Performing music

• Contemporary Music in the Philippines is a product of our indigenous traditions and the colonial influences.
• Though the country is geographically located in the East, our music is heavily influenced by the West.
• Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the types of indigenous music found in the country were instrumental and vocal
• Musical sounds were created by various instruments such as flutes, shell trumpets, drums, and gongs. Vocals were performed by individuals or as a group.
• During the Spanish colonization, parallel with the visual arts, the Spaniards promulgated religious music.
• The different religious orders believed in the power of music to convert the natives that is why the friars received musical training in Spain before traveling to the country.
• These friars in turn taught the Filipinos music whose pedagogy were based on the Western musical traditions
• This resulted in music that is a combination of both Indigenous and western aesthetics.
• Musical forms that were born from this period were religious hymns and chants, orchestras, bands, and ensembles such as the rondalla.
• Other than the various stringed instruments of the rondalla, favoured musical instruments in homes during the Spanish colonial times were the piano and the harp
• Young ladies were often asked to play these instruments to entertain guests. Musical entertainment were also enjoyed during the various stage plays, dances, and operas.
• The Americans through the public school system taught children simple hymns and Filipino songs rendered in a western style or beat
• Schools also became a venue to study other musical instruments such as the cello, violin, etc.
• These schools produced musicians that would later become leading figures in the development of Filipino contemporary music such as Nicanor Abelardo, Felipe Padilla de Leon, and Francisco Santiago.
• Unsurprisingly , music that were made during this time are mostly imitation and assimilation of main stream western music, adopting its style and melodic structure.
• The mid-twentieth century Filipino music , though still influenced by foreign music, eventually developed a more 'Filipinized' flavor through the use of the vernacular in lyrics and creation of wholly original compositions.
• This technique of combining western musical form with Filipino sensibilities is the most popular and common style employed by many contemporary music artists.
• The kundiman is a musical form that is a product of Spanish colonization.
• Kundiman is an art song that signifies love and affection for someone.
• he kundiman, like many art songs, is performed as a solo vocal composition combined with an instrumental accompaniment to achieve musical harmony
• The kundiman is described as highly emotional and sentimental because it expresses personal sorrow. It can be about love or patriotism.
• The lyrics of the traditional kundiman made use of old and archaic Tagalog
• The melody is often smooth, flowing, and gentle rhythm.
• Examples of which are Nicanor S. Abelardo's (1893- 1934) "Nasaan Ka, Irog?" and Dr. Francisco Santiago's (1889-1947) "Pakiusap. "
• Many kundiman music were often used for traditional Filipino courtship
• The traditional kundiman is rarely heard in the present except for the occasional radio play in the AM radio
• The kundiman is often mistaken for the harana, which is another Spanish-influenced musical form. The harana is a traditional courtship ritual in the Philippines wherein a suitor serenades his object of affection
• Almost any love song can be sung during the harana, including kundiman songs.
• Contemporary kundiman is often the modern iteration of the art form using contemporary vernacular lyrics and accompanied by electronic instruments
• The Filipino harana is a lyrical courtship style based on Mexican-Spanish traditions and kundiman is a passionate form of Tagalog romantic song based on Spanish melodies and song structures.
• Traditional harana also use deep Tagalog words and is used to implore the girl to listen or give attention such as "Dungawin Mo, Hirang" and "O, llaw.
• The harana is almost always performed by a man while the kundiman can be performed by both genders.
• Collections of traditional and modern reinterpretations of the kundiman and harana can be found and heard on the Internet
• The ballad is traditionally a song that narrates an event in a community.
• There are many examples of traditional ballads throughout the Philippines. The style varies from region to region and from one ethnic tribe to another.
• Some examples are the idangdang of Bukianon, liyangkit parang sabil of the Tausug, and composo of the Hiligaynon
• A popular example of a traditional ballad would be Yoyoy Villame's (1932-2007) "Magellan. "
• It must be mentioned that in modern times, the term ballad has been applied to describe love songs, and a balladeer is an artist whose set of songs are primarily romantic songs
• Some of the most popular and successful Filipino contemporary balladeers include Regine VelasquezAlcasid (b. 1970), Sarah Geronimo (b. 1988), Jed Madela (b. 1977) and many more
• Notable Filipino contemporary ballad composers are Ernani Cuenco (1936-1988) and Jose Mari Chan (b. 1945).