The first cultural history of the Philippines during the twentieth century, Musical Renderings of the Philippine Nation focuses on the relationships between music, performance, and ideologies of nation. Spanning the hundred years from the Filipino-American War to the 1998 Centennial celebration of the nation's independence from Spain, the book has added emphasis on the period after World War II. Author Christi-Anne Castro describes the narratives of nation embedded in several major musical genres, such as classical music and folkloric song and dance, and enacted by the most well-known performers of the country, including Bayanihan, The Philippine National Dance Company and the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Castro delves into the ideas and works of prominent native composers, from the popular art music of Francisco Santiago and Lucio San Pedro to the People Power anthem of 1986 by Jim Paredes of the group Apo Hiking Society. Through both archival research and ethnographic fieldwork, Castro reveals how individuals and groups negotiate with and contest the power of the state to define the nation as a modern and hybrid entity within a global community.

Christi-Anne Castro is an ethnomusicologist and is Associate Professor of Musicology, University of Michigan. She is a long-time performer of Filipino rondalla, a string ensemble that plays music ranging from folk to classical to popular.

Introduction: The Nation Sounds
1. Composing for an Incipient Nation
2. Recuperating a National Past: The Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company
3. Consolidating a National Present: The Cultural Center of the Philippines
4. Embodying the New Society: The Philippine Madrigal Singers
5. Reviving the Spirit of Revolution: Songs of EDSA
6. Conclusion: Celebration and Recapitulation
Notes
Bibliography
Index