Handel's Messiah in Jazz
Around 1910’s, it has been the tradition of the University of the Philippines – Diliman to perform Handel’s Messiah (Christmas portion) by the start of the Christmas season in the university. However, some traditions must keep up with the modern times, thus having the need for an innovation.
On Dec. 5, 2014, at the UP Theater, a history was made not just in UP Diliman but in the entirety of the Philippine music – Handel’s classic oratorio, the Messiah, was translated in Filipino and played in jazz, in the event Jazz Messiah.
The Messiah, which was written by German composer Handel in mid-18th century, is a sacred orchestral work that talks about the life of Christ from conception to resurrection.
Knowing jazz as a genre that is groovy and smooth, it could be hard to imagine that a classical piece will be played in jazz. Also, translating it into Filipino is another important aspect in this phenomenon. It was Gawad Plaridel awardee, Jose Pete Lacaba, who translated Handel’s Messiah (Christmas portion) into Filipino.
As the program proper started, Jazz Messiah’s choir director Professor Janet Aracama delivered the opening remarks. “By doing the translation and adaptation, we stabilize English hegemony and assert the universality of the music,” Aracama said.
“At the same time, we revolutionize expression, recognize local creativity that is at par with the global standards,” she added.
The UP Choirs that performed in the Jazz Messiah were the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, UP Staff Chorale, UP Singing Ambassadors, UP Concert Chorus, UP Madrigal Singers, and the UP Jazz Ensemble.
Each of the UP Choirs performed their pieces before the Christmas portion of the Messiah was performed. Also, each of the choirs had their own costumes, from simple uniform shirts to elaborate Filipiniana attire.
Among the UP Choirs, it was the UP Madrigal Singers’ rendition of the “Da Coconut Nut” that was the most enjoyed by the audience. The UP Madrigal Singers incorporated dance steps to the song and made it very comedic by using props such as eyeglasses. The audience’s laughter and applause resonated throughout the UP Theater.
There was a ten-minute break before the Pinoy jazz Messiah was performed, for the choir members to change their attire to white shirts and jeans. After the break, the lights dimmed off.
The lights on stage suddenly glowed, revealing the choir members in their positions. Suddenly, the saxophone player played a playful, catchy, and sexy tune, and then lights of different colors were flashing around the stage. There were shouts, whistles, and claps from the audience as they saw and heard the marvelous combination of saxophone playing and lights in the overture.
The overture was immediately followed by the performance of the soloists in the Messiah’s Christmas portion. The lyrics sounded smooth but groovy, swinging to the beat of the drums, dancing to each key of the piano, and is complementing the grandiose sound of the air instruments.
The first solo part was tenor, and was sung by Pilipinas Got Talent semi-finalist Myron de la Cruz. The next solo part was bass and was sung by Jonathan Mendo, a member of UP Concert Chorus. The alto part was sung by Aracama, and the soprano part was sung by Lara Maigue, Philippine Popular Music Festival 2013 finalist. The UP Jazz Ensemble played the jazz accompaniment of the Pinoy jazz Messiah. The choir had their part during the chorus. A joyful mood was felt on stage as the Aleluya portion of the Pinoy jazz Messiah was performed.
In an interview with Buenconsejo two days before the Jazz Messiah, he said that the jazz modification in Handel’s Messiah was initiated by Rayben Maigue, the conductor of Jazz Messiah, over a year ago.
“It’s a mixture, it’s a hybrid, it’s a mix of European melody and harmony with tagalong lyrics, and American medium, so it’s a trans-cultural phenomenon,” said Buenconsejo, when asked how this year’s Messiah would be compared to the previous years.
He also recalled that initially he wanted to rent a score from New York for this year’s Messiah, but the company he emailed during summer took four months to reply. That is why he pushed through with Rayben Maigue’s suggestion even if they had a limited time left.
With only two months left to prepare, Professor Cristina Maria Cayabyab, daughter of the renowned composer Ryan Cayabyab and member of the trio Baihana, accepted the job to arrange the Filipino version of Messiah into jazz. The Jazz Messiah is the second major composition she arranged.
“Trying to make it jazz from classical baroque is quite a task; I had to get inspiration from different jazz genre,” Cayabyab said when asked what was the major challenge she encountered in arranging Jazz Messiah, in an interview after all the performances.
It is important to remember and retain the Filipino identity despite the modernity and globalization. Works such as the Jazz Messiah are one of those things that remind people of such.
As the name denotes, Jazz Messiah is truly a liberation from the strings of conformity to traditionalism. This kind of innovation to Philippine music is another way of serving the people and the country. ###
