The Philippines' Music Culture

This blog will be covering the musical culture of the Philippines! As a lot of you are aware, I am of  Filipino descent and (just recently) an official Filipino citizen! So for me, studying more into the music of my people, it has been a very special experience. 

Little Allana, my beautiful mom, uncle (and name sake) Tito Allan saluting the Philippine flag (circa 2005-2006)

Firstly, let's talk about traditional Filipino instruments. When doing a quick Google search, I found a really neat article that discussed 10 traditional instruments heard in traditional Pinoy music (for time sake, I'm just going to share a few of them with you but here's the link if you like to see the others: https://topten.ph/2016/04/27/10-traditional-filipino-musical-instruments/).

1.) Kubing- this instrument is known as a "mouth harp" or "jaw harp", and it is the most common and well known of all traditional Filipino instruments. Originating from the Southern Philippines, this instrument is is made out of bamboo and has a very slim/thin frame making it easy to bend and move. In regards to how it is played, the musician will place the harp in between their lips and pluck the end of the Kubing. When plucked, the Kubing can create many pitches depending on the speed and rhythm it is being plucked. Because of this, the Kubing can be labelled as a lamellaphone or idiophone. Here is an example of a Kubing in play: 

2.) Kudyapi- this instrument is a stringed wooden lute that can range between 4 to 6 feet in length. Seen all throughout the Philippines, this instrument is only played by men, as the Kudyapi is used to perform love ballads during courtship (making this known as a "male-only" instrument). 

For females, there is an equivalent instrument called the Korlong, which is also made of bamboo and is played like a harp. Traditionally, the strings on a Kudyapi or Korlong were made of horse hair, but more modern day instrument strings can be made with wire. 

3.) Tongali- this instrument is a very unique aerophone made of bamboo. It is found all over the Philippines but is very specific to the northern regions of the country. The tongali is similar to the oboe in terms of sound - it has the same tone that mimics a human voice. Each tongali is different, with either three or fours that are to be covered by the fingers. Two holes are found at the back of the flute, one hole to go over the nose and the other to be used by the thumb to change pitch while air is being blown into it. 

  

4.) Dabakan- this Filipino drum is made of coconut or jackfruit wood that has been hollowed out. It takes on the shape of an hour glass figure and showcases a lot of intricate, fine details in the carvings along its side. For the drum head, deer hide, lizard, bayawak, carabao or goat skin is used. This is the only non-gong drum used in Pinoy music making. It produces a heavy and energetic, driving sound when played. 

Here is a Dabakan played along with some other Filipino instruments

Other than the traditional Filipino instruments, there is a wide variety of music, instrumental and vocal, played in the Philippines. A lot of the music you hear will include other art forms such a dance and martial arts.

For songs you will hear that is sung, the language spoken is mostly going to be Tagalog. In the Philippines, the main dialect is Tagalog, although there are hundreds of other dialects in the surrounding islands that make up the Philippines. Here are a few different types of music you may hear in the Philippines:

 

This video comes from a TedX conference at Ohio State University where a group showcased a modernized version of a Filipino war dance using traditional clothing, martial arts and bamboo sticks, combined with some hip-hop rhythm. Dances that contain martial arts are a big part of Filipino war dance and although there isn't a whole lot of melodic music being made during these dances, the rhythms, sometimes polyrhythms, mimic that of Native American war music.

This dance above is the national dance of the Philippines known as the Tinikling. It is a dance similar to a waltz, as it is based around a meter of 3 or "3-count" for dancers. A big identifying characteristic of the dance is the use of bamboo poles. These poles are hit against the floor creating an additional percussive element to the dance on top of the music heard in the background. Rondalla music is performed in the background during these dances, and the music is normally made by all stringed ensembles. This dance is performed at special ceremonies or during moments of celebration. 

There is a special genre of art music known as Kundiman which stands for Filipino love ballads. Kundiman emerged during the 19th/20th century and was used as a way to present love, courtship and affection through song. Influential composers of this genre were Francisco Santiago and Nicanor Abelardo.

 This last piece is a composition by Nicanor Abelardo, one of the influential Kundiman genre composers I mentioned above. I felt that it was important to include this piece as it continues to show off the diversity of Filipino music, its culture and people.  This piece was written in 1921 and to this day, has been an important representation of Filipino's in the classical music world. 

I hope you all have enjoyed this blog on the Philippines' Music Culture! 

Bibliography:

“10 Traditional Filipino Musical Instruments.” Pinoy Top Tens, 25 May 2017, https://topten.ph/2016/04/27/10-traditional-filipino-musical-instruments/. 

Kubing · Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection ... https://omeka-s.grinnell.edu/s/MusicalInstruments/item/970. 

Tongali, https://www.kipas.nl/Instruments/Tongali.htm. 

“10 Kundiman Songs You Should Know - Unipro: Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Inc..” UniPro, UniPro | Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Inc., 16 June 2016, https://www.unipronow.org/oldblog/10-kundiman-songs-know.