folk songs are linked to nature. THREE CATEGORIES OF PHILIPPINE FOLK
SONG. 1. Narrative Psalm. Another category for the Philippine folksongs is.
TRADITIONAL VOCAL MUSIC • Generally reflect the everyday life of the common folks in the country • the lyrics of the folk songs tell stories of the common folks in the provinces, their simple lives and how they go about with their everyday lives. • And just like with the many folk songs of many Asian countries, the lyrics and the topics of these folk songs are linked to nature. THREE CATEGORIES OF PHILIPPINE FOLK SONG 1. Narrative Psalm Another category for the Philippine folksongs is the native psalm type. This category of folksongs is less frequently used but still an important part of the culture. The lengthy mellismas are under this category. The folksongs under this category may be hard for the average singer. Ex.
Huluna Bauan from Bauan, Batangas
2. Secular Songs from Indigenous Groups The last category of folksongs is the secular songs from the indigenous groups. The folksongs under this category bear much resemblance to the other traditional songs that can be found in the Orient. Ex.
Salidumay, Bagbagto
3. Western-type FOLK SONGS - inspired by Western influences and music and these folk songs are characterized by many features; a. Singable melody • This kind of music is mainly found in the Christian regions for the reason that they had more contact with the Spaniards than the non-Christian groups. • With regard to the range, most songs are relatively easy for an untrained voice as they are between six to eleven tones. Musicologists agree that the normal range of an untrained voice is fourteen tones or an octave and a half. • Filipino folk songs are also sung in a relaxed and easy voice. Though singers of this type of songs may employ falsetto, its use is not actually compulsory. Modern recordings of these folk songs employ the speaking voice used in popular music.
b. syllabically set stanzaic text • Most Western inspired songs are either fall under the corrido, four lines of eight syllables each, or awit, four lines of 12 syllables each. And although these lines do not generally rhyme, most of them end with assonance. • However, unlike traditional songs from Spain, Western-inspired Philippine traditional songs do not employ lengthy mellismas. • It is also characterized as strophic, wherein one melody is repeated for every stanza. This is especially true to the ballads. Though modified strophic, like the case of the Irish song, "Red Is the Rose", hardly exists. The Binary form is more common, where a refrain of a fixed verse is repeated after each stanza. c. simple structure • The single-unit song is made up of musical phrases (two or four) with an internal relationship that could be progressive, reverting, repetitive or contrasting. The twounit song or binary song form is common to haranas and kundimans. Each unit is repeated as in 'Lulay'. A return to the first part changes the form to a ternary or three repeated designs. The version of 'Sarong Banggi' is one example. • The verse and refrain type has been mentioned; i.e. 'Magtanim ay di Biro'. A rare example of the leader-chorus type is the Ivatan rowing song 'Un As Kayaluhen'. d. major and minor tonalities • Employs the Diatonic scale rather than the Pentatonic scale, as the common practice of traditional songs from the Orient. This means songs are either in the Major scale or Minor scale. e. duple or triple in meter • Though there are songs that exist in quadruple meter, those in duple and triple meter are most common in Western-inspired Philippine music. As one could notice when they examine a collection of traditional songs, those with triple meter form the largest part in the repertoire. This form is specially suited for the song-dance type which will be discussed thoroughly below.
f. simple harmonies. • Most common folk in the Philippines have acquired a natural disposition to play the guitar, thus this musical instrument (usually strummed rather than plucked) is the most typical fashion of instrumental accompaniment for Western-inspired "traditional" songs. Many folk songs falling under these types were once classified as art songs; one and the importance of an accompaniment cannot be undermined. • Some songs, like the Habanera inspired 'Ti Ayat Ti Maysa Nga Ubing' from the Ilocos Region, are highly chromatic, one can still easily accompany it using the IIV-V or Tonic-Subdominant The folk song of the country is heavily influenced by Spain and Mexico and this is true because the country is under the rule of Spain for more than 300 years. And these kinds of music can be expected in areas where Spain control is heavy. Songs are also relatively easy to perform and even the untrained voice can perform these folk songs. These songs are traditionally between six to eleven tones. These folk songs are known for its relaxed nature and these songs are sung with the use of the easy voice. The Western-inspired folksongs of the country may fall under the corridor or the awit. The corrido will have four lines of eight syllables each and the awit will have four lines of 12 syllables each. Western-inspired folksongs are also characterized to be strophic. This means that the melody is used in every stanza. The Westerninspired folksongs are known for the use of the duple and the triple meter. And finally these type of folk songs are commonly accompanied by the guitar. Ex. Bahay Kubo, Leron-Leron Sinta, Paru-Parong Bukid –TAGALOG
KUNDIMAN • • • •
Theories regarding its origin (Raymundo Banas, 1969) • contraction of the phrase “kung hindi man” (if it is not so) • Hele, hele ng kandungan, hele, hele ng kundiman refers to the red cloth worn by male dancers or men in the countryside (Romualdez & Cauayani) • closely related to its predecessors the Kumintang and the awit. Characterized by accent on the second beat of every second bar of the melodic phrase, the accent is similar to the second beat of every second bar of the kumintang and the second beat of the sixth bar of the awit
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT 1. First is its purely functional phase – an expression of love through extemporized text with the insertion of certain phrase formulae such as “kung hindi man.” The music was taken from preexisting tunes identified as awit or
kumintang 2.
Semistylization of the musical formulae in which metric pulses of Western dances (waltz, danza, fandango, etc.) were integrated to the singing style
3.
The elevation of the previously extemporized text to a literary-poetic verse format by schooled writers (Patricio Mariano, Deogracias A. Rosario, Manuel Bernabe, Jesus Balmori) – incorporated the principal thematic element in their texts: the
Dandansoy (Ilonggo), Ili-Ili Tulog Anay(Aklanon), Pasigin(Cebuano), -
expression of unrequited and undying love, together with resignation to one’s final fate
VISAYAN
Ti Ayat Ti Meysa nga Ubing, Manag Biday, Pamulinawen – ILOKANO Atin cu pung singsing, Pista da ring Asan - KAPAMPANGAN
The Philippines’ signature love song Written in simple time Usually begins in a minor key Theme generally portrays the faithful and true, but often forlorn, pleadings of a lover who knows nothing but sacrifice in behalf of his beloved
4.
The composition of music to suit the structural and aesthetic demands of the poetic text. – developed by formally trained composers (Bonifacio Abdon, Francisco Santiago, Nicanor Abelardo) assumed the standard three-part
form where the first two sections are in minor and related tonal areas and final parts in the parallel major. The melodies are
Pinananaligan niring aking dibdib Na sa paglalayag sa dagat ng sakit 'Di mo babayaang malunod sa hapis Sa pagcabagabag co'y icaw ang sasagip
characterized by certain motivic formulae— opening phrase starting on the upbeat, accents on the second beat. Harmonically, the kundiman’s expression of uncertainty was portrayed through the various incomplete resolutions employed by the composers such as Abelardo in the application of the chromatic idiom. -
-
Icaw na nga ang lunas sa aking dalita Tanging magliligtas sa niluha-luha Bunying binibining sinucuang cusa Niring catawohang nangayupapa
Tanggapin ang aking wagas na pag-ibig Marubdob na ningas na taglay sa dibdib Sa buhay na ito'y walang nilalangit Cung hindi ikaw lamang, ilaw niring isip
Represents some of the more significant facts of the Filipinos psyche brought about by history and culture – sentimentality, sense of submissiveness, self-pity, yearning for freedom from want and deprivation and the aspiration for a better future The Spanish practice of forbidding the Filpinos from uttering anything pertaining to nationalism is the reason for the passionate and ardent emotional feelings contained in the kundiman which served as the most subtle medium for expressing the Filipinos’ love for country, symbolized by romantic love (Padilla de Leon 1969), hence the kundiman not only expresses the lofty sentiment of love but also of heroism Ex.
Jocelynang Baliwag • originally dedicated to Jocelyna Tiongson of Baliuag, Bulacan, really addressed a bigger muse, Mother country • inspired the Katipunero to fight for freedom
At sa cawacasa'y ang kapamanhikan Tumbasan mo yaring pagsintang dalisay Alalahanin mong cung 'di cahabagan Iyong lalasunin ang aba cong buhay.
Francisco Santiago • stylized the kundiman, elevating it to a creative plane as he fashioned a simple folk song into an appealing art song • credited with giving the kundiman a ternary or three part form, taking it beyond its simple unitary song form
• The Father of Kundiman • Works: Anak Dalita, Madaling Araw
Nicanor Abelardo •
composed Mutya ng Pasig, Nasaan Ka
Irog, Bituing Marikit
from Spain and had been called “Kundiman
Constancio De Guzman
ng Himagsikan”
- Bayan Ko - originally a song of protesting American colonization in 1920s - Became the anthem of the parliament of the streets during the Marcos dictatorship in 1980s - Works: Nasaan Ngayon Ang Sumpa Mo
JOCELYNANG BALIWAG 1896, Baliwag, Bulacan Lyricist and Composer Unknown
sa Akin?
Pinopoong sinta, niring calolowa Nacacawangis mo'y mabangong sampaga Dalisay sa linis, dakila sa ganda Matimyas na bucal ng madlang ligaya
Edeng maligayang kinaloclocan Ng galak at tuwang catamis-tamisan Hada cang maningning na ang matunghaya'y Masamyong bulaclac agad sumisical
OTHER KUNDIMAN USED IN SARSUWELAS: • used by the sarswela composers for their love songs – Kundiman ni Angelita by Leon Ignacio for Dalagang Bukid, • Bituing Marikit by Nicanor Abelardo for Dakilang Punglo, • and Amadha by Juan Hernandez for Minda Mora (1920s and 1930s)
