MUSIC OF THE PHILIPPINES DURING

PRE-SPANISH ERA

INTRODUCTION

Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, ancient Filipinos were living in scattered barangays and ruled by different chieftains.

Although, they were living separately, they were similar in many ways, their religion, mode of dressing, houses, system of government and marriage practices and economic activities, in short, they were refined and civilized; they possessed a distinct culture that distinguish them from other race.

MUSIC OF THE PHILIPPINES (PRE-SPANISH ERA)

Natives were without a doubt, music lovers. Each community had their own sets of musical

instrument. In the account of Pigafetta, the official historian of Magellan expedition, women from Cebu were harmoniously playing- cymbals (plan tiles)- nose flutes, bamboo mouth organs (aphiw)- brass gong (gansa)- flute (bansic)- long drum (colibao)- bamboo harp (subing)- water whistle (paiyak)- guitar (bugtot)- xylophone (agong)- drum (tugo).

PASYON

The Pasyón (Spanish: Pasión) is a Philippine epic narrative of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The standard elements of epic poetry are interwoven with a colorful, dramatic theme. The entirety of the text is chanted during the Lenten season and particularly Holy Week, and is a popular Filipino Catholic devotion.

The text is an adaptation of the pre-Hispanic art of chanting epic poems as a form of oral tradition. After Christianity was introduced by the Spanish, the Passion cycle was adapted into the native art.

The indigenous form of the Pasyón was first written down by Gaspar Aquino de Belén in "Ang Mahal na Pasión ni Jesu Christong Panginoon Natin na Tola" ("The Sacred Passion of Jesus Christ Our Lord that is a Poem"), written in 1703 and approved in 1704.

TAGULAYLAY (BICOLANO FOLK SONG)

Tagulaylay is originated from the words “taghoy” which means lament and “alalay” which means sustained. It’s grieving over such a tragic event.

Panambitan or Tagulaylay is a funeral song or eulogies, it is for mourning or a mournful song.

KUMINTANG

The kumintang is the name given to several distinct styles, techniques and forms in music and dance probably originating in the areas used by early Spanish cartographers and chronicles to denote a large province centering around what is known as Batangas.

Early 19th-century travelers' accounts often mention the kumintang as a Tagalog "chant national", describing them as dance-songs performed by pairs of men and women, with texts concerning love and courtship. All accounts mention a glass of coconut wine passed from hand to hand by the dancers as they sing.

In the 20th century, Francisca Reyes-Aquino dubbed as kumintang the circular hand and wrist movement also known as the kunday.

Among present-day afficinados of musical and dance events called awitan and pandangguhan in and around the city of Batangas, kumintang also refers to a guitar-plucking style, considered the most melodious and beautiful of all guitar styles accompanying the old kinanluran style of pandangguhan dance songs.

DANSA

A dansa (Old Occitan [ˈdansa, ˈdaⁿsa]), also spelt dança, was an Old Occitan form of lyric poetry developed in the late thirteenth century among the troubadours.

It is related to the English term "dance" and was often accompanied by dancing. A closely related form, the balada or balaresc, had a more complex structure, and is related to the ballade but unrelated to the ballad. Both terms derive from Occitan words for "to dance": dansar and balar/ballar.

The verses of the dansa were sung by a soloist while the refrain was sung by a choir. Adansa lacking a vuelta is called a danseta.

Dansa had joyful lyrics and lively music.

BALITAW (THE VISAYAN FOLK SONG)

The balitaw is the song traditionally associated with the Visayas region in the same way the kundiman and kumintang are associated with ancient Tagalog music. 

The music of the balitaw is usually written in 3/4 time.  It is also danced to, although it originally was something that was merely sung. This folk air has a more developed form called balitao romansada. The traditional instrument used to accompany the balitaw was a three-string coconut-shell guitar; later, a harp was adopted as the instrument of choice because more chords could be played on it. When performed today in modern rendition, a five-string guitar is used. 

The balitaw is an extemporaneous exchange of love verses between a man and a woman. Danced and mimed, it is accompanied by a song, or the dancers themselves sing, improvising the steps and verses. It may last for hours, ending with the woman accepting or rejecting the man's suit. The balitaw is found mainly in the Tagalog and Visayan regions.

The dancers may be costumed in balintawak or patadyong or in contemporary everyday clothes. Its accompaniments could be provided by the subing(bamboo flute), castanets, coconut guitar, harp, the five-stringed guitar, or a combination of the three. The Visayan balitaw is usually in the minor key, while the Tagalog is in the major. Both are related to the kumintang and kundiman in their styles of accenting.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PRE-SPANISH ERA MUSIC

More conservative style of sacred music. They play music by using indigenous

musical instruments. (bamboo canes, palm leaves, and bark of trees)

Religious and musicality-salvation of self expression

Recitative Mostly simple two note music, music was

composed of few notes.