Home > Journals > PAHA > Vol. 15 (2025) > Number 1
Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia
Expressing Nationalism: Three Piano Works of Rodolfo Cornejo from the Philippine Commonwealth Period
Abstract
Rodolfo Cornejo (1909–91) was a composer of note who transcribed Philippine folk songs and used folk songs in his original compositions. Although research has illuminated many facets of his life and works after World War II, no study to date has examined his folk-song-based compositions that were written, performed, or published in the period 1935–42. To fill this literature gap, this paper examines Cornejo’s compositional output, namely, Okaká: Theme and Variations on a Philippine Folk Song, Philippine Rhapsody No. 1 for Pianoforte and Orchestra, and Philippine Rhapsody No. 2 for Pianoforte and Orchestra. It offers a musical analysis of the aforementioned works and provides new insights into Cornejo’s life and the contexts surrounding his compositions through the lens of Bourdieu’s theory of practice, thereby highlighting his contributions to Philippine music.
Recommended Citation
Francisco, Karen Fatima R.
(2025)
"Expressing Nationalism: Three Piano Works of Rodolfo Cornejo from the Philippine Commonwealth Period,"
Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia: Vol. 15:
No.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://archium.ateneo.edu/paha/vol15/iss1/1
