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Tawawa House - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scene from a 2014 revival of *Tawawa House* in Modesto, California

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.

External links

Tawawa House by Zenobia Powell Perry

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