Scholarly Abstractions: Philippine Choral Music

Yanson, Eliezer, Jr.  Philippine Choral Music: A Conductor’s Guide to Selected Works Composed between 1900 and 2010. Doctor of Musical Arts dissertation. University of South Carolina, 2010.

 

The Philippines is a country that possesses unique choral traditions, excellent choirs, and fascinating composers. Along with deep tribal roots, the musical practices of the Philippines are heavily influenced by European and American traditions. This fusion of influences creates a style that is distinctly Filipino. Performances of Philippine choral music on international stages have caught the attention of choral enthusiasts, resulting in the publication of some of these works. Many other works remain unpublished. This research, geared towards the choral conductor and music educator, provides historical information on Philippine choral traditions, a discussion of performance practice, and a guide to Philippine diction.  An important aspect of this research is an annotated choral works list, both published and unpublished, on selected Philippine choral literature. This list aims to help the discriminating conductor choose from a wide array of literature for concert programming. Among the compositions featured are the masterworks of Marcelo Adonay, Lucio San Pedro, Felipe de Leon, Lucrecia Kasilag, Jose Maceda, Francisco Feliciano, Ramon Santos, Josefino Chino Toledo, Federico Razon, Ryan Cayabyab, John Pamintuan, and Nilo Alcala.

 

(“Scholarly Abstractions” is a feature highlighting brief abstracts from recent graduate projects in choral music.  To share your thesis abstract, contact Scott Dorsey at )