CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

- Compositions that have adopted ideas and elements from twentieth-century art music in
the West, as well as the latest trends and musical styles in the entertainment industry.
- Any style of music that is current or modern, addressing current issues in a manner that
is appealing to the current audience.
- takes advantage of the technological development of the era.

o Music
- has been a constant presence in the lives of human beings even in the distant past
- As time progressed, it evolves

o Trot
- traditional singing style or songs in Korea
- Korea’s Strength
- 1930s: Japanese colonial era (Away from Home by Ko Bok Soo)
- 1945: Korea became independent (Let the Silver Bells Ring by Jang Se Jeong)
- Korean War began ( Leave, 38th Parallel by Nam In Su)

o Philippines, during the Martial Law period to give people hope (Bayan ko, Handog ng
Pilipino sa mundo)
Sound vs. Music
o Sound
- is a vibration that travels through a medium, such as air, and can be heard when it
reaches a person's ear.
- can be produced by many sources, including humans, animals, and machines.
- noise - unorganized sound

o Music
- a form of organized sound
- It is typically characterized by a regular pattern of rhythms, melodies, and
harmonies, and is created with the intention of being aesthetically pleasing.
- often created using musical instruments, such as a guitar or piano, or by the
human voice.

o Elements of Music (What makes music MUSIC)

1. Pitch
- determines how high or low a sound is
- to determine, look at its position (place higher = high sound, vice versa)
- Register – range of the note

2. Rhythm
- Element of "TIME" in music.
- patterns of sound and silence
- When you tap your foot to the music, you are "keeping the beat" or following the
structural rhythmic pulse of the music.
- 1 whole notes = 4 beats
- 1 half note = 2 beats
- 1 quarter note = 1 beat
- 1 eighth note = ½ a beat
- 1 sixteenth notes = ¼ a beat
  Rhythm vs Beat
1. Beat
– steady and regular pulse we hear in music
- Ex. Heartbeat

2. Rhythm
– actual flow of music through time
- a combination of sounds and silences or short and long sounds

3. Melody
- The LINEAR/HORIZONTAL presentation of pitch
- highness or lowness of a musical sound
- a succession of high and low sounds
- a combination of pitch and rhythm
- most remembered

 Can be described in two ways:

1. Conjunct melody
- easy to play
- notes are near with each other
2. Disjunct melody
- hard to play
- notes are disjointed or jumpy

4. Harmony
- It is the VERTICALIZATION of pitch.
- Thought of as the art of combining pitches into chords (several notes played
simultaneously as a "block").
- supports a melody and a combination of two or more musical notes that sound
together
- can be played in chords

 Can be described in two ways:

1. Dissonance
– harsh-sounding combination of musical notes or sounds
2. Consonance
- smooth-sounding combination of musical notes or sounds

5. Texture
- Whether the music is conceived in terms of melodic lines or in a sense of
simultaneous sounds or chords.
- number of layers
- individual instruments you hear in a particular song
 3 types
1. Monophonic
-uses only one melodic line
- no accompaniment or harmony
- soloist
2. Homophonic
- two or more notes sounding at the same time
- soloist and with an accompaniment
- choral
3. Polyphonic
-two or more independent melodies performed alternately
 - most common, canon and fugue – melodic lines are being performed
alternately and repeatedly
6. Tempo
- how fast or slow a piece is to be performed

 Tempo Markings
i. Largo – very slow
ii. Adagio – slow
iii. Andante – walking pace
iv. Moderato- moderately
v. Allegro – fast
vi. Presto – very fast
vii. Prestissimo – very very fast
viii. Vivace – very fast and lively

7. Dynamics
- degree of loudness and softness in a piece of music

 Dynamic Markings
i. Pianissimo (pp) = very soft (very quiet)
ii. Piano (p) = soft (quiet)
iii. Mezzo piano (mp) = moderately soft (moderately quiet)
iv. Mezzo forte (mf) = moderately loud
v. Forte (f) = loud
vi. Fortissimo(ff) =very loud

 Other dynamic markings

i. Crescendo – gradual increase in volume <
ii. Decrescendo – gradual decrease in volume >

8. Timbre
-tone quality/color

Aspects of Music Appreciation

o Three Aspects of Music Appreciation suggested by Music educator Richard
Abeles (in Bautista, 2007:9)

1. Form
- Musical elements in the song

 GUIDE QUESTIONS
- What are the dominant elements?
- How are these used in the musical piece
- What instruments are used?
- How does the use of these instruments enhance the beauty of the music?

2. Context
- Events surrounding the song

 GUIDE QUESTIONS
- What the singer’s perception of life and mankind as expressed in the
musical piece?
- What human character is revealed in the musical piece?
 3. Expression
- Meaning of the song

 GUIDE QUESTIONS
- What message is the composer trying to convey?
- What values are held by the singer?
- What attitudes and ideas does the song elicit?
* Where words fail, music speaks - Hans Christian Andersen

CONTEMPORARY DANCE
- rhythmic body movement within a given space, choreographed based on a musical beat
- Expression of idea or emotion, releasing energy, or simply taking delight in music and
dance movement itself
- also, for spiritual purposes
 Contemporary Dancing Styles
1. Disco Dancing
- performed in time to the beat of disco music.
- Elements include side-stepping in between bigger moves, raising your arms
overhead, large hip and pelvic movements, and twisting your hands in time to the
beat.

2. Hip Hop
- Street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as
part of hip-hop culture.
- Styles: breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s and
made popular by dance crews in the United States.
Elements of Dance
1. Body Element
- how the body of a dancer moves, what parts the body is moving, what actions are
performed, and how the body aligns and supports itself

2. Space
- where the dance is performed

3. Time
- accent, beat, duration, meter, rhythm, and acceleration can be used in describing
time

4. Energy
- how it is directed through the body, and how the body releases it
- dynamics

5. Relationship
- how a dancer relates to: another dancer, to an object, group of dancers, stage,
production elements
-awareness of dancer to their environment
Forms and Types of Dance in the Philippines
1. Folk Dance
- develop and performed together by ordinary people
 Courtship
– ceremonial dance which involves the male pursuing the female
- ex. Kumintang, kuratsa
 Wedding dance
– newlyweds
- ex. Mascota in Cagayan and Isabela and pantomina in bicol
 Game Dance
– acted for fun, but have a set of rules and structure
- informal
 Martial dance
- combative in nature and is used to enact a battle
- ex. Langka of Samal
 Ritual dance
– spiritual beings and gods
 Social dance
– celebrate important milestones in life and mark harvests
- performed among Christians as a way of commemorating feasts of patron
saints
- Ex. Balse, escotis, habanera, lanceros, polka, rigodon de honor, subli
 Song dance
– performed to a song that typically describes history and traditions of
community

2. Ballet
- theatrical dance presentation
- plot is integrated with dancing, music, and stage design
 Modern ballet – technique, and style of classical ballet portraying
contemporary content
- techniques in modern dance may be adopted in modern ballet such as bound,
rebound, contraction, and release
- may use natural movement
 Opera ballet
- within the context of opera
- 1970s – rock opera ballet
 Folkloric ballet
- involves stylizing and editing stories, motifs, and styles found in the culture of
ordinary people, and adapting these materials to contemporary theater.

3. Modern dance
- emerged during the 20th century
 Aerobic dance
– tune of popular music with the purpose of increasing consumption of oxygen
over a long period of time
 Bodabil
– used to be popular during the American period
-includes popular dances from US and PH folk dances
-ballads and acrobatics offer a perception of life
 Jazz dance
– uses African dance techniques isolation of individual human body parts,
rhythm, and polycentrism
  Polynesian and Tahitian dances
- began from the people living in the Polynesian chain, which is composed of
seven major island groups in the southern Pacific Ocean
- hula dance were introduced in the PH during the late 1950s
 Tap dance
– entails tapping with toes and heels to generate rhythmic patterns
Aspects of Dance Appreciation
1. Knowledge of Choreography
- Mastery of the dance itself.
- memory of the routine and execution of the moves looks true to the moves that
were choreographed.

2. Technical Skills
- precision
- Quality of one’s performance based from his movement, body position, placement
on stage and other details of dance.
- Proper body alignment and posture are essential to dancers as it makes them
appear more elegant and confident
- e.g. Pointing toes, back straight, arm placement is not sloppy, moves are executed
smoothly.

3. Performing Skills
- Aspects that set dancing apart from mechanical movement.
- Our attention is drawn to the dancer who is using a range of performance skills
effectively, because they stand out from the rest, overall impact
- not only based from the moves but also FACIAL EXPRESSION, CONFIDENCE, EYE
CONTACT

4. Rhythm/Tempo
- It is staying on count and with the beats of the music.
- When an individual move in response to a particular rhythm or music.
* Forms of dance may vary across cultures, but dance as a whole is universal because most
human movement is universal.
* Another way that dance unites people is through the interactions that happen in partner
dances. In these types of dances, the dancers (usually the leads) have to use non-verbal
signals in order to tell their partner what moves to do.
 3 Big Names in Philippine Dance
1. Alice Garcia Reyes
- National Artist for Dance (born October 14, 1942)
- as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and director, she has made a lasting
impact on the development and promotion of contemporary dance in the
Philippines.
- Her dance legacy is evident in the dance companies, teachers, choreographers
and the exciting Filipino modern dance repertoire of our country today.
- biggest contribution – development of a distinctly Filipino modern dance
idiom. Utilizing inherently Filipino materials and subject matters expressed
through a combination of movements and styles from Philippine indigenous
dance, modern dance and classical ballet she has successfully created a
contemporary dance language that is uniquely Filipino.
- By introducing the first modern dance concert at the CCP Main Theater on
February 1970 featuring an all contemporary dance repertoire and by promoting
 it successfully to a wide audience, she initiated the popularization of modern
dance in the country.
- Among her major works: Amada (1969), At a Maranaw Gathering (1970) Itim-
Asu (1971), Tales of the Manuvu (1977), Rama Hari (1980), Bayanihan
Remembered (1987).

2. Lisa Teresita Pacheco Macuja-Elizalde

- born on October 3, 1964
- Filipino prima ballerina.
- In 1984, she broke barriers for Filipino dancers by becoming the first soloist
foreigner to join the Kirov ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
- Not only did she dance in foreign countries but she also brought the art of ballet
to her people and her people to the ballet.
- After graduating at the top of her class in 1984, she became the first foreigner
to be invited to join as soloist the historic Kirov Ballet. While there, she
debuted as principal ballerina in full-length productions of The Nutcracker,
Don Quixote, and Giselle at the Mariinsky Theater.
- In 1988 she became a principal dancer of the Philippine Ballet Theatre. As an
international guest artist, she has performed principal roles with foreign
companies in various full-length performances in Russia, the United States,
Cuba, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Lithuania, Latvia,
Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia.
- In 1995, she established her own company, Ballet Manila.
- On July 2012, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago urged President Benigno
Aquino III to confer on prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde the title of National
Artist for Dance. (DIDN’T PROSPER)
- "Lisa is hailed as the 'ballerina of the people.' No Filipina ballerina has yet
surpassed the recognition and pride Lisa Macuja-Elizalde has brought to the
Philippines. She is the embodiment of talent, creativity and imagination, technical
proficiency of the highest order, grace, and humanity that makes her worthy of
the title of National Artist," Santiago said.
- In December 2015, she was accepted as a Member of the International Dance
Council CID at UNESCO, the official world-wide organization for dance.
- In May 2016, she was recognized with the Filipino Woman of International
Distinction Award by the National Federation of Women’s Club of the
Philippines.
- In August 2016, Lisa became the first Filipina artist to sit as a member of
the jury in the Pre-Competitive division of Asian Grand Prix (AGP) Ballet
Competition in Hong Kong.
- In July 2017, Lisa served as a jury member in the 2nd International
Scholarship Korea Ballet Competition Seoul, South Korea.
- As an arts educator and advocate, she has also received multiple trophies from
the Catholic Mass Media Awards, the KBP Golden Dove Awards, and Gawad
Tanglaw, for her groundbreaking art and culture talk show.

3. Douglas Nierras
- The founder, artistic director, and choreographer of Douglas Nierras
Powerdance.
- Creatively involved in dance over four decades, His present choreographic and
teaching style is the distillation of influences from the various companies he
became a part of as well as academic training in dance pedagogy, both here and
abroad.
- Douglas Nierras Powerdance has represented the country on several occasions
including the “FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MEXICO” (1990)
- ASEAN FESTIVAL SONGS” in Singapore (1989-94)
THE EAST MEETS WEST Economic Summit (1995), and as the finale
performers for the “ASIA DANCE FESTIVAL” in Tokyo (1996).