Music of the Philippines during Pre-Spanish Era

1. MUSIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
DURING
PRE-SPANISH ERA

2. INTRODUCTION
 Long before the arrival of the Spaniards,
ancient Filipinos were living in scattered
barangays and ruled by different chieftains.
 Although, they were living separately, they were
similar in many ways, their religion, mode of
dressing, houses, system of government and
marriage practices and economic activities, in
short, they were refined and civilized; they
possessed a distinct culture that distinguish
them from other race.

3. MUSIC OF THE PHILIPPINES (PRE-SPANISH ERA)
 Natives were without a doubt, music lovers.
 Each community had their own sets of musical
instrument. In the account of Pigafetta, the
official historian of Magellan expedition, women
from Cebu were harmoniously playing-
cymbals (plan tiles)- nose flutes, bamboo
mouth organs (aphiw)- brass gong (gansa)-
flute (bansic)- long drum (colibao)- bamboo
harp (subing)- water whistle (paiyak)- guitar
(bugtot)- xylophone (agong)- drum (tugo).

4. PASYON
 The Pasyón (Spanish: Pasión) is
a Philippine epic narrative of the Passion, Death,
and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The standard
elements of epic poetry are interwoven with a
colorful, dramatic theme. The entirety of the text is
chanted during the Lenten season and
particularly Holy Week, and is a popular Filipino
Catholic devotion.
 The text is an adaptation of the pre-Hispanic art of
chanting epic poems as a form of oral tradition.
After Christianity was introduced by the Spanish,
the Passion cycle was adapted into the native art.

5.  The indigenous form of
the Pasyón was first
written down by Gaspar
Aquino de Belén in
"Ang Mahal na Pasión
ni Jesu Christong
Panginoon Natin na
Tola" ("The Sacred
Passion of Jesus Christ
Our Lord that is a
Poem"), written in 1703
and approved in 1704.

6. TAGULAYLAY (BICOLANO FOLK SONG)
 Tagulaylay is originated from the words
“taghoy” which means lament and “alalay”
which means sustained. It’s grieving over
such a tragic event.
 Panambitan or Tagulaylay is a funeral song
or eulogies, it is for mourning or a mournful
song.

7. KUMINTANG
 The kumintang is the name given to several distinct
styles, techniques and forms in music and dance
probably originating in the areas used by early Spanish
cartographers and chronicles to denote a large province
centering around what is known as Batangas.
 Early 19th-century travelers' accounts often mention
the kumintang as a Tagalog "chant national", describing
them as dance-songs performed by pairs of men and
women, with texts concerning love and courtship. All
accounts mention a glass of coconut wine passed from
hand to hand by the dancers as they sing.

8.  In the 20th century, Francisca Reyes-Aquino
dubbed as kumintang the circular hand and
wrist movement also known as the kunday.
 Among present-day afficinados of musical and
dance events called
awitan and pandangguhan in and around the
city of Batangas, kumintang also refers to a
guitar-plucking style, considered the most
melodious and beautiful of all guitar styles
accompanying the old kinanluran style
of pandangguhan dance songs.

9. DANSA
 A dansa (Old Occitan [ˈdansa, ˈdaⁿsa]), also
spelt dança, was an Old Occitan form of lyric
poetry developed in the late thirteenth century
among the troubadours.
 It is related to the English term "dance" and was
often accompanied by dancing. A closely related
form, the balada or balaresc, had a more
complex structure, and is related to
the ballade but unrelated to the ballad. Both terms
derive from Occitan words for "to
dance": dansar and balar/ballar.

10.  The verses of the dansa were sung by
a soloist while the refrain was sung by
a choir. Adansa lacking a vuelta is called
a danseta.
 Dansa had joyful lyrics and lively music.

11. BALITAW (THE VISAYAN FOLK SONG)
 The balitaw is the song traditionally associated with the
Visayas region in the same way
the kundiman and kumintang are associated with
ancient Tagalog music.
 The music of the balitaw is usually written in 3/4 time. It
is also danced to, although it originally was something
that was merely sung. This folk air has a more developed
form called balitao romansada. The traditional
instrument used to accompany the balitaw was a three-
string coconut-shell guitar; later, a harp was adopted as
the instrument of choice because more chords could be
played on it. When performed today in modern rendition,
a five-string guitar is used.

12.  The balitaw is an extemporaneous exchange of love
verses between a man and a woman. Danced and
mimed, it is accompanied by a song, or the dancers
themselves sing, improvising the steps and verses. It
may last for hours, ending with the woman accepting or
rejecting the man's suit. The balitaw is found mainly in
the Tagalog and Visayan regions.
 The dancers may be costumed
in balintawak or patadyong or in contemporary
everyday clothes. Its accompaniments could be provided
by the subing(bamboo flute), castanets, coconut guitar,
harp, the five-stringed guitar, or a combination of the
three. The Visayan balitaw is usually in the minor key,
while the Tagalog is in the major. Both are related to
the kumintang and kundiman in their styles of
accenting.

13. CHARACTERISTICS OF PRE-SPANISH ERA MUSIC
 More conservative style of sacred music.
 They play music by using indigenous musical
instruments. (bamboo canes, palm leaves,
and bark of trees)
 Religious and musicality-salvation of self
expression
 Recitative
 Mostly simple two note music, music was
composed of few notes.