of modern Ethiopian classical music in his own right although he has never composed music for opera.
An opera is “a stage drama set to music in its entirety, made up of vocal voices with instrumental accompaniment and usually with orchestral overtures and interludes.” The popularity of opera music is still on its ascendency although this is a fact sometimes overlooked or blurred due to the domination of other popular music in the international music context. As opera is a more refined,
more intellectual and sophisticated kind of music, its appeal may be limited to a narrower circle of music lovers who have a strong tradition of classical music. One recent example is the opera entitled ‘Phantoms’, the longest running opera in US history that has recently come to an end. The last bow came after 35 years of uninterrupted performance. The show was staged to an emotional and sells out audience. The opera staged in New York City has always been popular with opera lovers some of whom have seen it for 50 or more times according to a CNN report.
Aida as an opera was created by a European legendary composer based not on Western history but that of Egypt with the central character being an Ethiopian beauty who captivated the imagination of an Egyptian military commander. There are two continents and three main players involved in the creation of Aida: Verdi’s Italy, Egypt’s Radames and Ethiopia’s Aida. These factors make the opera an international classic and a work of collaboration between three countries and three characters. This may be one of the factors that has made the opera an enduring classic that is still attracting audiences throughout the world. Aida has indeed become an international artistic heritage.
An Egyptian singing teacher was recently asked about Aida’s significance for his country. He was quoted as saying that, “Aida shows the past of Egypt. It’s our history. So we are proud of that. But modern Egypt is totally different.” By the same token, we may perhaps say that Aida is also part of Ethiopian history and shows a slice of that past of Ethiopia as captured through opera music. WE must be proud of this. We as Africans should be proud for providing the inspiration for one of the most enduring works of music in the world.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 28 APRIL 2023
