Book of Abstracts: July 2013 Paliwanagan sa UP Diliman July 2013 | Page 12

In this presentation, I sketch some of the performance contexts where Philippine
music literacy or culture of composing was necessary (though mixed with orality
to a great extent) to suggest the kind of Philippine historiography we would be
able to write if we consider to carefully study Philippine music sources, a field that
is yet in an early stage of development. The recent groundbreaking of the UPD
OVCRD-funded inventory of Marcelo Adonay’s music compositions is a good
starting point, albeit narrow in scope. This project opens a wider vista for writing
Philippine music history, by using a more comprehensive historical musicological
toolkit. We begin by exploring some of the rare Philippine music manuscript collections
in Manila. The focus of the presentation, however, will be the Filipiniana section of
the Music Library of the University of the Philippines where one finds holographs
by some of the finest Filipino art composers. What secrets do the codes in
Nicanor Abelardo’s music manuscripts in UP reveal? I believe there are many and
it pays unlocking them for the rich cultural history that we have.
About the Presenter
Dr. José S. Buenconsejo (BM UPhils 1988, MA UHawaii 1993, PhD UPenn 1999)
has been a recipient of grants from the East-West Center, Asian Cultural Council,
and Mellon Foundation (Dissertation Fellowship). He has published a book, Songs
and Gifts at the Frontier: Person and Exchange in the Agusan Manobo Possession
Ritual (Routledge, 2002). He was a teaching fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
(1995-1999) and an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong while on
a postdoctoral fellowship (2004-2007). An Associate Professor in Musicology at
the College of Music of the University of the Philippines, he is currently the dean of
the said College.
About the College of Music
Established by the Board of Regents in its 773rd meeting held on 30 August 1968
under the Administration of President Carlos P. Romulo, the College of Music
serves as catalyst in national development by providing quality and professional
instruction in diverse areas of specialization in music. Its college administration
and faculty are committed to provide a meaningful and personally relevant learning
of music, as well as to guide students in their pursuit of truth in the context of
academic excellence. The College is a veritable source of strength and knowledge,
as well as an inspiration for independent creative and scholarly musicians, in
short, artists. Its graduates stand out not only as exemplary artists and
academicians but as integral persons with keen perception of their duties and
responsibilities as citizens of their country and of the world. Seven of the country’s
National Artists are from the College, namely, Antonio J. Molina, Antonino R.
Buenaventura, Jovita Fuentes, Felipe Padilla de Leon, Lucio San Pedro, Andrea O.
Veneracion, and Jose M. Maceda. (Source: http://music.upd.edu.ph/administration.html)

20 Paliwanagan sa UP Diliman

COLLOQUIUM SESSION 2
Institution-building towards Honor,
Excellence, and Service to the Nation