Colonial Counterpoint: Music in Early Modern Manila

"Music history and colonial encounter converge in a counterpoint of metaphors, richly yielding an historical stretto resounding the multiple voices of music in early modern Manila as Filipino and local, European and global." "Philip V. Bohlman Mary Werkman Distinguished Service Professor of the Humanities and of Music, the University of Chicago" "This book is a milestone in the historiography of Philippine music. Written in lucid prose with a delightful tone, the work is remarkable for its critique of colonialism and is a must-read for anyone who cares to contemplate the 'contrapuntal' effects of social power in music." "Jose Semblante Buenconsejo Associate Professor, Music Research Department, University of the Philippines" "D. R. M. Irving's pioneering work exhibits his perseverance in pursuit of recondite sources, a deep understanding of the processes of cultural transmission, and a talent for writing about music in ways that everyone can understand. This book helps us understand the formation of colonial society in the Philippines and sets the standard for a new kind of cultural history." "Felipe Fernandez-Armesto William P. Reynolds Professor of History, University of Notre Dame" "From The Sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, the Philippine Islands were firmly linked to Latin America and Spain through intricate relationships of politics, religion, commerce, and culture. In particular, the city of Manila, founded in 1571, was a vital nexus in global trade networks and a major conduit for the regional spread of Western music. Imported and local musics played a crucial role in the establishment of Spanish religious institutions in the Philippines and propelled the work of Roman Catholic missionaries in neighboring territories." "Colonial Counterpoint reconnects the Philippines to current musicological discourse on the early modern Hispanic world. In this groundbreaking study, author D. R. M. Irving uses the metaphors of European counterpoint and enharmony to critically assess musical practices within the colonial setting. He argues that the institutionalization of counterpoint acted as a powerful agent of colonialism throughout the Philippines, and that contrapuntal structures were reflected in the social and cultural reorganization of Filipino communities under Spanish rule. Irving contends that the indigenous population's active appropriation of Western music and dance was a key factor in the process of hispanization. Sustained "enharmonic engagement" between Filipinos and Spaniards led to the synthesis of new hybrid genres and the emergence of performance styles that could contest and subvert colonialist ideologies." Throwing new light on a virtually unknown area of music history, Colonial Counterpoint contributes significantly to current understanding of the globalization of music and repositions the Philippines at the frontiers of research into early modern intercultural exchange.