Dominican fathers get in the music biz

I do not recall if the Augustinians, who were very active in the propagation of church music many, many years ago, have released their share of music albums. The Jesuits though have been very, very active and thanks to the likes of Fr. Honti and Fr. Manoling and other talents, seem to be the dominant force in the music ministry of the Catholic Church in the Philippines today. But wait, a new rival has entered the arena and as they used to say in olden times, when the Jesuits are around, can the Dominicans be far behind? The answer is, they’re not.

Inggo 1587, a group of seven Dominican priests, recently released its first album of original works. Inggo, is of course, a popular Filipino nickname for Domingo, which comes from Santo Domingo de Guzman, the 12th century Spanish friar who founded the Order of Preachers. The 1587 comes from the year when the priests of the Dominican order first set foot on the Philippines, which is why we have the Santo Domingo Church and the University of Santo Tomas, which is run by Dominicans and other establishments. Is the fact that they are both Dominicans the reason why Santo Domingo and Santo Tomas are both referred to as Santos and not plain San? Just asking.

Inggo 1587 was formed four years ago and debuted before an audience of fellow Dominicans. This was followed by many more shows in the UST campus, other schools in Metro Manila and the provinces and soon by TV appearances. Most notable among these was A Concert Retreat with Inggo 1587 that also featured Jamie Rivera. The biggest break of all though was when the group was asked to perform Narito Ako in the soundtrack of the motion picture Tanging Yaman. By this time, people have started asking as to when they will release an album. So the seven priests got the songs together, found help from industry professionals and went into the studio to record.

Inggo 1587 is made up of Fr. Didoy Abano, OP, on flute, who is the Director of the UST Museum; Fr. Jepoy Arsciwals, OP, on keyboards, who is assigned to the parish of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Dagat-dagatan; Fr. Deng dela Cruz, OP, on drums, who is the Director of the UST Center for Campus Ministry; Fr. Nap Encarnacion, OP, on vocals and percussions, who is the Vocation Director of the Dominican Province of the Philippines; Fr. Dennis Maquiraya, OP, on bass, who is the Director of Aspirants at St. Albert’s Pre-Novitiate in Laguna; Fr. Auckhs Enjaynes, OP, on lead guitar, who is the head of the Financial Affairs Division of Letran College; and Fr. Joemar Sibug, OP, on rhythm guitar, who is the chairman of the Communication Arts Department of Letran College.

Despite these very impressive and oh so mature credentials, the music contained in Inggo 1587’s self-titled album is not at all as forbidding or serious as might be expected. With help from pop artist Yman, who produced and competent help from veteran arrangers and session players like Marvin Querido, Noel Mendez, Jimmy Antiporda, Ito Rapadas and others, this band of fathers came up with a collection of songs that is young and hip, almost playful. Pop is the prevalent rhythm with hints of gospel and R&B. And of course, because they are also preachers, the message of every cut is derived from the Bible or comes from some inspiring thought.

Mostly composed by Fr. Jepoy and Fr. Nap, the songs included in the album are If Only I Could, the best and most commercial of the lot, I’ll Always Be There, Until I Find You, Holding on to a Dream, Come Touch Me Now, Gone Far Away, Precious Love and Someday. Another cut, Kailan Lamang, was written by John Clifford Infante, who is not a member of the group but is also definitely of the Order of Preachers.

Inggo 1587 is a production of OPMusik, the music label of the Dominican Province of the Philippines with Fr. Jose Boyd Sulpico, OP as executive producer. It is distributed by the Association for the Educational Assistance of Poor Seminarians, Inc. (AEAPSI). So enjoy the music while at the same time you are helping in the formation of future leaders of the church, who we hope will end up like the members of Inggo 1587, at home with the MTV generation but also concerned and responsible preachers as well.