Music of the Philippines or Philippines Music are performance arts composed in various genre and styles of various Filipino artist. The music of the Philippines is a mixture of indigenous, other Asian, European, Latin American, and American. Philippines Music has different categories such as Traditional Philippines Music, Philippine folk music etc.
The Philippine folk music
Traditional Music in the Philippines, like the traditional music of other countries, reflects the life of common folk, mainly living in rural areas rather than urban ones. Like its counterparts in Asia, a lot of traditional songs from the Philippines have a strong connection with nature. However, much of it employs the diatonic scale rather than the more famous pentatonic scale.Kulintang and Agung music
Traditional Filipino musicKulintang refers to a racked gong chime instrument played in the southern islands of the Philippines, along with its varied accompanying ensembles. Percussive bossed gong ensembles without a melodical gong rack, known as Agung, are played throughout most of the islands by indigenous groups (such as the Mangyan, Lumad, Batak, Tagbanwa and Aeta) as well as historically by low-land groups such as the Bisaya, Bicol and Tagalog, yet the kulintang ensembles themselves are only played by groups which were Islamized and engaged in international trade with its neighbors in Southeast Asia. The kulintang instrument itself could be traced to either the introduction of gongs to Southeast Asia from China from before the 10th century CE, or more likely, to the introduction of bossed gong chimes from Java in the 15th century. Nevertheless the kulintang ensemble is the most advanced form of music from before the late 16th century and the legacy of hispanization in the Philippine archipelago.
The tradition of kulintang ensemble music itself is an regional one, predating the establishing of borders between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. It transcends religion, with animist and Christian ethnic groups in Borneo, Flores and Sulawesi playing kulintangan; and Muslim groups playing the same genre of music in Mindanao, Palawan and the Sulu archipelago. It is distantly related to the Gamelan music orchestras of Java and Bali, as well as the musical forms in Mainland Southeast Asia, mainly because of the usage for the same bossed racked gong chimes that play both melodical and percussive parts.
Harana and Kundiman
The Harana or Kundiman is a lyrical song made popular in the Philippine Islands, which dates back to the Spanish period. Composed in the Mexican-Spanish tradition, the music is characterized by a minor key at the beginning and shifts to a major key in the second half. Its lyrics depict a romantic theme, usually portraying love, passion, or sadness. In other styles of the Harana or Kundiman tradition, the music is based on a love story. Almost all traditional Philippine love songs in this genre are portrayed with poetic emotion.In the 1920s Harana or Kundiman became a much more mainstream musical style, with many popular performers including Diomedes Maturan, and Ruben Tagalog singing in Harana or Kundiman style. in this period Nicanor Abelardo popularized the kundiman by composing lovely and harmonic songs
Tinikling
The Tinikling is a Philippine dance which involves two individual performers hitting bamboo poles, using them to beat, tap, and slide on the ground, and against each other in co-ordination with one or more dancers who steps over, and in between poles.Cariñosa
The Cariñosa (meaning loving or affectionate one), is a Philippine national dance from the María Clara suite of Philippine folk dances, where the fan, and handkerchief plays an instrument role as it places the couple in romance scenario. The dance is similar to the Jarabe Tapatío. The Cariñosa is accompanied with Hispanic music, and language.Rondalla
The Rondalla is performed on ensembles comprising mandolin instruments of various sizes called bandurria composed on the Iberian tradition. Other instruments including guitars, is also performed.One of the famous rondallas in the Philippines is Pangya Philippine Normal University Rondalla and Angklung Ensemble.
The Philippine Choral Music
In the forefront of choral music in the Philippines, the Philippine Madrigal Singers has from its ranks produced more than 200 choral arrangers and composers who have contributed to the wealth of Philippines choral literature. They are the first and only two-time champions in the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (1997, and 2007), widely considered the most prestigious choral competition in the world.There are choirs in about every university, school, or church in the Philippines and most have gone and won on national and international competitions. Of mention are the University of Santo Tomas Singers, University of the Philippines Singing Ambassadors, University of the Philippines Concert Chorus, University of the Philippines Manila Chorale, Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club, Philippine Normal University Choral, Saint Louis University Glee Club (Baguio City), University of the East Chorale, Hail Mary the Queen Children's Choir, De La Salle University Chorale, Kilyawan Boys Choir (Claret School of Quezon City).
