For the Philippines in the twenty-first century strands of modernity, globalization, and nation are closely interwoven, the result of processes in play during the previous twentieth century. The time period under discussion has two important “bookends”—the close of the Philippine-American War in 1912 and the onset of martial law in 1972, six decades which in this chapter are referred to as the period of Developing Modernity, a duration of relative social and political stability enabling self-reflection upon identity and nation. Philippine commercial music during this time illustrates and informs these processes in play, which is examined through the careers of two female vocalists with national and international reputations, jazz singer Katy dela Cruz and chanteuse Pilita Corrales. Each singer, although part of the same commercial music industry, presents a distinctive trajectory of engagement with nation and culture during the Developing Modernity period. Regarding relevance for the present twenty-first century, each references alternative modernities relative to the international circulation of mediatized music and the globalization of vocalized and gendered bodies. Both argue for cultural continuities within environments of social change.
A Journey through Spanish Literature on the Philippines: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Twenty-first Century