Music of the Philippines

The music of the Philippines () includes the musical performance arts in the Philippines and the music of Filipinos composed in various local and international genres and styles. Philippine musical

Indigenous music#

Notable indigenous musicians include Ukà of Lange-Lange who specialized in the kutiyapi or kudyapi, the most difficult of all indigenous Philippine instruments, Masino Intaray who specialized in the basal, aroding, and babarak, and Samaon Sulaiman, who specializes as well in the kutiyapi. Notable folk song composers include the National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro, who composed the famous “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” that recalls the loving touch of a mother to her child. Another composer, the National Artist for Music Antonino Buenaventura, is notable for notating folk songs and dances. Buenaventura composed the music for “Pandanggo sa Ilaw”.

Gong music#

Philippine gong music today can be geographically divided into two types: the flat gongs commonly known as gangsà unique to the groups in the Cordillera mountains and the bossed gongs of Muslim and animist groups spanning the Sulu archipelago, much of Mindanao, Palawan, and the inlands of Panay and Mindoro. The latter were once ubiquitous throughout coastal, lowland Philippine societies before widespread Christianization, and less frequently imports of flat chau gongs from China. Kulintang refers to a racked gong chime instrument played in the southern islands of the Philippines, along with its varied accompanying ensembles. Different groups have different ways of playing the kulintang. Two major groups seem to stand out in kulintang music. These are the Maguindanaon and the Maranao. The kulintang instrument itself could be traced to either the introduction of gongs to Southeast Asia from China before the 9th century CE or more likely, to the introduction of bossed gong chimes from Java in the 16th century. Nevertheless, the kulintang ensemble is the most advanced form of ensemble music with origins in the pre-colonial epoch of Philippine history and is a living tradition in southern parts of the country. The musical traditions involving the kulintang ensemble consist of regional musical styles and varying instrumentation transcending the present national borders of maritime Southeast Asia, comprising Buddhist, animist, Muslim, and Christian peoples around Borneo, lesser Sunda islands, Sulawesi, Maluku, Sulu, and Mindanao. It is distantly related to the gamelan ensembles of Java, Bali, Sumatra & the Malay peninsula, and south Borneo, even moreso the ensembles of mainland Southeast Asia, primarily because of the usage for the same racked bossed gong chimes that play melody and/or percussion

Hispanic-influenced music#

Philippine folk music has some Spanish and Latin American influence, derived from the period the country, along with Guam and the Mariana islands, was ruled from Mexico City and Madrid by the Spanish viceroyalty. It is seen in folk and traditional music, of coastal lowland regions of Luzon, Visayas, and the predominantly Visayan north and east Mindanao alongside the westernmost tip of Zamboanga. Hispanic music in the Philippines derived from Iberian and some Mexican traditions, owing to the Philippine colony’s orientation as a distant entrepôt for resale of primarily Chinese and other Asian luxury goods across the Pacific to mainland New Spain (present-day Acapulco, Mexico). Aside from standardized genres are many precolonial musical forms syncretized with Catholic and general Hispanic idioms, typically involving in religious folk rituals. The Pasyon chants ubiquitous among Christian Filipinos preserve prehispanicized vocal styles, and invocations of patron saints throughout many towns inherited precolonial forms of ancestor and spirit worship. Examples include subli (Batangas), sinulog (Cebu), tinikling (Leyte), and bolibong kingking (Bohol).

Rondalla#

The rondalla is a traditional string orchestra comprising four-string, mandolin-type instruments such as the banduria and laud; a guitar; a double bass; and often a drum for percussion. The rondalla has its origins in the Iberian rondalla tradition and is used to accompany several Hispanic-influenced song forms and dances.

Harana and kundiman#

The harana and kundiman are popular lyrical songs dating back to the Spanish period and are customarily used in courtship rituals. The harana is rooted in the Mexican-Spanish from Spain, traditional and based on the rhythmic patterns of the habanera. The kundiman, meanwhile, has precolonial origins from the Tagalophone parts of the country, uses a triple meter rhythm, and is characterized by beginning in a minor key and shifting to a major one in the second half. Harana and kundiman are stylistically different. Whereas harana is in 2/4 time, kundiman is in 3/4. The formula is verse 1 on minor key followed by verse 2 on parallel major key midway through. In the 1920s, harana and kundiman became more mainstream after performers such as Atang de la Rama, Jovita Fuentes, Conching Rosal, Sylvia La Torre, and Ruben Tagalog introduced them to a wider audience.

Classical music#

Introduced during the Spanish colonial period, classical music was highly enjoyed by the wealthy elite class. Local music printing was introduced between 1870s and 1880s with music composed by Spanish peninsulars and Filipino criollos and meztizos. One of the notable piano piece printed from the 1880s is the Recuerdos de Filipinas y sus Cantares (1886) by Diego Perez. From the latter part of the 19th century, the rise of the “illustrados” or the “educated natives” began to dominate the classical music scene. Such native composers include Julián Felipe, Jose Canseco, Jr., Marcelo Adonay, Simplicio Solis, Fulgencio Tolentino, and Bonifacio Abdon. By the 1890s, tanda de valses and danzas became popular. Most of the works of Filipino composers were heavily influenced by European composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, and Johannes Brahms as well as the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and Gaetano Donizetti.

Operas and zarzuelas#

By the 1880s, symphonic orchestras became prominent in Manila assisting in the performances of operas and zarzuelas. The theatrical Spanish zarzuela was later adapted and localized in Philippine music. It was first introduced in 1879 and appeared in 1900. During the aftermath of the American invasion, the colonizers view the music form as “seditious” due to its use to promote nationalistic sentiments. This was soon followed by the creation of operas by other Filipino composers such as Lakambini (1933) by Jose Estella and Magdapio by Alejo Carluen (1903).

Formal classical music training#

Formal classical music training appeared during the 1900s. Because of the new public school system, music was included in the curriculum. The establishment of music conservatories and colleges were implemented for tertiary education. The earlier schools include the Scholastica’s College (1906) and the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music (1916). Most of the graduates of these schools became leading classical composers such as Franscisco Buencamino, Nicanor Abelardo, Francisco Santiago, and Antonio Molina. Private music schools specializing in classical music were also established in the Philippines during the 1930s such as the Academy of Music (1930) founded by Alexander Lippay and the Manila Conservatory of Music (1934) founded by Rodolfo Cornejo.

Contemporary period#

Inspired by American neoclassism, contemporary methods were employed by Lucrecia Kasilag and Eliseo Pajaro in their classical works. However, it was Jose Maceda that made a Filipino expressionism that is distinct from the traditional European forms of classical music. Between the late 20th century and the 21st century, notable classical composers include Ramon Pagayon Santos and Francisco Feliciano. Groups who specialized in classical music include the Philippine Youth Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, and the UP Symphony Orchestra.

Choral music#

Choral music has become an important part of Philippine music culture. It dates back to the choirs of churches that sung during mass in the old days. In the middle of the 20th century, performing choral groups started to emerge and increasingly become popular as time goes by. Aside from churches, universities, schools, and local communities have established choirs. Philippine choral arrangers like Robert Delgado, Fidel Calalang, Lucio San Pedro, Eudenice Palaruan among others have included in the vast repertoires of choirs beautiful arrangements of OPM, folk songs, patriotic songs, novelty songs, love songs, and even foreign songs. The Philippine Madrigal Singers (originally the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers) is one of the most famous choral groups not only in the Philippines, but also worldwide. Winning international competitions, the group became one of the most formidable choral groups in the country. Other award-winning choral groups are the University of Santo Tomas Singers, the Philippine Meistersingers (Former Adventist University of the Philippines Ambassadors), the U.P. Singing Ambassadors, and the U.P. Concert Chorus, among others.

Manila sound#

Manila sound is a musical genre that began in the mid-1970s in the city of Manila. The genre flourished and peaked in the mid to late-1970s. It is often considered the “bright side” of the Philippine martial law era and has influenced most of the modern genres in the country, being the forerunner to OPM.

Original Pilipino Music (OPM)#

Original Pilipino Music, more commonly referred to as OPM, a commercial acronym coined by Danny Javier of the APO Hiking Society, originally referred only to the pop genre of music from the Philippines, predominantly ballads and novelty numbers, that became popular after the wane of its direct 1970s commercial predecessor, Manila sound. The term “OPM” became a catch-all description for all popular music of any genre composed, performed and recorded by Filipinos in the Philippines, originating from the Philippines. Before the emergence of OPM in the 1970s, Philippine popular music through the 1950s and 1960s encompassed songs, mostly with vernacular lyrics and frequently with cinematic themes as recorded by artists such as Sylvia La Torre, Diomedes Maturan, Ric Manrique Jr., Ruben Tagalog, Helen Gamboa, Vilma Santos, Edgar Mortiz, and Carmen Camacho, among many others. There were exceptions, however, such as Pilita Corrales, dubbed Asia’s Queen of Song, whose popular releases included Cebuano, Tagalog, English and Spanish adaptations. From its heyday, OPM was entrenched in Manila, as Tagalog and English stood as the dominant languages. It was also heavily influenced from American country music. The country’s first songwriting competition, Metro Manila Popular Music Festival, was first established in 1977 and launched by the Popular Music Foundation of the Philippines. The event featured many prominent singers and songwriters during its time. It was held annually for seven years until its discontinuation in 1985. It was later revived in 1996 as the “Metropop Song Festival”, running for another seven years before being discontinued in 2003 due to the decline of its popularity. Another variation of the festival had been established called the Himig Handog contest which began in 2002, operated by ABS-CBN Corporation and its subsidiary music label Star Music (formerly Star Records). Five such competitions were staged between 2000 and 2003 and was revived in 2013. Unlike their predecessors, the contest had different themes which reflect the type of song entries chosen as finalists each year. In 2012, the Philippine Popular Music Festival was launched and is said to be inspired by the first songwriting competition. Another songwriting competition for OPM music being held annually is the Bombo Music Festival, being conducted by the radio network Bombo Radyo, first conceived in 1985.

OPM in other Philippine languages#

Recording artists of other regional languages, such as Cebuano, Kapampangan, Ilocano and others languages of the Philippines rarely broke into national prominence until the 1970s and after, particularly in the emergence of Bisrock (Visayan rock music); exemplified by 1017, a Davao-based band and Maldita, a Zamboanga-based Chavacano band. The debut music video of “Oras” (“Time”) by Tarlac-based band Mernuts penetrated MTV Pilipinas, making it the first-ever Kapampangan music video to join the ranks of other mainstream Filipino music videos. RocKapampangan: The Birth of Philippine Kapampangan Rock, an album of modern remakes of Kapampangan folk extemporaneous songs by various Kapampangan bands was also launched in February 2008, and was regularly played via Kapampangan cable channel Infomax-8 and via one of Central Luzon’s biggest FM radio stations, GVFM 99.1. Inspired by what the locals call “Kapampangan cultural renaissance”, Angeles City-born balladeer Ronnie Liang rendered Kapampangan translations of some of his popular songs such as “Ayli” (Kapampangan version of “Ngiti”), and “Ika” (Kapampangan version of “Ikaw”) for his repackaged album. Despite the growing clamor for non-Tagalog and non-English music and the greater representation of other Philippine languages, the local Philippine music industry, which is centered in Manila, is unforthcoming in venturing investments to other locations. Some of the major reasons for this include the language barrier, small market size, and socio-cultural emphasis away from regionalism in the Philippines. An example would be the Ilokano group The Bukros Singers, who swept through Ilocandia in the 1990s and became a precursor for other Ilokano performers into the 2000s, but rarely broke through other music markets in the Philippines.

Philippine Pop and P-Pop#

While Filipino pop music artists have existed for decades, P-pop emerged in the 2010s with increased quality, budget, investment and variety, mirroring that of the country’s rapid economic growth, and an accompanying social and cultural resurgence of its Asian identity. Heavy influence from K-pop and J-pop, Asian style ballads, idol groups, and EDM can be heard, with less reliance on Western genres, mirroring the Korean wave and similar Japanese wave popularity among young Filipinos and mainstream culture. Notable Filipino pop music artists who define the growth of this now mainstream genre include Regine Velasquez, Sarah Geronimo, Yeng Constantino, Erik Santos, KZ Tandingan, Moira Dela Torre, and Morissette, as well as P-Pop bands SB19 and BINI.

Pinoy rock#

The United States occupied the Islands from 1898 until 1946 and introduced American blues, folk music, R&B and rock & roll which became popular. In the late 1950s, native performers adapted Tagalog lyrics for North American rock & roll music, resulting in the seminal origins of Philippine rock. The most notable achievement in Philippine rock of the 1960s was the hit song “Killer Joe”, which propelled the group Rocky Fellers, reaching number 16 on the American radio charts.

1970s#

Up until the 1970s, popular rock musicians wrote and produced songs primarily in English. In the early 1970s, rock music began to be written using local languages, with bands like the Juan Dela Cruz Band being among the first popular bands to do so. Mixing Tagalog and English lyrics within the same song was also popular, an example of which includes the song “Ang Miss Universe Ng Buhay Ko (“The Miss Universe of My Life”) by the band Hotdog, who was a primary innovator in the Manila sound scene. The mixing of the two languages (known as “Taglish”), while common in casual speech in the Philippines, was seen as a bold move, but the success of Taglish in popular songs, including Sharon Cuneta’s first hit, “Mr. DJ”, broke the barrier. Philippine rock musicians’ acts were influenced by folk music and other various cultures, helping to lead to the 1978 breakthrough success of Freddie Aguilar. Aguilar’s “Anak” (“Child”), his debut recording, is the most commercially successful Filipino recording, and was popular throughout Asia and Europe, and has been translated into numerous languages by singers worldwide. Asin also broke into the music scene in the same period and was popular. Other similar artists included Sampaguita, Coritha, Florante, Mike Hanopol, and Heber Bartolome.

1980s#

Folk rock became the Philippine protest music of the 1980s, and Aguilar’s rendition of “Bayan Ko” (“My Country”) became popular as an anthem during the 1986 EDSA Revolution. At the same time, a counterculture rejected the rise of politically focused lyrics. In Manila, an underground Do-It-Yourself hardcore punk, punk rock scene developed, led by bands like Betrayed, the Jerks, Urban Bandits, and Contras. The influence of new wave was also felt during these years, spearheaded by the Dawn.

Region: Asia