Friday 10 July 2015

Philippine Rondalla

 




During the Spanish period in the East Indies, the rondalla was brought to the Philippines by the Spaniards. In the early Philippines, certain styles were adopted by the natives, especially guitar and banduria used in the Pandanggo, the Jota, and the Polka. The use of the term comparza was common, however, during the American period in the Philippines, the term rondalla became more used. At present, rondalla, in the Philippines, refers to any group of stringed instruments that are played using the plectrum or pick.[4]The Filipino instruments are made from indigenous Philippine wood and the plectrum, or picks, are made from tortoise-shell. Other stringed instruments composing the standard Filipino rondalla are the bandurria, the laúd, the octavina, the Twelve-string guitar, the Ukulele, the bajo de uñas or double bass, the Guitarrón mexicano, and other Filipino-made instruments modeled and developed after the guitar. The Philippine rondalla’s repertoire include folk songs such as the collar de sampaguitala bella filipinaNo te vayas a ZamboangaBalitaw, the Kundiman, the "Zarzuela", the "Subli", the "Harana", the "Tinikling", and the "Cariñosa".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondalla#Philippines
The bandurria plucked chordophone from Spain, primarily used in Spanish Folk music, but also found in countries that were once colonies of Spain.
The modern bandurria has 12 strings (6 pairs). The strings are tuned in unison pairs, going up in fourths from the low G#. The lowest four strings are a major-third above those of a standard guitar and the highest two strings are a fourth above a standard guitar, i.e. G, c, f, b, e and a.


Laúd  is a plectrum-plucked similar to the bandurria, but with a longer neck.
Traditionally it is used by folk string musical groups, such as the Filipino Rondalla string ensemble, together with the guitar and the bandurria. Like the bandurria, it is tuned in fourths, but its range is one octave lower.
The Filipino version has (from bass to treble) one single course, two double courses and three triple courses (i.e. fourteen strings), and is tuned a step lower, F# B E A D G.

The octavina or Philippine octavina is a guitar-shaped Filipino instrument with a tuning similar to the Laud. Originally a Spanish instrument, the octavina was soon incorporated into other cultures, notably including Filipino culture.
The Octavina has a set of 14 string  in 6 courses: 6th-single, 5th-double, 4th-double, 3rd-triple, 2nd-triple and 1st-triple.It is numbered starting from the bottom. It is tuned similarly to that of the bandurria, but one octave lower, giving:
  • 1st: G (sol)
  • 2nd: G (sol)
  • 3rd: G (sol)
  • 4th: D (re)
  • 5th: D (re)
  • 6th: D (re)
  • 7th: A (la)
  • 8th: A (la)
  • 9th: A (la)
  • 10th: E (mi)
  • 11th: E (mi)
  • 12th: B (si)
  • 13th: B (si)
  • 14th: F# (fi)


Bajo de Uñas- a bass guitar which looks like a big guitar and is played by a
plectrum. It plays the bass part and serves as a rhythmic support.


Harana (Spanish ‘jarana’) serenade; traditionally sung by a young man to a
young woman outside the young woman’s house as a profession of his love
to her. usually accompanied by a guitar.

Kumintang- originally a war song, this song in triple time can be of any topic:
love, resentment, or a social commentary. It can also be a dance or a
combination of song and dance in this style.

Kundiman (kung hindi man) – an art song about the love of a man for a
woman but can also be about patriotic sentiments, the woman as an object of
love and sacrifice of the man representing the Philippines whose countrymen
are willing to do sacrifices for freedom. It usually starts in a minor key and
then goes to the major key.

Polka- a lively dance in duple time.

Pandanggo- originating from the fandango of Spain, it is a fast-paced dance
in triple time. Usually, dancers use accessories such as hats and lighted
candle in a glass

Rondalla- an ensemble of plucked instruments and sometimes with
percussion

Bandurria- 14-stringed pear-shaped lute with a round sound hole and played
with a plectrum, it plays the melody in the rondalla ensemble.

Laud- 14-stringed pear-shaped lute with f-shaped sound holes and played
with a plectrum, it plays the alto part or counter melody in the rondalla
ensemble. It is bigger than the bandurria.

Octavina- 14-stringed lute which is shaped like a small guitar and played with
a plectrum, it plays a counter melody or harmony fill-in in the rondalla
ensemble.

Bajo de Uñas- a bass guitar which looks like a big guitar and is played by a
plectrum. It plays the bass part and serves as a rhythmic support.

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Story of Darangen- tagalog






http://www.kapitbisig.com/philippines/bilingual-tagalog-english-version-of-epics-mga-epiko-darangan-an-epic-of-maranao-bilingual-tagalog-english-version_791.html/page/0/2

Wednesday 12 November 2014

THE RHYTMIC MODES OF MAGUINDANAO



1. Binalig  - general expression of feeling

____I_____I______I______I_______I_____   R.H.
______II______I______I_____II______II       L.H.
  
2. Sinulog - expresses a feeling of sadness or sentiment

__I_______I________I__I__I_____I_______I______I_I__I______
______II______II_______I____II_____II______II____I_________

3. Tidtu - virtuosity

____________I___________I___________I____________I
_______I__________I___________I__________I_________

4. Tahunggo - rituals associated with Sagayan dance

_______I__________I___________I___________I_______
_______I____II_________II_____________I____I_______ 

Tuesday 11 November 2014

Pok Pok Alimpako

Pok pok alimpako
Pokling pakong piko
Malalaguy si dali
Daon si Buru-buru
Bukar ka sa isa

(Repeat)

Ibayaw su alongan
Na ibaba su bitoon

(Repeat)

Na kuru kuru kuru
ta makaisa




No te vayas



No te vayas, no te vayas de ZamboangaQue me puedes, que me puedes olvidarNo te vayas, no te vayas, ni me dejesQue yo sin ti, no puedo estar

No llores, paloma miaNo llores que volvereNo llores que en cuando lleguePaloma mia, te escribire
Con un pluma de aveY un pedazo de papelCon la sangre de mis venasPaloma mia, te escribire.




Here is an English translation of No te Vayas de Zamboanga (which is actually erroneous)




Don't you go, don't you go to far Zamboanga
Where you may forget your darling far away
Don't you go, don't you go, for if you leave me
How can I, without you stay?
Oh weep not, my dear Paloma
Oh weep not, for I'll return
Oh weep not, my little darling
I shall remember, and I shall yearn.
With a feather of a bird
And a piece of paper
With the blood from my veins
My little darling, I shall write to you.


No Te Vayas de Zamboanga was written by Juan Cuadrado, Sr., a Spaniard who decided to stay in Zamboanga after the Spanish soldiers left the country.

Accordingly, this song was used in a Zarzuela entitled De Cavite A Zamboanga. In this Zarzuela, a Cavitena sings this song to her boyfriend who is going to Zamboanga. 

 This was composed by Juan Cuadrado, Sr., a Spaniard who decided to stay in Zamboanga after the Spanish troops left the country. He later married a Zamboangueña with whom he bore several children. According to the old-timers of the city, this song was composed among the taverns which Cuadrado used to frequent. There was no real intention to write the song, for Cuadrado was not a musician. But when the heart was full, then it was only music that could express its real feelings. The song was popularized when a Colonel Loving placed it down in music. The words of the songs goes this way.


http://zamboanga.net/songsandmusiczamboangainsert.htm


Darangen Epic of the Maranao People of Lake Lanao


the Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge about the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.


The darangen is an epic chant associated with the Maranao people, with the core area of habitation being the province of Lanao del Sur in the island of Mindanao. Although other variations exist among the Maranao ethnic communities living in other areas, among the Maguindanao ethnic group, and Manobo groups to the Pacific Coast. The one in Lanao del Sur is considered the most definitive.

Comprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to offering compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, politics, love and aesthetics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. 

The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honored text in the administration of customary law.
Meaning literally “to narrate in song” in the Maranao language, the Darangen existed before the arrival of Islam in the Philippines in the fourteenth century. Being part of a wider epic culture that is connected to early Sanskrit practices and extends through most of Mindanao, it offers insight into pre-Islamic cultural traditions of the Maranao people.


Though the Darangen has been largely transmitted orally, parts of the epic have been recorded in manuscripts using an ancient Arabic-based writing system. Being cherished as heirlooms by certain Maranao families, these manuscripts are highly valued for their antiquity and prestige value. 


Specialised performers of either sex sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations that typically last several nights. Performers must possess a prodigious memory, improvisational skills, poetic imagination, knowledge of customary law and genealogy, a flawless and elegant vocal technique, and the ability to engage an audience during long hours of performance. Music and dance sometimes accompany the chanting.



Nowadays, the Darangen is infrequently performed owing in part to its rich vocabulary and archaic linguistic forms that can only be understood by practitioners, elders and scholars. Indeed, the growing tendency to embrace mainstream Filipino lifestyles represents a serious threat to the survival of this ancient epic.



It is a pre-Islamic form of primarily oral literature, presently existing in an Islamic context. Implications contained in the epic point to influences reaching as far west as India. The epic is the culmination of all these influences and the core culture of the Maranao.

On November 25, 2005 the Maranao epic chant, the Darangen, was also proclaimed as another Philippine masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity.

UNESCO defines oral and intangible heritage as: "The totality of tradition-based creations of a cultural community, expressed by a group of individuals and recognized as reflecting the expectations of a community in so far as they reflect its cultural and social identity; its standards and values are transmitted orally, by imitation or by other means.

SIGNIFICANCE


An analysis of the role of the darangen in Maranao society will offer valuable clues into how the Maranao people relied on oral traditions to provide societal norms and solutions to certain economic, cultural and historical issues in their society.  The darangen remains an important source of information regarding the Maranao value system, social etiquette, mythology and marriage customs and traditions. Ancient Maranao society was highly structured, and prescribed a strict code of behavior.  In addition, the darangen explores the relationship between the earth-bound society and the more mythical sky kingdoms.  More importantly, the darangen contains the Maranao theories of governance and strategies for war and combat. The epic is a story of how communities struggled to maintain peace and defended their territories from invaders.  It is inevitable that the epic would be filled with advice for the warrior, such as how to handle a sword, how to declare war, and enter into treaties. (jtperalta)



REFERENCE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re33SdfjU0Q

http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/culture-profile-intangible-
heritage.php

For a drama presentation of the Darangen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN6Wtm28pEI


For the story of Darangen epic check the link
http://fil.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Darangen
http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/32apa_uk.htm