Tawawa House is an opera written by Zenobia Powell Perry in 1985. It premiered at Central State University in 1987. A fully staged revival took place in 2014 in Modesto, California.
Background
Tawawa House is based on a real-life place in Ohio and set in 1852. [1] In the town of Wilberforce, Ohio, there was a watering hole called Tawawa by the Native Americans in the area. [2] A large, 300 room house, that served as a hotel in Wilberforce eventually became known as "Tawawa House." [2] Tawawa House was "notorious for its popularity among slaveholders and their enslaved mistresses" during the 1850s. [3] Travelers and vacationers were drawn to the natural springs in the area and stayed at the resort owned by lawyer and state legislator, Elias Drake. [3] Slaves that worked at the hotel were able to earn their freedom and get an education. [1] The house was also part of the underground railroad. [4] Later, the site became Wilberforce College. [5] [6] Wilberforce was the first black-owned college in the United States. [5]
Perry found the story of Tawawa House especially interesting due to her own multiracial heritage. [2] When she first moved to Wilberforce, Ohio, she began to research the history of the town and found the story of Tawawa House. [7] Powell dedicated the opera to her parents. [8]
About
Powell started writing the libretto in 1974. [8] The first performance of Tawawa House took place at Central State University in the Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center in 1987. [9] It was staged by Lois McGuire and Cheryl Welch and the orchestra was directed by Donald Carroll. [1] Perry's daughter, Janis, performed as a singer in the first performance of the opera. [5] The first fully staged production with sets and complete score was not performed until 2014 at the Townsend Opera in Modesto, California. [5]
The opera starts with an overture using " pentatonic melodic lines and harmonies based on seventh, ninth and eleventh chords. [10] The first chorus is made up of the entire cast. [11] Tawawa House's score, reflects the influence of her teachers, Dett, Dawson and Milhaud. [5] Tawawa House features a "unique fusion of traditional Negro Spirituals and western classical music." [12] Songs written for Tawawa House include "Jumping Over the Broom" and "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd." [5] With intermission, the piece is 2 hours long. [9] The story told in the opera involves the lives of escaped slaves. [13]
References
- ^ a b c Morris, Terry (1987-05-30). "Music Carries 'Tawawa House'". Dayton Daily News. p. 27. Retrieved 2019-12-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Michaels, Beth (2002-07-11). "Zenobia Perry, 87, To Be Honored Today". Dayton Daily News. p. 131. Retrieved 2019-12-07 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Perkins-Valdez, Dolen (29 March 2011). "Real-Life Resort for Slaveowners and Mistresses Inspires Fictional Debut". Book Page. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ Cronin, Allan J. (2014-05-06). "Tawawa House in Modesto? A New Staging of Zenobia Perry's Opera". New Music Buff. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ^ a b c d e f Price, Deon Nielsen (January 2015). "Zenobia Powell Perry Opera Premiered". Triangle of Mu Phi Epsilon. 108 (4): 18. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ Parker, Lonnae O'Neal (21 January 2011). "A Tender Spot in Master-Slave Relations". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ Pool 2009, p. 175.
- ^ a b Pool 2009, p. 176.
- ^ a b Pool 2009, p. 192.
- ^ Pool 2009, p. 176-177.
- ^ Pool 2009, p. 177.
- ^ "Tawawa House by Zenobia Powell Perry" (PDF). Townsend Opera. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ Etter-Lewis, Gwendolyn (2019). "The Most Challenging Issue Revisited". In Bramson, Loni (ed.). The Bahá'í Faith and African American History: Creating Racial and Religious Diversity. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-4985-7003-9.
Sources
- Pool, Jeannie Gayle (2009). American Composer Zenobia Powell Perry: Race and Gender in the 20th Century. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-8108-6377-4.