Philippine Popular Music: Historical Influences

Philippine Popular Music

• Spanish and American colonial regimes shaped Philippine society, adapting Western social structures.
• American institutions established the present structure of modern Philippine society.
• The absorption into the global political economy created a need for leisure activities, leading to the development of Philippine popular music.
• Anglo-American popular music, like the cakewalk, foxtrot, and ragtime, influenced Filipino dance bands.
• Vaudeville shows (bodabil) combined popular music with other acts such as comedy and tap dancing.
• Filipino folk songs were adapted into dance rhythms to appeal to American tastes.
• Radio, films, and live entertainment popularized music in mainstream society.
• American forms of entertainment were banned during the Japanese occupation during WWII, along with American values.
• Post-war, American entertainment resurfaced, including swing and later versions of the samba, and instrumental groups like the cumbachero (local Latin-American bands).
• Rock and roll and country music appealed to a younger generation of Filipino artists in the 1950s-1960s.
• Filipino artists emulated Western artists like Elvis Presley, Jerry Vale, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and The Beatles.
• Filipino rock music (Pinoy rock), Filipino jazz, and Filipino pop ballads (Manila Sound) emerged in the 1970s.
• The Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (Metro Pop) provided a platform for new songs and artists in the late 1970s/80s.
• Competitions like Likha Awit Pambata, Himig Awards, and the Cecil Awards further supported Filipino popular music.
• Original Pilipino Music (OPM) emerged as a term for Filipino-composed and performed music.
• In the 1980s/90s, composers forming groups like KATHA attempted to create a Filipino identity in music, leading to the concept of Brown Music.
• The 1990's saw more alternative Filipino artists gain popularity and enter the commercial mainstream.
• OPM (Original Pilipino Music) encompasses popular music from the late 1970s to the present, with notable artists including Rico J. Puno Jr., Ryan Cayabyab, Celeste Legaspi, Regine Velasquez, Sharon Cuneta, Martin Nievera, and Pops Fernandez.

The Role of Music in Society

• Music serves as a significant cultural element for joy, sorrow, and protest, connecting people to the world.
• Music is a form of entertainment and aesthetic enjoyment, often used in social gatherings.
• Music is also therapeutic, as it can uplift spirits and release emotions.
• Music plays an economic role by being used in media, advertisements, and campaigns.
• Music is communicative and can reflect or influence social and political situations.

Explore the transformation of Philippine popular music through historical influences from Spanish and American colonial regimes. Understand how various entertainment forms like vaudeville and radio contributed to shaping modern Filipino music. Discover the fusion of local folk songs with Western music styles that emerged during and after WWII.