Philippine Music

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Philippine
Music
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Music
Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both)
combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form,
harmony, and expression of emotion.
Philippine Music
Includes musical performance arts in the
Philippines or by Filipinos composed in various genres
and styles. The compositions are often a mixture of
different Asian, Spanish, Latin American, American,
and indigenous influences.
History of Philippine Music
The Philippines, an archipelago of 7,100 islands, is made up of 77 provinces
grouped into 16 regions. The main groups include Luzon, the Visayan islands, and
the Mindanao islands. Based on religion, the population may be grouped into
three broad categories: Christian groups, indigenous religion groups, and Muslim
groups. The Christian groups are the largest and are concentrated in the lowlands
of Luzon and the Visayan islands. Indigenous religion groups are found in upland
northern Luzon, Mindanao and Palawan. Muslim groups are concentrated in
Mindanao, the Sulu islands and southern Palawan.
Although, geographically, the Philippines belongs to the East, its music has been
heavily influenced by the West owing to 333 years of Spanish rule and 45 years of
American domination. Music in the highland and lowland hamlets where
indigenous culture continues to thrive has strong Asian elements. Spanish and
American influences are highly evident in the music of the urban areas. In
discussing Philippine music, three main divisions are apparent: an old Asian
influenced music referred to as the indigenous; a religious and secular music
influenced by Spanish and European forms; and an American/European inspired
classical, semi-classical, and popular music.
The Indigenous Traditions
The indigenous traditions are practiced by about 10% of the population. Eight
percent of this minority comprises some 50 language groups of people who live in
the mountains of northern Luzon and the islands of Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan, and
Mindoro in southern and western Philippines. The remaining 2% of these groups
are the Muslims from Mindanao and Sulu.
While there is no written information about the music in the Philippines before
the arrival of Magellan in 1521, subsequent reports made by friars, civil servants
and travelers include descriptions of instrumental and vocal music–sometimes
mentioned in passing, other times in greater detail. From these documents,
various kinds of interments made of bronze, bamboo, or wood are cited. These
include gongs of various kinds of size and shapes, drums, flutes of different types,
zithers, lutes, clappers, and buzzers. Vocal genres include epics relating
genealogies and exploits of heroes and gods; work songs related to planting,
harvesting, fishing; ritual songs to drive away evil spirits or to invoke blessings
from the good spirits; songs to celebrate festive occasions particularly marriage,
birth, victory at war, or the settling of tribal disputes; mourning songs for the dead;
courting songs; and children’s game songs. It is this type of music that is still
practiced today by the indigenous groups.
The Spanish-European Influenced Traditions
With the coming of the Spaniards the Filipino’s music underwent a

transformation with the influx of western influences, particularly the
Spanish-European culture prevalent during the 17th to the 19th
centuries. The Hispanization during the succeeding three centuries
after 1521 was tied up with religious conversion. It effected a change in
the people’s musical thinking and what emerged was a hybrid
expression tinged with Hispanic flavor. It produced a religious music
connected to and outside the Catholic liturgy and a European-inspired
secular music adapted by the Filipinos and reflected in their folk songs
and instrumental music
The American Influenced Traditions
The American regime lasted from 1898 to 1946 during which time Philippine music
underwent another process of transformation.
In the newly established public school system, music was included in the curriculum
at the elementary and later at the high school levels. Music conservatories and colleges
were established at the tertiary level. Graduates from these institutions included the first
generation of Filipino composers whose works were written in western idioms and
forms. Their works and those of the succeeding generations of Filipino composers
represent the classical art music tradition which continues to flourish today.
Side by side with this classical art music tradition was a lighter type of music. This
semi-classical repertoire includes stylized folk songs, theater music, and instrumental
music. The sarswela tradition produced a large body of music consisting of songs
patterned after opera arias of the day as well as short instrumental overtures and
interludes.
The strong band tradition in the Philippines, which began during the previous Spanish period
and which continues to this day, produced outstanding musicians, composers and performers.
Another popular instrumental ensemble was the rondalla which superceded an earlier type of
ensemble called the cumparsa. The latter was an adaptation of similar instrumental groups, the
murza of Mexico and the estudiantina of Spain.
American lifestyle and pop culture gave rise to music created by Filipinos using western pop
forms. Referred to as Pinoy pop it includes a wide range of forms: folk songs, dance tunes,
ballads, Broadway type songs, rock’ n’ roll, disco, jazz, and rap.
These three main streams of Philippine music– indigenous, Spanish influenced religious
and secular music, American/European influenced classical, semi-classical, and popular music
comprise what we refer to today as Philippine music.
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Forms and Styles of Philippine Music
Music of the Philippines include musical performance arts
in the Philippines or by Filipinos composed in various
genres and styles. The compositions are often a mixture
of different Asian, Spanish, Latin America, American and
Indigenous influences.
 Primal Music
 Traditional Music
 Hispanic- Influenced Music
 OPM
Primal Music
A series of recordings made on music played on the spot. It does not have to be repeated and
has to be performed only once
Traditional Music
Reflects the life of the common, mostly rural Filipinos.
Example is “ Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” of Lucio San Pedro that recalls about the loving touch of the
mother to her child. Another great composer who’s known as patriotic composer, Antonio
Buenaventura.
Hispanic- Influenced Music
Hispanic influenced in Filipino culture is ubiquitous. This influence can easily be seen
in folk and traditional music, especially in the Tagalog and Visayan regions, where
Spanish influence was greatest
OPM
Originally referred only to Philippine pop songs, particularly ballads such as popular songs after
the collapsed of its predecessors.
Some of the famous artists in the 2000s and the 2010s are Aiza Seguerra, Toni Gonzaga,
Sarah Geronimo

Philippine Music

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With the coming of the Spaniards the Filipino’s music underwent a

 Hispanic- Influenced Music

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