Colonial Counterpoint

Music in Early Modern Manila

Bibliographic Data

ID9288237
AuthorsDavid R M Irving (0000-0003-3849-1549, corresponding author), David Irving (corresponding author)
Year2010
Pages394
Publication date2010-06-03
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueColonial counterpoint (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378269.001.0001
OpenAlexW193885091
Open LibraryOL23632322M
ISBN9780195378269
LanguageEN
Citations received44

This book reconnects the Philippines to current musicological discourse on the early modern Hispanic world. For two and a half centuries, the Philippine Islands were linked to Latin America and Spain through transoceanic relationships of politics, religion, trade, and culture. Manila, founded in 1571, represented a vital locus of intercultural exchange and a significant conduit for the regional diffusion of Western music. Within Manila's ethnically diverse society, imported and local musics played a crucial role in the establishment of ecclesiastical hierarchies in the Philippines, and the advancement of Roman Catholic evangelization in surrounding territories. The metaphors of European counterpoint and enharmony are used to critique musical practices within the colonial milieu, where multiple styles and genres coexisted according to strict regulations enforced by state and ecclesiastical authorities. This study argues that the introduction and institutionalization of counterpoint acted as a powerful agent of colonialism throughout the Philippine Archipelago, and that contrapuntal structures were reflected in the social and cultural reorganization of Filipino communities under Spanish rule. Active indigenous appropriation of Spanish music and dance constituted a significant contribution to the process of hispanization. Sustained "enharmonic engagement" between Filipinos and Spaniards led to the synthesis of hybrid, syncretic genres and the emergence of performance styles that could contest and subvert hegemony. Manila's religious institutions resounded with sumptuous vocal and instrumental performances, while an annual calendar of festivities brought together many musical traditions of the native and immigrant populations in complex forms of artistic interaction and opposition

Archaeology · Art · Art history · Colonialism · Counterpoint · Political science · Sociology · Visual arts · Asian American and Pacific Histories · Asian Culture and Media Studies · History · Law · Philippine History and Culture · History and criticism · Music · Music, asian · Music, history and criticism · Philippines · Spanish influences

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