COMPOSING IDEALS: THE INCORPORATION OF THE IDEALS OF THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION TO THE MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS OF JULIO NAKPIL

Abstract

Julio Nakpil was a revolutionary and a famous composer who grew up in the Philippines during the late 19th century, a time when liberalism was beginning to influence the minds of educated native Filipinos. Ideas of equality, representation, and identity were the main trends in Philippine liberalism and these led to the realization of national identity, the root of the revolutionary group Katipunan. The group had a set of beliefs and ideals that saw the Philippines as a nation for them, the native Filipinos, and a nation that would be better off without the intervention of the Spanish government. Julio Nakpil was an active member of the group and fought in the battles, he shared the same ideals and beliefs as those of the other members of the Katipunan, which he incorporated in his musical compositions. Thus, this chapter examines liberalism in the Philippines, the ideals and beliefs of the revolutionary group, and how Julio Nakpil fused these into his compositions, guided by cultural nationalism as the theoretical framework.