Hermogenes Ilagan (19 April 1873 in Bigaa, Bulacan – 27 February 1943) was a Filipino tenor, writer, stage actor, and playwright. He was a descendant of Francisco Baltazar. His talent in singing made him popular in the field of theater arts. He became known as the Father of Tagalog Zarzuela and the Father of Philippine Zarzuela.

Career

Ilagan was a '' tiple'' (

treble Treble may refer to: In music: *Treble (sound), tones of high frequency or range, the counterpart of bass *Treble voice, a choirboy or choirgirl singing in the soprano range *Treble (musical group), a three-piece girl group from the Netherlands *T ...

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

) and lead singer for a church in Bigaa, Bulacan. Because of Ilagan's talent, a parish priest in Bigaa, Bulacan brought Ilagan and his family to Manila. He became the singer for the Santa Cruz Church. In return, Ilagan was able to study at the

Ateneo Municipal de Manila , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...

(now known as Ateneo de Manila University). Although not able to finish schooling, Ilagan became a member of a

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

troupe (theater performers) from Spain. During the Spanish–American War, the Spanish performers went back to Spain, but Ilagan maintained his liking for the zarzuela, and later pioneered productions of stage drama in the form of Philippine zarzuelas. His forty years of involvement in the field of zarzuela created the period known as the Golden Age of Philippine Theater. In 1902, Ilagan established the Compania Lirico-Dramatica Tagala de Gatchalian y Ilagan, also known as Compania Ilagan, the first zarzuela troupe in the Philippines. Ilagan's zarzuelas have melodramatic, comic, romantic, and political qualities.

Works

Among the zarzuelas that Ilagan wrote and produced were: *''Ang Buhay nga Naman'' (That's How Life Is) *''Ang Buwan ng Oktubre'' (The Month of October) *''Bill de Divorcio'' (Divorce Bill) *''Dahil kay Ina'' (Because of Mother) *''Dalagang Bukid'' (Country Maiden) *''Dalawang Hangal'' (Two Fools) *''Después de Dios, el Dinero'' (After God, the Money) *''Ilaw ng Katotohanan'' (Light of Truth) *''Kagalingan ng Bayan'' (Country's Benefit) *''Venus'' (Ang Operang Putol) (Venus, The Incomplete Opera) *''Wagas na Pag-ibig'' (True Love) *''Sangla ni Rita, isang Uno't Cero'' (Rita's Pawnage, a One and Zero) *''Centro Pericultura'' ( Periculture Center) *''Panarak ni Rosa'' (alternatively known as ''Punyal ni Rosa'') (Rosa's Dagger) *''Lucha Electoral'' (Electoral Fight)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilagan, Hermogenes Ateneo de Manila University alumni Filipino writers Filipino dramatists and playwrights Writers from Bulacan Singers from Bulacan Male actors from Bulacan Filipino male stage actors Filipino singer-songwriters Tenors 1873 births 1943 deaths Theatre managers and producers Filipino theatre directors Tagalog-language writers Tagalog-language singers Spanish-language writers of the Philippines Spanish-language singers