Philippine Music during the American and Japanese periods
The proliferation of musical genres, forms, and ensembles of the Lowlands of Luzon during the American and Japanese periods.
Through the lesson, one will discover what forms and genres of music survived during the American and Japanese periods in the Philippines and how these expressed the feelings of the people towards each other and the environment, their history, and their religious beliefs.
AMERICAN PERIOD (1898 - 1941)
The first known law affecting the Philippine Public School System was Article 74 of the Philippine Commission which provided formal training for teachers.
The American educational system have greatly influenced the Philippine system of music education with the treatment of music as part of a broad pattern of liberal education.
American textbooks and song books were used.
The radio, phonograph and movies helped disseminate world culture. American singing through the jazz invaded the country.
Nevertheless, the spirit of nationalism triggered by the Spanish revolution, pushed Pilipino composers to use the native folk songs for their thematic materials.
With the establishment of conservatories ( school for music education), formal education in music started.
Under a program of specialization was the training program for professionals which transcriber, conductor, researcher, musicologist, arranger, theorist, essayist and critic.
EXAMPLES OF ZARZUELAS
1.Minda Mora (Minda, the Moro girl) - Juan Hernanadez
2. Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Bayan (Love of Country) - Pascual Poblete
3. tanikalang Ginto (Chain of Gold) - Juan Abad
4. Walang sugat (No wound) - Severino Reyes
JAPANESE OCCUPATION PERIOD
(1942 - 1945)
The Japanese tried to use education as a means to realize their Co-Prosperity Sphere (Philippines, Burma, China, Indo-China, Malaysia, Netherlands, Indies, Siam) which miserably failed.
Their desire to propagate Nippongo as the common language was a dismal failure.
This was the darkest period in the history of the Philippines.
The Japanese wanted only Oriental ways for the people.
This gave the Filipinos no other choice but to revert to their traditional ways of entertainment - operta, musical plays and drama although a few appreciated Japanese music.
the secular music of the Lowlands of Luzon as influenced by Spanish culture and music.
Through the lesson, one will discover how the lowland Filipinos, through Spanish-influenced dance music and art songs express their feelings towards each other and the environment, their history, and their religious beliefs through voice and musical instruments.
A group musical theatre performance of the songs and dances with an accompaniment on found objects and instruments of the Rondalla will culminate the educational experience.
When the Spaniards came to the Philippines in the year 1521, they brought along not only their own culture but also European influence which marked the beginning f the cultivation of music as a fine art in the Philippines.
The Spanish ministers of war and colonies desired that the Philippines should benefit from the educational changes sweeping Europe
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.
It is the oldest and most popular song among Christian Filipinos. Originally a war song, then later became a plaintive song.
It is a nocturnal song sung to the accompaniment of the violin, or guitar.
It originated in Balayan, Batangas, so that Batangas is known as the province of Kumintang
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
Rondalla- an ensemble of plucked instruments and sometimes with percussion
1. Bandurria- 14-stringed pear-shaped lute with a round sound hole and played with a plectrum, it plays the melody in the rondalla ensemble.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
Vocal Music of Luzon: Hudhud (the epic chanted poetry)
Thehudhudis recited and chanted among
the Ifugao people - known for their rice terraces - during the sowing and
harvesting of rice, funeral wakes and other rituals. Estimated to have
originated before the 7th century, the hudhud- comprised of some 40 episodes -
often take three or four days to recite. The language of the chants, almost
impossible to transcribe, is full of repetitions, synonyms, figurative terms
and metaphors. Performed in a leader/chorus style, the reciter - often an
elderly woman - occupies a key position in society. There is only one tune,
common to the entire region, for all of the verses. Very few written examples ofhudhudexist.
Threats:The conversion of the Ifugao to
Catholicism weakened their traditional culture. Thehudhudwas linked to the manual harvesting of
rice which is now mechanized. It has been replaced at funeral wakes by
television and radio. Although the rice terraces are inscribed on the World
Heritage List, the number of cultivators continues to decrease. The few people
who know all the poems are very old, and young people are not interested in
this tradition.
Action plan:The rights of indigenous peoples are
protected by Philippine law, including their intellectual property. Publication
of historical and ethnological iconographs is planned. The government also proposes
festivals and indigenous ceremonies. The National Library and National Museum
are responsible for a complete archive of the hudhud.A project teaching the tradition
to young people is foreseen.
ISANG ARAW nuong Unang Panahon, sa nayon ng
Hannanga, isang sanggol na lalaki ang isinilang sa mag-asawang Amtalao at
Dumulao. Ang pangalan niya ay Aliguyon. Siya ay matalino at masipag matuto ng
iba't ibang bagay. Katunayan, ang napag-aralan niyang mahahalaga mula sa mga
kasaysayan at pangaral ng kanyang ama ay marami. Natuto siya kung paano
makipag-bakbakan nang mahusay, at paano umawit ng mga mahiwagang gayuma (encantos,
magic spells). Kaya kahit nuong bata pa, tiningala na siya bilang pinuno,
at hanga ang mga tao sa kanya. Nang mag-binata si Aliguyon, ipinasiya niyang
sagupain si Panga-iwan, ang kaaway ng kanyang ama, sa nayon ng Daligdigan.
Subalit ang sumagot sa kanyang hamon (reto, challenge) ay hindi si
Panga-iwan. Ang humarap sa kanya ay ang mabangis na anak nito, siPumbakhayon,
marunong ng hiwaga at bihasa rin sa bakbakan tulad ni Aliguyon. Hindi naaling, pinukol ni Aliguyon ng sibat si
Pumbakhayon. Kasing bilis ng kidlat, umiktad si Pumbakhayon upang iwasan ang
sibat at, kagila-gilalas, sinalo sa hangin ang sibat ng isa niyang kamay! Wala
pang isang kurap ng mata, binaligtad ni Pumbakhayon ang sibat at hinagis
pabalik kay Aliguyon. Umiwas din si Aliguyon at sinalo rin ng isang kamay sa
hangin ang humahagibis na sibat. Binaliktad din niya at ipinukol uli kay
Pumbakhayon. Pabalik-balik at walang tigil, naghagisan at
nagsaluhan ng sibat siAliguyon at Pumbakhayon hanggang umabot ng 3 taon, hindi
pa rin tumigil ang bakbakan, at walang nagpakita ng pagod o pagsuko. Subalit sa
bangis at dahas ng kanilang paghahamok, kapwa sila humanga sa giting at husay ng
kalaban, at pagkaraan ng 3 taong bakbakan, natuto silang igalang ang isa't isa. Biglang bigla, tumigil sina Aliguyon at
Pumbakhayon at nahinto, sa wakas, ang bakbakan. Nag-usap at nagkasundo sila ng
payapa (paz, peace) ng kanilang nayon ng Hannanga at Daligdigan. Buong
lugod na sumang-ayon lahat ng tao sa 2 nayon, at ipinagdiwang nila ang kampihan
ng 2 bayani. Sa paglawak ng katahimikan, umunlad ang 2 nayon.
Naging matalik na magkaibigan sina Aliguyon at Pumbakhayon. Nang sapat na ang
gulang ni Aliguyon, pinili niyang asawa si Bugan, ang batang-batang kapatid na
babae ni Pumbakhayon. Inalagaan niya sa bahay si Buganhanggang lumaki itong
napaka-gandang dalaga. Ang pilining asawa naman ni Pumbakhayon ay ang
kapatid na babae niAliguyon, si Aginaya. Ang 2familianila ay yumaman at iginalang ng lahat
sa Ifugao.
Sound waves travel into the ear canal until they reach the eardrum. The eardrum passes the vibrations through the middle ear bones or ossicles into the inner ear. The inner ear is shaped like a snail and is also called the cochlea. Inside the cochlea, there are thousands of tiny hair cells. Hair cells change the vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to the brain through the hearing nerve. The brain tells you that you are hearing a sound and what that sound is.
Each hair cell has a small patch of stereocilia sticking up out of the top it. Sound makes the stereocilia rock back and forth. If the sound is too loud, the stereocilia can be bent or broken. This will cause the hair cell to die and it can no longer send sound signals to the brain. In people, once a hair cell dies, it will never grow back. The high frequency hair cells are most easily damaged so people with hearing loss from loud sounds often have problems hearing high pitched things like crickets or birds chirping.
How does sound travel? Sound is transmitted by particles (atoms or molecules) in a solid, liquid or gas colliding with each other. It is a wave which is created by vibrating objects and propagated through a medium (solid, liquid or gas) from one location to another. A vibrating source can be sound coming from a drum, speaker of a radio, the mouth of a person (vocal chord), a car engine, a plane above the sky and so on. Although sound is commonly associated in air, sound will readily travel through many materials that are solid, liquid and gas. What is silence? What is noise? Silence is the lack of audiblesound or presence of sounds of very low intensity. By analogy, the word silence can also refer to any absence of communication, including in media other than speech. Silence is also used as total communication, in reference to nonverbal communication and spiritual connection. Silence also refers to no sounds uttered by anybody in a room or area. Silence is an important factor in many cultural spectacles, as in rituals. Noise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or animal life. The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines andtransportation systems, motor vehicles, aircraft, and trains. Outdoor noise is summarized by the word environmental noise. Poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential areas.
Indoor noise can be caused by machines, building activities, and music performances, especially in some workplaces. There is no great difference whether noise-induced hearing loss is brought about by outside (e.g. trains) or inside (e.g. music) noise.
High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans, a rise in blood pressure, and an increase in stress and vasoconstriction, and an increased incidence of coronary artery disease. In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection and avoidance, interfere with reproduction and navigation, and contribute to permanent hearing loss.
Guide questions:
1. What is sound? How can we produce it?
2. Why music is an art? In what medium we share music to listeners?
3. Give the elements of music and differentiate each.
What is sound?
Sound is created when an object
vibrates. These vibrations are perceived by our ears and then sent to our
brain. Our brain in turn analyzes these signals and let's us know what type of
sound we are hearing (i.e. an alarm clock ringing, a car horn blaring, etc.).
Music is differentiated from other sounds because it has certain qualities.
What is Music?
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Sound is a
sequence of waves of pressure that propagates through compressible media such
as air or water. Music inherently depends on the silence in some form or
another to distinguish other periods of sound and allow dynamics, melodies, and
rhythm to have greater impact. For example most music scores features rest
denoting periods of silence.
According to Webster’s II: New
Riverside University Dictionary, Music is the “art of arranging tones in an
orderly sequence so as to produce a unified and continuous composition”
Noise means any unwanted sound. Noise is not necessarily random. Sounds, particularly loud ones, that disturb people or make it difficult to hear wanted sounds, are noise. For example, conversations of other people may be called noise by people not involved in any of them; any unwanted sound such as domesticated dogs barking, neighbours playing loud music, portable mechanical saws, road traffic sounds, or a distant aircraft in quiet countryside, is called noise.
When you listen to a piece of music, you'll notice
that it has several different characteristics; it may be soft or loud, slow or
fast, combine different instruments and have a regular rhythmic pattern. All of
these are known as the "elements of music."
Musical
Elements
Pitch– is the relative lowness or highness of a sound. The pitch of a sound is based on the frequency of vibration and the size of the vibrating object.
Rhythm– means the placement of sounds in time beats in music the time element of music. A specific rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we usually hear these
in relation to a steady pulse, and mentally organize this pulse ortempointometer(sometimes called a "time signature"). Meter organizes beats into groups, usually of two or three; beats can be
divided into small units usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions
Rhythm is the element of "TIME" in music. When you tap your foot to the music, you are "keeping the beat" or following the structural rhythmic pulse of the music. There are several important aspects of rhythm:
• DURATION: how long a sound (or silence) lasts.
• TEMPO: the speed of the BEAT. •METER: Beats organized into recognizable/recurring accent patterns. Meter can be seen/felt through the standard patterns used by conductors.
DUPLE meter, TRIPLE meter and QUADRUPLE meter
Other basic terms relating to Rhythm are:
Syncopation: an "off-the-beat" accent (between the counted numbers)
Ritardando: gradually SLOWING DOWN the tempo
Accelerando: gradually SPEEDING UP the tempo
Rubato: freely and expressively making subtle changes in the tempo.
(a technique commonly encountered in music of the Romantic era)
Tempo - the Italian word at the beginning of a piece that indicates how slow or how fast the piece
Melody refers to the tune of a song or piece of music or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm (some say
"duration"). Sometimes a melody is considered to be
thethemeof a composition. We
might characterize melody by itscontour(rising or falling) and the size of the intervals in it. A melody that uses mostly small intervals (or scale steps) and is smooth
is said to be aconjunct melody. Not surprisingly, a melody that uses large intervals is called adisjunct melody. Amotif(or motive) is either
a very short melody or a distinctive part of a longer melody. I might describe the opening four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as
a "motific cell."Melody is the LINEAR/HORIZONTAL presentation of pitch (the word used to describe the highness or lowness of a musical sound). Many famous musical compositions have a memorable melody or theme
Timbre– is also known as tone color. It refers to the quality of sound or instrument.
sound quality or tone color; timbre
is the characteristic that allows us to distinguish between one instrument and
another, and the difference between vowel sounds (for example, long
"a" or "ee"). Terms we might use to
describe timbre: bright, dark, brassy, reedy, harsh,
noisy, thin, buzzy, pure, raspy, shrill, mellow, strained. I prefer to avoid describing timbre in emotional terms (excited, angry,
happy, sad, etc.); that is not the sound quality, it is its effect or
interpretation. Rather than describe the timbre of an
instrument in other terms, it is often more clear just to describe the timbre
by naming the instrument, once we have learned the names and sounds of a few
instruments.
Dynamics– refers to the degree of loudness or softness of a piece of music. It also indicates whether there is a change in volume. loud or soft. A composition that has extremely soft passages as well as extremely loud
passages is said to have a large or widedynamic range. Dynamics can change suddenly or gradually (crescendo, getting
louder, ordecrescendo, getting softer.)
All musical aspects relating to the relative loudness (or quietness) of music fall under the general element of DYNAMICS. The terms used to describe dynamic levels are often in Italian:
Texture– refers to the number of layers used in a composition and how these layers are related. Texture refers to the number of individual musical lines (melodies) and the relationship these lines have to one another.
Monophonic (single-note) texture: Music with only one note sounding at a time (having no harmony or accompaniment).
Homophonic texture: Music with two or more notes sounding at a the same time, but generally featuring a prominent melody in the upper part, supported by a less intricate harmonic accompaniment
Polyphonic texture: Music with two or more independent melodies sounding at the same time.
MUSICAL FORM
Strophic Form: a design in VOCAL music, in which the same music is used
for several different verses (strophes) of words.
Binary Form a two-part form in which both main sections are repeated (as
indicated in the diagram by "repeat marks"). The basic premise of this
form is CONTRAST:
Ternary Form a three-part form featuring a return of the initial music after a
contrasting section. Symmetry and balance are achieved through this
Music of the Lowlands of Luzon 1: Music for Liturgy and Devotional Music
The music of the Lowlands of Luzon, particularly on the Music for Liturgy and Devotional Music.. The Lowlands of Luzon consist of several ethnolinguistic groups.. Throughout the lesson, one will discover how the people of the Lowlands of Luzon express their feelings towards each other and the environment, their history, and their religious beliefs through voice and musical instruments. A group performance inspired by the Lowlands’ musical examples will culminate the educational experience.
Vocal Music –
1. The Mass -, aformofsacred musical composition, is achoralcomposition that sets the invariable portions of theEucharisticliturgy(principally that of theCatholic Church, theAnglican Communion, andLutheranism) to music. Most Masses are settings ofthe liturgyinLatin, the liturgical sacred language of the Catholic Church's Roman liturgy, but there are a significant number written in the languages of non-Catholic countries where vernacular worship has long been the norm. For example, there are many Masses (often called "Communion Services") written in English for theChurch of England. Musical Masses take their name from the Catholic liturgy called "the Mass" as well.
Masses can be a cappella, that is, without an independent accompaniment, or they can be accompanied by instrumentalobbligatos up to and including a full orchestra. Many Masses, especially later ones, were never intended to be performed during the celebration of an actual mass
Songs in Mass
a. Kyrie is the first movement of a setting of the Ordinary of the Mass:
Lord have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
This is from the ancient (Biblical New Testament) Greek language, unlike the rest of the mass which is Latin.
Kyrie movements often have a structure that reflects the concision and symmetry of the text. Many have a ternary (ABA) form, where the two appearances of the phrase "Kyrie eleison" consist of identical or closely related material and frame a contrasting "Christe eleison" section. Or AAABBBCCC' form is also found later on. Famously, Mozart sets the "Kyrie" and"Christe" texts in his Requiem Mass as the two subjects of a double fugue.
b. Gloria is a celebratory passage praising God and Christ:
Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give thanks
propter magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, Rex caelestis [coelestis], Deus Pater omnipotens.
to You for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God the Father.
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who taketh away the sins of the world,
miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Have mercy on us; You who take away the sins of the world, hear our prayers. Who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
For You are the only Holy One, the only Lord, the only Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father, Amen.
In Mass settings (normally in English) composed for the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer liturgy, the Gloria is commonly the last movement, because it occurs in this position in the text of the service. In Order One of the newer Common Worship liturgy, however, it is restored to its earlier season.
c. Credo, a setting of the Nicene Creed, is the longest text of a sung Mass:
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem,
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty
factorem cœli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.
Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible:
Et in unum Dominum, Jesum Christum,
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.
the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all time;
Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God;
genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri;
begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father,
per quem omnia facta sunt.
by Whom all things were made;
Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de cœlis.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven.
Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.
and was made flesh by the Holy Ghost out of the Virgin Mary, and was made man:
Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est,
He was also crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried:
et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas,
And on the third day rose again according to the Scriptures:
et ascendit in cælum, sedet ad dexteram Patris.
And ascended into Heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father:
Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos,
And He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead:
cuius regni non erit finis;
Of His Kingdom there shall be no end;
Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem,
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life,
qui ex Patre Filioque procedit.
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son
Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur:
Who, with the Father and the Son, is similarly adored and glorified,
qui locutus est per prophetas.
Who has spoken through the Prophets.
Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam.
And I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church,
Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum.
I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins.
Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum,
And I expect the Resurrection of the Dead:
et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.
And the Life of the world to come. Amen.
Since the Second Vatican Council composers have mostly ignored writing melodies for the Credo in vernacular languages. Today, the Creed is usually recited by the congregation.
Organizers of international celebrations, such as World Youth Day, have been encouraged by Rome to familiarize congregants in the Latin chants for the Our Father and the Credo, specifically Credo III (17th century, Fifth Mode) from theMissa de Angelis (the Mass of the Angels). The purpose of singing these two texts in Latin is to engender a sense of unity in the faithful, all of whom thus sing the prayer of Jesus and the shared belief of the universal Church in the same language.
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth; pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in excelsis
Hosanna in the highest.
A variant exists in Lutheran settings of the Sanctus. While most hymnal settings keep the second person pronoun, other settings change the second person pronoun to the third person. This is most notable in J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor, where the text reads gloria ejus ("His glory"). Martin Luther's choraleIsaiah, Mighty in Days of Old, and Felix Mendelssohn's setting of the Heilig! (German Sanctus) from his Deutsche Liturgie also use the third person.
e. Benedictus
The Benedictus is a continuation of the Sanctus:
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in excelsis is repeated after the Benedictus section, often with musical material identical to that used after theSanctus, or very closely related.
In Gregorian chant the Sanctus (with Benedictus) was sung whole at its place in the mass. However, as composers produced more embellished settings of the Sanctus text, the music often would go on so long that it would run into the consecration of the bread and wine. This was considered the most important part of the Mass, so composers began to stop the Sanctushalfway through to allow this to happen, and then continue it after the consecration is finished. This practice was forbidden for a period in the 20th century.
f. Agnus Dei
The Agnus Dei is a setting of the "Lamb of God" litany:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
miserere nobis.
have mercy upon us.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
miserere nobis.
have mercy upon us.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
dona nobis pacem.
grant us peace.
In a Requiem Mass, the words "miserere nobis" are replaced by "dona eis requiem" (grant them rest), while "dona nobis pacem" is replaced by "dona eis requiem sempiternam" (grant them eternal rest).
2. Pastores -
3.. Moro-moro/Komedya;
4. Senakulo
What is Senakulo?
Lenten play depicting the life, suffering & death of Christ
Comes from Spanish word “cenaculo” meaning cenacle -> room where the Last Supper took place
takes at least 8 nights -> (Pam Sunday – Easter)
Uses both songs and recitation
Focuses on Christ’s meek submissiveness
People in play do so for entertainment and because of their holy vows
Performed on a proscenium-type stage with painted cloth or paper backdrops called telon
Modernization
Don’t last as long -> some can last only 2 hours
Focus more on Christ’s courageous motives rather than his submissiveness
May be presented in different types of venues
Comedy, courtship and special effects may be added
Street Senakulos
A form of penance
reenact sufferings of Jesus on his way and on the cross
people participating as Jesus suffer the physical harm Jesus did
What is Pabasa?
Every year during Holy Week celebrations some Filipino Catholics get together. This tradition is called “Pabasa”.
Pabasa starts on a Holy Wednesday until Good Friday. Which are often held in community chapels.
How do we celebrate this festival?
Pabasa festival is more like a tradition when old folks in particular read a book called “Pasyon” ( The Passion of Christ ).
But instead of reading it, they chant it or read it in a tune. Singing the whole book phrase by phrase, line per line.
Why do we celebrate this festival?
We celebrate this festival to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ in a solemn and calm manner compared to the other traditions.
SOURCES
>Oic_ed., A Filipino Catholic tradition during Holy Week. Retrieved on February 21,2011, from
An Extra-Liturgical Activity
It is an Easter Sunday ritual done before dawn at exactly 4am
Reenacts the Risen Christ’s meeting with His mother
Originated from Marinduque
It is performed in the churchyard under a specially prepared arch where the veiled image of the Virgin Mary has been placed
A child dressed as an angel that is on a high platform being held up by ropes, lifts the mourning lambong (veil of the grieving)off image of the Mother
Confetti is thrown into the air and songs of joy are sung to celebrate the Risen Christ
How is it Performed
The church bells are rung and there is a procession of the images of Christ and His mother that ends up in the church
The participants in the procession are segregated by gender
The men follow the image of Christ while the women follow the image of Mary
The procession ends with the two groups meeting inside the church where the mass is held
What does it Signify?
How powerful God is for he sacrificed his only son and brought Him back to life again to save us all from our sins
New beginning for us because Jesus gave us a new life by saving us from our sins
Music Used
Songs of Praise
Joyful Hymns
At Present Time
The Salubong is still being performed on Easter Sunday
It is most popular in places like Marinduque, Cebu, Bulacan and Rizal
Now, instead of using a toddler to lift the veil from the image of Mary, they now use stronger 12 year olds
7. Flores de Mayo
8. Santacuzan
A month-long Catholic event to honor the Virgin Mary
Finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena and her son Emperor Constantine
Introduced during the Spanish era
Associated with youth, love and romance
Originated in Malolos, Bulacan
Started after:
Immaculate Conception
publication of Mariano Sevilla's Flores de Maria or Mariquit na Bulaclac na sa Pagninilaynilay sa Buong Buan nang Mayo ay Inihahandog nang manga Devoto cay Maria Santisima
Where it is held
In the Bicol region, (especially in Barangay Sabang in Naga City), it is held every Wednesday and Saturday of May.
The ritual is started with the rosary, with every decade followed by Spanish Marian songs
Nine day novena
Santacruzan
Also known as The Sagala
Pageant on the last day of Flores de Mayo
Procession of “queens” (ex. Reyna Elena, Reyna ng Sába, Reyna Móra)
Pabítin – culminating activity for all the children to enjoy.
Square trellis to which goodies (candies, fruits, small trinkets, etc.) are tied with strings.
Suspended on a strong branch or pole.
Children jump to try to pick the goodies while someone jerks it up and down repeatedly until all the goodies are gone.
Flores de Mayo is still celebrated in many provinces in the Philippines (Laguna, Bulacan, Iloilo), and is kept alive by Filipino communities overseas such as in New Orleans and in Belgium through a special “Euro-Santacruzan” hosted by Filipinos.
If there’s one thing that is unique about Las Piñas, it is the Bamboo Organ, which is considered a Philippine National Treasure.On November 24, 2003, it was given this recognition by the National Museum of the Philippines since “it is the only 19th century Bamboo Organ in the Philippines that has survived and is still functioning.”This unique musical instrument is composed of 1,031 pipes, and 902 of which are made out of bamboo while the rest are metal.
A dose of history
The man behind this masterpiece was a Spanish missionary called Fray Diego Cera Dela Virgen Del Carmel, who was in fact, the first parish priest in Las Piñas during the Spanish era.He came from the town of Graus (Huesca, Spain), but he settled in this part of the Philippines from 1795 to 1830.
Fr. Diego Cera started with the construction of the bamboo organ in 1816 and it was finished eight years after in 1824.It has gone through a lot since then.
During the 1880s, there was a typhoon and earthquake that damaged the roof of the church, which left the bamboo organ open to nature’s elements.The rainwater and stones got inside the organ case, which destroyed the instrument and made it unplayable for years.After that, the pipes were stored in the old sacristy and were forgotten about until around 1917 when a tourist rediscovered its beauty.
It was only in 1972 when the bamboo organ restoration project began.Johannes Klais Orgelbau was the one who was awarded the contract, and he had the organ shipped all the way to Bonn, Germany in 1973.After about a couple of years, the bamboo organ returned to its homeland in 1975.
Location
The St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas houses the Bamboo Organ, and it is about ten kilometers south of the heart of Metro Manila.Built between 1797 and 1819, the church has an “earthquake” Baroque architectural style and is mainly made out of adobe stones.It had to undergo renovation with the assistance of the local community and the neighboring area, in order to restore the structure and the grounds to its original state.Architects Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa and Ludwig Alvarez effectively spearheaded the renovation from 1971 to 1975.
Located within the grounds of the church is the Antillan House, which serves as the point of entry to the Bamboo Organ Foundation Inc, its souvenir shop, the museum, and the Parish Adoration Chapel.This place used to be an old Spanish convent, and is now being used as a passage to the Bamboo Organ as well.
The Festival and the Foundation
Ever since the bamboo organ’s rigorous restoration, the people celebrate this work of art through the International Bamboo Organ Festival every February.The Bamboo Organ Foundation Inc. organizes this annual musical and cultural event, in cooperation with the people of Las Piñas. The festival’s aim is to pursue and develop the rich cultural tradition of Las Piñas, and a number of established foreign and local artists have participated in this event.It attracts a lot of local and foreign tourists, as well as all kinds of music aficionados.
The Bamboo Organ Foundation Inc. is a non-stock and non-profit group that endeavors to preserve and maintain the Bamboo Organ.Aside from organizing the yearly festival, it is also involved in the educational, spiritual and social enrichment of the people in the city.The foundation has also sent scholars to Austria who have managed to make a name for themselves in their chosen fields.There’s Armando Salarza who specialized in organ performance and church music, Gerado Fajardo who concentrated on choir conducting, as well as Cealwyn Tagle and Edgar Montiano (+) who focused on organ building.
The invasion of the Filipinosby Spain did not begin in earnest until 1564, when another expedition from New Spain, commanded by Miguel López de Legaspi, arrived.Permanent Spanish settlementwas not established until 1565 when an expedition led by Miguel López de Legazpi, the first Governor-General of the Philippines, arrived in Cebu from New Spain. Spanish leadership was soon established over many small independent communities that previously had known no central rule. Six years later, following the defeat of the local Muslim ruler, Legazpi established a capital at Manila, a location that offered the outstanding harbor of Manila Bay, a large population, and closeness to the sufficient food supplies of the central Luzon rice lands. Manila became the center of Spanish civil, military, religious, and commercial activity in the islands. By 1571, when López de Legaspi established the Spanish city of Manila on the site of a Moro town he had conquered the year before, the Spanish grip in the Philippines was secure which became their outpost in the East Indies, in spite of the opposition of the Portuguese, who desired to maintain their monopoly on East Asian trade. The Philippines was administered as a province of New Spain (Mexico) until Mexican independence (1821).
Manila revolted the attack of the Chinese pirate Limahong in 1574. For centuries before the Spanish arrived the Chinese had traded with the Filipinos, but evidently none had settled permanently in the islands until after the conquest. Chinese trade and labor were of great importance in the early development of the Spanish colony, but the Chinese came to be feared and hated because of their increasing numbers, and in 1603 the Spanish murdered thousands of them (later, there were lesser massacres of the Chinese).
The Spanish governor, made a viceroy in 1589, ruled with the counsel of the powerful royal audiencia. There were frequent uprisings by the Filipinos, who disliked the encomienda system. By the end of the 16th cent. Manila had become a leading commercial center of East Asia, carrying on a prosperous trade with China, India, and the East Indies. The Philippines supplied some wealth (including gold) to Spain, and the richly loaded galleons plying between the islands and New Spain were often attacked by English freebooters. There was also trouble from other quarters, and the period from 1600 to 1663 was marked by continual wars with the Dutch, who were laying the foundations of their rich empire in the East Indies, and with Moro pirates. One of the most difficult problems the Spanish faced was the defeat of the Moros. Irregular campaigns were conducted against them but without conclusive results until the middle of the 19th century. As the power of the Spanish Empire diminished, the Jesuit orders became more influential in the Philippines and obtained great amounts of property.
Occupation of the islands was accomplished with relatively little bloodshed, partly because most of the population (except the Muslims) offered little armed battle initially. A significant problem the Spanish faced was the invasion of the Muslims of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. The Muslims, in response to attacks on them from the Spanish and their native allies, raided areas of Luzon and the Visayas that were under Spanish colonial control. The Spanish conducted intermittent military campaigns against the Muslims, but without conclusive results until the middle of the 19th century.
Church and state were inseparably linked in Spanish policy, with the state assuming responsibility for religious establishments. One of Spain's objectives in colonizing the Philippines was the conversion of Filipinos to Catholicism. The work of conversion was facilitated by the absence of other organized religions, except for Islam, which predominated in the south. The pageantry of the church had a wide plea, reinforced by the incorporation of Filipino social customs into religious observances. The eventual outcome was a new Christian majority of the main Malay lowland population, from which the Muslims of Mindanao and the upland tribal peoples of Luzon remained detached and separated.
At the lower levels of administration, the Spanish built on traditional village organization by co-opting local leaders. This system of indirect rule helped create in a Filipino upper class, called the principalía, who had local wealth, high status, and other privileges. This achieved an oligarchic system of local control. Among the most significant changes under Spanish rule was that the Filipino idea of public use and ownership of land was replaced with the concept of private ownership and the granting of titles on members of the principalía.
The Philippines was not profitable as a colony, and a long war with the Dutch in the 17th century and intermittent conflict with the Muslims nearly bankrupted the colonial treasury. Colonial income derived mainly from entrepôt trade: The Manila Galleons sailing from Acapulco on the west coast of Mexico brought shipments of silver bullion and minted coin that were exchanged for return cargoes of Chinese goods. There was no direct trade with Spain.
Catholicism (from Greekκαθολικισμός, catholikismos, "according to the whole") is a broad term for describing specific traditions in the Christian churches in theology and doctrine, liturgy, ethics and spirituality. For many the term usually refers to Christians and churches, western and eastern, in full communion with the Holy See, usually known as the Catholic Church or the Roman Catholic Church. However, many others use the term to refer to other churches with historical continuity from the first millennium.
Composition: Songs, Dances, Instrumental music
Social Functions: Music for Worship and Religious festivities
