Colonial counterpoint : music in early modern Manila / D.R.M. Irving.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Colonial capital, global city -- Musical transactions and intercultural exchange -- Mapping musical cultures -- The hispanization of Filipino music -- Courtship and syncretism in colonial genres -- Cathedrals, convents, churches, and chapels -- Regulations, reforms, and controversies -- Fiesta filipina : celebrations in Manila -- Contrapuntal colonialism.

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 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 engagemment" 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 undestanding of the globalization of music and repositions the Philippines at the frontiers of research into early modern intercultural exchange.