Musicologist Experiences Cultural Awakening by Terry L. Baldridge

While on a sabbatical from my teaching responsibilities at MidAmerica Nazarene University in 1994, it was my privilege to spend a semester teaching at a denominational graduate seminary in Manila. Although located in the Philippines, the seminary serves the entire Asia-Pacific region and consequently has students from many cultural backgrounds. My assignment was to teach two classes in church music, one class in ethnomusicology, and to organize a choir. When the Dean of the seminary first contacted me, he mentioned that most of the churches around Manila used American music in English and that he would like for me to help the Philippine students develop their own hymnody in an indigenous style and language. This immediately captured my interest.

Though not a trained ethnomusicologist, I had become increasingly interested in ethnomusicology and music and missions over a period of several years. Throughout my graduate program in musicology there was relatively little exposure to music of non-Western cultures. Because outside accrediting agencies, however, have stressed the need for our degree programs in music to include non-Western music I have developed seminar sessions in ethnomusicology which are offered in conjunction with courses in music history. The more I have prepared for these seminars the more interested I have become. And so when I was presented with the opportunity to teach ethnomusicology in Manila, I was excited.

During the few months before my assignment was to begin, I conducted research and gathered materials relating to indigenous church music. I was even able to contact missionary-ethnomusicologists currently working in the Philippines. As my preparation continued, it gradually became apparent to me that the problem of churches not using indigenous music was not because such music had not been written. I had discovered several publications of indigenous church music and was therefore puzzled why these were not being used.

Studying Philippine history helped me understand how such a condition could exist. The two dominant cultural influences in the country are Spanish and American, and occupation by foreign powers has left its imprint upon Philippine culture. In many ways it is difficult to define the indigenous culture because so many Spanish and some American elements have been assimilated. The Spanish brought with them the Catholic Church, and so during their occupation this religion entrenched itself deeply throughout the country. The Spanish considered themselves superior to the indigenous people and Filipinos were conditioned to believe that their culture was inferior and that what had been imported was better. When Protestant missionaries arrived, bringing with them a religion often presented as Western or American and at odds with that presented by Catholics, this conditioning continued. As the indigenous people began to mix with the foreign races in an effort to improve or better themselves, the truly indigenous peoples of the country were viewed by the mixed races as being even more inferior—a condition which is still very evident today. This is carried to an extreme when, in an attempt to make themselves appear more American and less native, body bleach is used by many.

As I attended church services and begin working with students, I became keenly aware of how strongly implanted this anti-indigenous conditioning had become. Music in the churches was almost totally in English, and the few songs I heard in the native tongue were usually translations of American hymns—translations that were awkward because of the basic differences in the languages. A local pastor had compiled, translated, and published a hymnal of American hymns several years earlier, but the translations were inadequate and so the hymnal is not used much. When it came time for the sermon, however, the native dialect was always used. Again, I was very puzzled.

When I first approached students about developing their own church music in an indigenous musical style and language, they couldn’t understand why that needed to be done since they were content to sing in English. When I then asked why the sermon was not in English, they said it was so all the people could understand what was being said. This compounded my own confusion and frustration. I also began to notice that even though we spoke English in the classroom, immediately upon dismissal the students would begin speaking to each other in their local dialects. When I asked why, they said it was more comfortable. Seizing the opportunity I then suggested that this might also be a good premise for using indigenous music in church services. Slowly, the students began to see my point and we began to study examples of indigenous music which I had collected. In the process I began to discover other reasons why indigenous music was not being used. For one thing, most Filipinos are extremely poor and so they simply cannot afford to purchase what indigenous music has been published. Instead they use whatever is sent from American churches. Additionally, even if they could afford the music they would not be inclined to purchase it, since Catholics have produced most of it—another conditioned response.

When I finally gave the assignment for them to write hymns with original text and music, the results were fascinating. I had given no guidelines or restrictions—only that the music should be in an indigenous style to which the people could relate. With only one exception, the hymns were in minor keys—a manifestation of the Spanish influence which has become such an important aspect of Filipino culture. The one exception was by the student who has had the most exposure to American culture. Her favorite hymn happens to be “When the Roll Is Called up Yonder,” and so her original composition was full of dotted-eighth- and sixteenth-note rhythms. Many of these hymns written by the students were presented in a chapel service. Even before this we had begun using some indigenous instruments in the services, and the response to both was very positive. One of the students most enthusiastic about the development of indigenous hymnody was the daughter of the pastor who had compiled and translated the hymnal mentioned earlier.

Even though my research had caused me to be aware of the suppression of indigenous elements that can occur through conditioning brought on by foreign cultural influences, I was not prepared for the impact that such deeply entrenched conditioning can have. My goal when I began my teaching in Manila was to print a book of the hymns created by students along with a recording to be distributed to the churches, but the Administration of the Seminary was reluctant to focus so much attention on one cultural group when they are responsible to the entire Asia-Pacific region. And so I left at the end of my assignment hoping that I had somehow inspired the students to pursue the creation and use of indigenous music. Putting aside hundreds of years of conditioning will not be an easy process. I knew that I had experienced a cultural awakening and I could only pray that my students had undergone a similar experience.