Contemporary:

Contemporary music in the Philippines usually refers to compositions that have adopted ideas and
elements from twentieth century art music in the West, as well as the latest trends and musical styles in
the entertainment industry. This brief introduction covers only the works written by the art music
composers.

The modern Filipino repertoire consist of pieces that have been written in twentieth century idioms
that have evolved out of such stylistic movements as impressionism, expressionism, neo-classism, as
well as the so-called avant-garde and New Music. A good number of these works have utilized the
standard formats of classical European music such as the concerto, the symphony, the symphonic and
tone poems, cantata, etc. and may therefore be broadly categorized as neo-classic. At the same time,
they have also been greatly influenced by the textural colors of Debussy’s music and the ambiguous and
“dissonant” tonalities of early 20th century expressionist compositions. Moreover, the sounds of non-
Western instruments have been added to the tonal fabric.

The first modern works that belong to the above descriptions are attributed to Nicanor Abelardo,
who from 1931 till his death in 1934 produced works that show a dramatic departure from his highly
chromatic–tonal idiom to dissonant and ambiguous tonalities and complex rhythmic textures. Some of
the representative works of that period are the “Sinfonietta for Strings” and the “Cinderella” Overture.
In Panoramas, a chamber music suite, Abelardo also experimented on unorthodox instrumental
combinations (flute, violin, viola, celesta, piano). Two short pieces for piano Dancing Fool and Malikmata
by Antoni Molina, Philippine Suite by Ramon Tapales, and Mindanao Sketches by Antonio Buenaventura
were isolated works that assumed some degree of modernistic structural elements, immediately
following Abelardo’s output.

Philippine neo-classism is significantly represented by three names: Eliseo Pajaro, Rosendo Santos
and Lucresia Kasilag. Most of Pajaro’s works (usually bitonally chromatic) are set in such extended
formats as the symphony; concerto; symphonic ode; e.g. Ode to Academic Freedom; and song cycles
using Filipino folk tunes (Himig Iloko). the prolific Rosendo Santos, also a versatile performer in the
keyboard, percussion, and wind instruments, has written hundreds of compositions for a variety of
instruments and instrumental combinations; e.g. Suite Brevet for clarinet, alto saxophone and piano,
Two Poems for flute, vibes, and percussion,Etude for six timpanist and multi-percussion, Fantasy for
Contrabass and Harp, etc.

Lucresia Kasilag, aside from using neo-classic idioms, has added a further dimension to her
compositions by infusing the sounds of native instruments as well as their scales, and experimenting on
new forms such as the operatorio Her son, Jose and Dularawan, a contraction of dula (theater) and
larawan (pictures). Some of her landmark compositions are Toccata for percussion (orthodox and
Muslim) and winds, and Orientalia Suite for Piano and chamber and Philippine percussion instruments.
She has also applied elements of improvisation in her Ekologie I: On a Day off for tape recorder and
indigenous instruments andImprovisations No. 3 and 4 for Moslem gamelan and tipangklong.

Another sub-classification of Philippine neo-classic works are those written by Alfredo

A departure from the standard forms of western classical music is a significant characteristic of the
works of composers who are exploring alternative directions and concepts in music composition. Led
and inspired by Jose Maceda, these works derive their essence, theoretical and structural parameters
from non-Western sources, specifically Asian music and Philippine indigenous cultural traditions. At the
same time, they have been initially influenced by the ideas of mass structures that were advanced by
such avant-garde composers as Edgar Varese and Iannis Xenakis, and later by the different streams of
indeterminacy and improvisation as explored by John Cage and his followers.

The initial works of Jose Maceda may be classified as color and cloud compositions, utilizing the
tones and timbres of non-Western instruments to create different blocks of sounds; e.g. Ugma-Ugma
and Agungan. His later works assumed overwhelming dimensions in the use of acoustical space, mass
performance and the concept of a modern ritual- Pagsamba, Udlot-Udlot, Ading, Ugnayan, etc. Also
belonging to this formal category are Ramon Santos’ Ritwal ng Pasasalamat I and II as well as his Likas-
An and Nagnit Igak G’nam Wag’ nwag Nila, a Philippine Centennial piece for orchestras, 7 choruses,
audience, and conductor. Jonas Baes also contributed to this literature with his Pantawag, Kalipay and
Yeyunan which is based in his study of Iraya mangyan culture.

Another category of New Music compositions are improvisational works. The early pieces of Ramon
Santos such as Radyasyon and Quadrasyon were later augmented by Toledo’s Samut-sari, Pintigan and
Terminal Lamentations, all written as musical graphics, and his Humigit Kumulang for Malay hadrah and
kompang. Baes’ Wala and Banwa, both written in 1997, uses audience as well as the participation of
traditional Philippine instruments.

One of the more preferred media by the younger generation of Filipino composers is mixed media
and theater forms. Santos has significantly contributed to this body of works with his Awit, Panaghoy,
(on the poetry and Ninoy Aquino), Ta-O at Dasalan and Pompyang at iba Pa by Chino Toledo. The
experimentalPanata ng Lupa by Francisco Feliciano and other composers is an outdoor theater that
fuses elements of opera and Kalinga rituals. Feliciano has also composed the music for the music dramas
Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalamand Ashen Wings, as well as the monumental opera La Loba Negra. Related to
this category are ballet and dance compositions to which belong Kasilag’s Sisa, Legende, and Tapestry;
Santos’ Aninag; Jerry Dadap’sTomaneg at Aniway; Feliciano’s Yerma; Toledo’s Pilipino Komiks and Abe…
(on the music of Nicanor Abelardo)

Rising from the rubbles of WW II and freed from American domination, the Filipinos surged in creativity.
The ’50 and ’60s saw dance revival and choreographic invention.
 Schools put up folk dance troupes like the Far Eastern University, Philippine Normal University
(Barangay Folk Dance Troupe) and Philippine Women’s University. The Bayanihan Philippine Dance
Company captivated the world at Brussels Exposition in 1958. Leonor Orosa Goquingco’s Filipinescas
Dance Company, Teresita Pil’s Leyte Kalipayan Dance Company, University of the Philippines Filipiniana
Dance Group, Darangan Cultural Troupe at Mindanao State University-Marawi, and Ramon Obusan
Folkloric Group followed to win their own awards and accolades abroad. All at first capitalized on the
efforts of now-declared National Artist, Francisca Reyes Aquino, to gain national and international
recognition, from Manila to Broadway and across the Iron Curtain.

In ballet, Orosa Goquingco went to stage Noli Dance Suit and other ballets. Remedios de Oteyza’s
abstract ballets were performed by the De Oteyza Ballet, Manila Ballet Company and Hariraya Ballet
Company (founded with Inday Gaston Manosa). Rosalia Merino Santos staged and lectured with the Far
Eastern University Modern Experimental Dance Group. Anita Kane toured nationwide with classical and
Filipino ballets of hers called Anita Kane Ballet Company, later Pamana Ballet. Joining them was Ricardo
Cassell from America, first teaching for Pacita Madrigal (staging Giselle for her and Benny Villanueva
Reyes) and later his wife Roberta’s school and Studio Dance Group. Trudl Dubsky Zipper periodically
returned from the United States to stage ballets and operas.

They all inspired a new group of dance-makers and leaders. Corazon Generoso Iñigo staged folk
dances and choreographed modern pieces for university groups, for the films and the productions of J.
Amado Araneta in Cubao, Quezon City. Maribel Aboitiz and Eddie Elejar followed up the fame of Manolo
Rosado and Fely Franquelli in Europe. With Joji Felix and Cesar Mendoza, Elejar set up a school at PWU.
He and Julie Borromeo and Felicitas “Tita” Layag Radaic later formed Dance Theater Philippines as the
first professional company, along with the Hariraya. DTP was later solely directed by Radaic or Basilio
(Steve Villaruz), carrying on Ballet at the (Rizal) Park for more than 12 years and producing ballerinas
Anna Villadolid, Lisa Macuja and Eloisa Enerio. Still later, the Dance Concert Company of Vella Damian
and Eric Cruz, and Manila Metropolis Ballet of Elejar and Toby Fabella served the widening audience for
ballet. This was also met by visiting companies from Asia, Australia, the United States, Britain, Europe
and Russia.

With the opening of Meralco Theater and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, still later of the
restored Manila Metropolitan, U.P. and Camp Aguinaldo Theaters, choreographic ambitions were no
better served than in the old Far Eastern University, Philamlife and Girls Scouts of the Philippines
auditorium, and the defunct Rizal Theater.

Starting as a private group called Alice Reyes and Modern Dance Company, Ballet Philippines had
the advantage as resident dancers of the CCP. Reyes (starting with Elejar as co-director) built a modern
repertoire with her Amada, Itim Asu, Rama Hari, Carmen, choreographers Elejar, Fabella, Gener Caringal
and Norman Walker, and the ballet classics with foreigners, especially William Morgan and the Russians.
Subsequent directors were Edna Vida, Denisa Reyes, Agnes Locsin–all choreographers in their own right,
and now Cecile Sicangco. In 1987, CCP accommodated Philippine Ballet Theater who came under the
directorship of Manosa, Borromeo, Elejar and now Caringal. The Company’s strength had been its wide
choice of local choreographers. In 1966, a splinter group from PBT formed Ballet Manila with Cruz and
Macuja as directors. It espouses Russian style, although it has lately acquired works from David Campos,
Vida, Fabella, Nonoy Froilan and Osias Barroso. All these companies have won merits in performances
abroad. They have toured nationwide, following the pioneering work of Kane and of Fe Sala Villarica in
the Visayas.

In the idiom of jazz, Douglas Nierras and his Powerdance are the most prominent, following the
groups Hotlegs, of Julie Borromeo, Metropolitan Dance Theater, etc. The new groups are Whiplash and
several others dancing for television. They have graced the shows of Vilma Santos, Nora Aunor and
Sharon Cuneta, following up those of Pilita Corrales, Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa in their time.
Television has also provided exposure for the popularization of ballroom dancing, earlier served by
Dance Time with Chito (Feliciano) and the Penthouse editions. The Dance Sports Council has also helped
standardize dance competitions and dance instructions. The Old and new dance forms are the boogie-
woogie, rock ‘n roll, mashed potato, twist, boogaloo, bossa nova, frug, pachanga, watusi, hustle,
lambada, swing, hip-hop and the free-for-all disco-dancing.

In dance education, physical education departments continue to teach dance (mostly folk) from the
grade school to college level. Dance degree programs are offered at University of the Philippines and De
la Salle University. In addition to the workshops of the Dance Committee of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts, the Philippine Folk Dance Society, Dance Educators Associations of the Philippines
and Francisca Reyes Aquino Memorial Foundation also offer annual workshops.

During the leisure time Filipinos can be found dancing more. This include the battalas
(choreographed skirmishes) in the moro-moro or comedia that still exist, and in many festivals around
the country like thesinulog, ati-atihan, caracol, guling-guling, dinagyang, sayaw sa Obando, turumba in
Pakil, etc. These may be found on the streets, the stage or the shopping malls today.

The Filipino contemporary culture (in this case also theater) can be seen as a great example for anyone
who would like to speak about the postcolonial identity of the nation. The Philippines - because of the
difficult and complex history of the country - cannot be con-sidered in a binary differentiation: “Asian”
vs. "Western". Moreover, we should not forget that this country - according to Sir Anril Pineda Tiatco in
Situating Philippine Theatricality in Asia - "is not only an amalgamation of pre-colonial, colonial, and
post-colonial cultures". There is no point in calling for the "authenticity" or the "pureness" of the
postcolonial theater forms (and postcolonial sacral performances), or in the accusation of being
"polluted" by foreign influence, as long as the major aim for the Filipino theater makers is to redefine
their own artistic identity. In this article I proposed the distinction between the group identity and the
individual identity, being aware of the fact that both of them stay in a constant dependency and each of
them negotiates its own importance. If the theater group is more concerned about social and / or
political issues, the individual identity of an actor is not any more so easy to achieve. In the same time,
even if we discuss the "common good", the artistic freedom does not have to be limited. However, we
may observe similar situations in other postcolonial countries, I do believe that the Filipino case -
because of its double colonial identity - deserves particular attention.