MUSIC 7

The Cordillera Region

Second Grading

Cordillera – is located at the highest and largest mountain range in the Philippines. Abra,
Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mt. Province, and the City of Baguio are provinces
surrounding it.
The region is known for its best and unique bamboo musical instruments that are used
in celebrating gatherings, festivals, rituals, and ceremonies. The highlights of the life of
people in their places are reflected in their music.

Vocal Music in the Cordillera

1. Performance Practice
There are different performance practices in the cordillera that we are related
different occasions such as:
a. Peace pacts
b. Healing rituals
c. Invocation of the God
d. Courtship and marriage
e. Death rites
f. Other life cycle events as birth, ect.
2. Representative Song/Genre
a. Salidumay – a song from the Cordillera specifically from the people of ifugao,
Bontoc province. This is sung in many occasions of the ethnic groups such as
weddings, festival, and rituals. Its musical elements may include duple meter,
pentatonic scale, and a smple rhythm.
b. Ba-diw
 From the tribe of ibaloi
 An example of responsorial singing
 Sung alternately by different persons
 Sung phrase by phrase, and it is re-echoed phrase by phrase
c. Oggayam – seven-tone scale, modal, wide range, non-metric, fast tempo
monophonic in texture, and strophic in form.
 Friendship, cooperation, and unity are the major virtues that most Kalingas
exhibit.
 Used by a solo performer in counselling, storytelling, and entertaining the
community in any occasion.

Vocal Genres among Ethnic Communities

c. Lullaby
 Owawi (kalinga)
Other infancy – related dong
 Dagdagay and Oppia (kalinga)
 Langan Bata-bata (tausug)
 Bua (subanen)
 Kawayanna kalinga)

d. Love incantation
 Antang (manodo) – matchmaking
 Sindaay,tarasul (tausug)
 Tamuyong, dango, and oggayam – songs of greetings and advice during
a Kalinga wedding.
 e. Work song
 Duduru (aeta) and gagonapu (subanen) - referring to both fishing and
hunting
 Dandannag and owayat (kalinga) gathering firewood
 Didayu (gatac) – making wine
 Sowe-ey (bontoc) – rice-pounding song.

f. Courtship – performed in song –debates

 Dajeng (kankana-ey)
 Batac inanen, estijaro of the Tagacaolo
 Banduyoy of the matigsalog

g. Entertainment
 Salidummay, dongdong-ay, bayok (mandaya)
 Limbay (Manobo)
 Tamiya (ibaloi) – allegorical ballad

h. Death rites
 Didiyaw (bontoc)
 Balow – sung by the Matigsalog wife to honor her death husband
 Ugaling (Manobo)
 Sangsangit (Isneg)

Instrumental Music of Cordillera

1. Gangsa Ensemble
 Is a single handled smooth surface gong with a narrow rim. It is played
according to the traditions of the different tribes of the Cordillera: Kalinga,
Ifuggao, Bontoc, etc.
 Each musician plays one gong consisting of gangsa tuned to different notes.

Two ways of playing the Gangsa

a. Toppaya style – the musicians play the surface of the gangsa with their hand
while in a sitting pposition with a single gangsa resting on the lap of each
musician
b. Patting style – the gangsa is suspended from the musician’s left hande and
played with a padded stick held in the musician’s right handle.

2. Bamboo Solo/Ensemble
a. Kubing (jews harp)
 The instrument is held horizontally with the tongue if front of the opened
mouth while the left end is either strummed by the hand or plucked
 Idiophone

b. Saggeypo
 S bamboo pipe that is closed on one
end by a node with the open end held
against the lower lip of the player as it is
blown directly across the top
 Aerophone
 c. Diwdiw-as
 Five or more different sizes of slender bamboos that are tied together.
 Aerophone

d. Tongatong
 Sets of five to six bamboo tubes with one hole
on top in graduated sizes.
 Idiophone

e. Bungkaka
 Bamboo zither
 Idiophone

f. Patatag
 Bamboo xylophone
 idiophone

Music of Mindoro
Mindoro is an island located southwestern Luzon. It is composed of two provinces:
Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. Tagalong is the main language of Mindoro,
though some parts are greatly influenced by the native Visayan and Mayan languages.
Hanunuo language is the language spoken by the Mangyans.

Other indigenous tribes are:

Ratagnon – occupying the southern tip of Mindoro
Alangan – occupying the northern part of both occidental and oriental in mindoro
Iraya – occupying the upland part of northwest Mindoro.

Vocal Music in Mindoro

Iyaya – lullaby
Ayung or ngayung – ritual chant igway
Marayaw – spirit song
Pamuybuyen (legend) – it means fear of water.

Representative Song/ Genre

Ambahan – is one of the indigenous vocal music of Mindoro. It is a rhythmic poetic
expression with seven-syllable lines with rhythmic end-syllables. It is often presented as a
chant and inscribed in the bamboo tubes called Luka.

Elements used in Ambahan

- Rhythmic poetic lines
 - Monophonic
- Distinct melody
- Meter with seven syllables

Igway – is the word used by the Mangyans for “song”

Instrumental Music of Mindoro

Instrumental Ensemble Bamboo/Gong ensemble

Lantoy – tiny flute that can be played either by nose or mouth

Bangsi – external pipe flute

Budyung – bamboo trumpet

Pituh – flute that is diagonally tunes has finger holes, but no thumb hole

Agung ensemble – consist of two light gongs played by two men squatting on the
floor

Solo instruments
Gitgit – a three-stringed indigenous violin with human hair
for strings

Kudyapi – a kind of lute

Music of Palawan
 Largest provinces in the Philippines in term of land areas.
  One of the seven wonders of the world (Puerto Princesa Underground River)
 Tabon Man 20,000 years ago

Indigenous Groups of Palawan

1. Tagbanwa – people from northern and central part of Palawan
2. Palawano – native lowland dwellers and occupy the Southern Palawan
3. Agutayanen – from Central Island of Cuyo and considered as the elite among
Palawan tribe.
4. Taaw’t bato – mean “people of rock” reside in the mouth of an extinct volcano
5. Batak – called “mountain people of Palawan” who live in the northeastern part of
Palawan.
6. Cuyonen – indigenous group

Types of vocal music in Palawan

1. Sandaw – a lullaby; used either pentatonic or diatonic scale.
2. Cancion song – popular serenade
3. Koirdas di la borbon – song sung during the wake
4. Pa Hesus – song about death

Instrumental music in Palawan

1. Batungtung – bamboo slit drum
2. Palakupakan – stick with bamboo clappers
3. Subing – Jew’s harp
4. Lantoy – nose flute
5. Tipanu Band – a fife and drum ensemble that is reserved for the Ati-atihan, Sinulog
and Komedya
6. Tipanu Cave – two drums and four to seven transverse mouth flutes with six finger
holes.

Music of Visayas
 Located at the central part of the Philippines. Consist of seven large and
hundred smaller islands
 Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Panay and Samar are the seven main
island found in Visayas
 Most of the visayan songs are written in duple or triple meter with simple
melodies. The tempo is slow and fast
 Some popular folk songs like Pakitong-kitong, Ili-ili Tulog Anay, Rosas Pandan, and
Matud Nila originated from this region.

Vocal music of Visayas

1. Performances
a. Children’s song – Ilo ng Bata; Pinalanga ko
b. Debate song – Balitaw
c. Serenade song – Matud nila
d. Epic Song – kandu
e. Farie’s sacred song – Pornito
f. Christmass song – Dagon

2. Representative song/genre
 a. Dandansoy – is a visayan song that depicts the story of a woman who goes
home to payao or farm house.
b. Balitao – visayan folk song and dance where a man and woman engage in
debate in song.

What is Pastores?
Pastores – is a poetic play and dance describing the story of the sheperds’ search for
the baby Jesus.
Pastores de Sibonga – is one of the known Christmas plays in Visayas. It started in the
1920s.

Instrumental music of visayas

1. Rondalla – an ensemble of string instruments played with pick.
2. Tultugan – an indigenous term for “bamboo drum”. It originated from Hiligaynon and
karay-a.
3. Binanog – a courtship dance celebration by the Bukidnon
- Performed in the honor of St. Niño in a festival

Visayan Ethnic Instruments

1. Aerophones - are musical instruments which are blown to produce sound.
Example:
a. Subing
b. Turutor and lutes
c. Pasiyak and tulai
2. Idiophones - are instruments that produce sound by means of striking, shaking, or
rubbing.
Example:
a. Angklung - is made of bamboo tubes. It is played by shaking
b. Gabbang - is made of small bamboo keys. It is played by means of striking
with a wooden stick
3. Chordophones - are instruments that are produce sounds when they are plucked,
struck, or bowed
Example:
a. Sista or guitar of Cebu
4. Membranophones - are musical instruments made of animal skin and other materials
found in the provinces of Visayas.
Example:
a. Tambor - is a percussion instrument made of deer skin
b. Tultugan - is the Hiligaynon and Kinaray, a word for the indigenous bamboo
drum.