Eclecticism in Philippine Music: Embracing Characteristics and Philosophies of Indigeneity

Abstract

Defining Philippine music has mostly relied upon vague definitions such as a mosaic or tapestry of sonorities which include various influences, namely Spain, the United States and Asia.Defining and recognizing the Western elements is a much easier task than the non-Western Asian sonorities mostly due to lack of exposure and limited theoretical frameworks for analysis. Schools in the Philippines have been patterned after the United States educational system, thus the training in music has been traditionally in Western music, until the composers later begin to study their roots as if it were something foreign. This dissertation seeks to aid in understanding these roots as it was first rediscovered and studied by Jose Maceda (31 January 1917 — 5 May 2004), the first ethnomusicologist and avant-garde composer of the Philippines. Through a lookat his life and works with a focal point on his work “Pagsamba”, this dissertation will analyze the non-Western musical elements and philosophies that permeate much of indigenous music. At the same time, Maceda utilized avant-garde compositional techniques as a canvas to display these indigenous musical sonorities. These concepts sparked a movement that allowed for composers in the Philippines to embrace their roots and further expand upon the growing repertoire that is has been termed, Philippine musical eclecticism.