Scribd
Upload
83 views

CAMBA, Meeko Angela R. AS 104 Journal - Pagsamba

The document summarizes a performance of Jose Maceda's composition "Pagsamba" at the UP College of Music to commemorate his 100th birthday. The performance integrated the musical work into an actual Catholic mass by replacing typical mass songs. This deviated from Western-influenced compositions and challenged the traditional mass structure by integrating Filipino indigenous music. However, the performance tended to isolate non-performers and lessen participation, unlike the intended communal praise and participation of indigenous faith traditions. While aiming to revive an important cultural work, the execution was unsuccessful in uniting the community.

Uploaded by

Meeko Camba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
83 views

CAMBA, Meeko Angela R. AS 104 Journal - Pagsamba

The document summarizes a performance of Jose Maceda's composition "Pagsamba" at the UP College of Music to commemorate his 100th birthday. The performance integrated the musical work into an actual Catholic mass by replacing typical mass songs. This deviated from Western-influenced compositions and challenged the traditional mass structure by integrating Filipino indigenous music. However, the performance tended to isolate non-performers and lessen participation, unlike the intended communal praise and participation of indigenous faith traditions. While aiming to revive an important cultural work, the execution was unsuccessful in uniting the community.

Uploaded by

Meeko Camba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

CAMBA, Meeko Angela R.

AS 104
Journal_Pagsamba

In celebration of National Artist Jose Macedas 100th birthday, the UP College of Music
together with the Parish for the Holy Sacrifice and the Office of the Chancellor in UP Diliman
restaged his much acclaimed work Pagsamba.

First premiered in 1968, the Pagsamba is a composition that displays a ritualistic atmosphere on
the Tagalog text of the Mass. It requires about 200 singers and instrumentalists (gongs and
bamboos) in total.

This year, however, the Pagsamba was done to commemorate not only Macedas birthday, but
the start of the UP Diliman Arts Month.

The performance

To be completely honest, I had no idea the performance was going to be integrated in an actual
mass, nor did I expect performers to be distributed around the Church the way it was done. As
the program went on (if we could call it that), I realized that they replaced the typical songs sung
during a mass with Macedas compositions.

Suddenly, there were students in black banging their gongs and gangsas, banging their
bungkakas against their wrists, and singing chants I could hardly make sense of. It was only
through the context of the pieces (when they were sung) did I have an inkling of what they were
about.

Looking at my surroundings, I saw that other church-goers had the same questioning look on
their faces when they first heard the music. It wasnt the sounds they have grown all-too-familiar
with. Even the musicians/performers themselves werent as relaxed (for the lack of better term)
in the way they performed because of the unusual mode of the music.

Moreover, I think unusual would be one of the best terms to describe the composition because,
not only did it deviate from the typical Western-influenced compositions often heard in the
music world, but it also challenged the very traditional and structured Catholic mass, a Spanish
influence, by integrating Filipino indigenous music influences.

Time, space and body


Reading more about the work, I learned that Maceda really intended the piece to be performed in
a circular space. Though Im not really aware of the purpose, I think it was meant to give off a
sense of community and inclusiveness among the church-goers. The performers blended in the
crowd and were only distinguishable by their uniform and sheet music, unlike the typical church
choir that has a special place in the church during mass, creating the impression that, more than
performers, they were also participating in the mass.

Although scattered all over the venue, there was a sense of connectivity among the performers
through how the music was written. Different sections/instruments overlap with their own
counterpoints which were unified by the conductors steady pulse. It was arranged in some kind
of a round song format, giving the sense of no end and/or beginning even though each one lasted
for only around three to five minutes each.

Exclusivity

I think putting the technical aspects on the side, the most important element in every
performance is contextualizing it to the situation or social reality from which it is born out of. In
the case of Pagsamba, I can only assume the works objective was to revive the communal way
of praise and faith of the indigenous communities in the Philippines and apply that to the more
common spiritual event such as the Catholic mass.

Unfortunately, from what I observed in the execution, the restating was quite unsuccessful
because it tended to isolate the performers from the church-goers (even with their placements)
for the latter seemed unable to fully grasp what the music was about.

Instead of heightening everyones sense of community, it lessened the opportunity for


participation usually exercised during the mass songs. The purpose of such musical work is
supposedly to encourage everyone to join in but since the non-performers weren't given the
chance to make music as well, all they could do was simply listen.

Though it was a valiant attempt to revive an intriguing and very important creation/national
treasure, the execution was not as successful in its objective to unite the community it was
serving.

You might also like