TEACHING THE RONDALLA

I. PRELIMINARIES
A. HISTORY
1. Origin - Although in some distant past the Chinese and Japanese traders introduced
their music and musical instruments to the Filipinos, it is unquestionable that the
rondalla is of Spanish origin. Some theorize that it started as street musicians called
murga who played to entertain or to ask for alms. Other accounts hold that it
started as estudiantina, an ensemble typical in Spain especially on school campuses;
or as comparza, a better organized group of performers composed of more
proficient players. The early comparzas. It is believed that numerous comparzas
existed even before the last years of Spanish rule in the Philippines. However, it was
the first decade of the twentieth century that witnessed the emergence of notable
comparzas. The Comparza Joaquin (1905-1913) was versatile¹. It played all kinds of
music from folk songs, dance music, selections from great opera, to classical
overtures that require more than ordinary skills and performance technique. Also
on record is the Comparza Santa Cecilia organized in 1908 by Victorino Carreon, an
opera singer and voice-culture instructor². The Rondalla ideal (1909) and the
Rondalla Filharmonica Juvenal (1913) were founded by Antonio J. Molina, a noted
composer and rondalla exponent. Several other groups include Rondalla Appolo
directed by Jose Silos, the Manila Yellow Taxicab Rondalla also under the direction
of Antonio J. Molina, assisted by Felipe P. de Leon and Honorato Asuncion.

2. Timeline of important events in Philippine rondalla

 1960’s - Hamon sa Kampeon. An award-winning radio and television variety

show that prominently featured rondalla competitions. Incidentally, it was
really this program, through the voices of Dely Magpayo and Pepe
Pemintel, the two popular hosts of the show, that the term rondalla was
popularized to the masses. Dominic Salustiano, the music director of the
show, composed all the pieces for the annual grand final events. Now his
legacy to rondalla groups, the pieces include: Overture no.1, Serenata,
Pizzicato no.1, Maligaya medley and the Paso doble nos. 2, 3, 4, and others.

 The Division Of City Schools Of Manila Organize Rondalla Contests. The

Division of City Schools of Manila has always been supportive of rondalla
organization. Among the rondalla pieces that were popularized were:
Fiesta Filipina subtitled Mila Estela, and Okaka, Okaka, by Cayetano L.
Rodriguez; Yaman ng Diwa, Munting Alaala, and Kalinangan ng Bansa, by
Manuel Bautista; Taguan, and Bakas ng Kahapon, by Salvador Imperio;
Sampaguita March arranged by Angelita C. Pasamba; Ang Masayang Kawal
(The Gay Soldier) by Lucino Sacramento and Manang Biday arranged by
Alfredo S. Buenaventura.
 1967 - National Symphonic Rondalla Composition Contest Launched. This
contest was sponsored by the Manila Times, the leading newspaper during
that time. The first prize was won by Jerry Dadap, a graduate of the UP
College of Music. His winning entry was entitled Philippine Symphonic
Medley for Rondalla.

 1970 - The Taliba Newspaper Sponsors A National Rondalla Contest. This

contest was participated in by eleven adult and ten youth groups from
Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces. The Pio del Pilar High School
Rondalla of Makati, conducted by a 15-year old girl, Rosario Tobias was
declared the Champion. Other winners were: the Round Table Rondalla,
Bulacan; Ramon Magsaysay High School Rondalla, Manila; and Auraullo High
School Rondalla, Manila. The contest piece, Halina sa Pilipinas, was
arranged by Fulgencio M. Gragera. The contest was ably organized by
Felipe Padilla de Leon, a national artist for music.

 1973 - The National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA). This
annual competition is rigid. The competitors must win in the district,
provincial, then regional competitions to be able to compete on the national
level. They are required to perform a cluster of works - classical and
contemporary pieces, as well as works of leading Filipino composers.
NAMCYA has discovered outstanding banduria soloists. First prize winners
include: Edna Aurora Culig of La Union, 1977; Cecilia Sunido of Cavite, 1978;
Helen Canaleta of Camarines Sur, 1979; Maria Leonor S. Llorin of Camarines
Sur, 1980; and Elaine Juliet Espejo of Las Piñas City, 1981. In the family
rondalla category the first prize winners were the Retome Family, 1974;
Aycardo Family, 1975; Relativo – Chavez Family, 1976.

 1975 - Training Center For Rondalla Teachers Instituted. With the support
of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) a private
institution and an international center for research and leadership training,
the Paaralang Anak Pawis was instituted in Silang, Cavite. This project aimed
to train leaders to acquire adequate knowledge, confidence and ability to
teach rondalla in the rural areas. This undertaking was headed by Benjamin
T. Lucas, a music specialist and rondalla teacher.

 1976. The Don Manolo Elizalde Sr. National Rondalla Contest. A project of
the first lady Ms. Imelda R. Marcos, the contest was held in Pandacan,
Manila and managed by the Pandacan Civic Circle, Kabataang Barangay and
the Public Recreation Bureau. Restie Umali, Simplicio Suarez and Alfredo S.
Buenaventura compose the panel of judges. The winners were: Parañaque
District III Rondalla, first place; Ramon Magsaysay High School Rondalla
(Manila), second place; and the Super B-5 Rondalla (Quezon City), third
place.
 1980 – 1981. Rondalla Workshops at Nayong Pilipino. Under the auspices
of the Folk Arts Theater Administration the ‘Kasaysayan ng Lahi’ workshops
were held at the Nayong Pilipino from April 7 to May 9, 1980 and from April
22 to May 21, 1981. The lecturer and facilitator for the rondalla was
Rodolfo de Leon. Inspired by the remarkable success of the rondalla
workshop, Rodolfo de Leon organized the outstanding participant as an
ensemble which he named ‘Pangkat Pilipino’. Soon they performed
regularly at the ‘Maynila’ restaurant of the Manila Hotel.

 1982 - 1983. Barangayan Competitions. Barangayan was a one whole year

television program that highlighted rondalla and solo instrument
competitions. The contestants had to hurdle a series of qualifying rounds –
weekly, monthly and quarterly. Those who qualified were featured in the
grand final event. Declared champion was Parañaque District III Rondalla
for rondalla and Elaine Juliet Espejo for banduria solo. Sponsored by the
Ministry Human Settlement, the show was hosted by the popular radio and
television host Helen Vela and singer Bobby Gonzales.

 1985. The Pambansang Samahan ng Rondalya (PASARON) organized.

There was a marked decline in rondalla activity between 1983 and 1985.
Realizing the need to revitalize the remaining rondalla groups and in line
with the thrust to preserve and develop the rondalla as a distinct music
medium, the Pambansang Samahan ng Rondalya (PASARON) was organized
on June 1, 1985. The principal organizers were Teoderico C. Cosejo of
Southern Luzon Polytechnic College (SLPC), Benjamin T. Lucas and maestro
Celso O. Espejo. The PASARON aimed to propagate rondalla groups, to raise
the standards of rondalla music and performance, and to help preserve and
promote Filipino music heritage. From March 31, 1986 to March 19, 1995,
the PASARON put up annual festivals and competitions at the Rizal Park
Open Air Auditorium in Manila and at the various regions of the Nayong
Pilipino in Pasay City. With the average of 20 groups participating, each
occasion involved the participation of more or less 1000 individual young
players.

 1988. Musikahan sa Tagum - is an annual music festival under the

leadership of the Mayor Rey T. Uy. It is the only annual festival in the south
that uses music as its theme, gaining the reputation as the Music Capital of
the South. The rondalla and solo voice were integrated as one competition
(Rondall-Awit) in two categories. along with other contest in composition,
performance and production.

 1995. The National Music Competition For Young Artists (NAMCYA)

Includes Full Rondalla Ensemble. The winners in the full rondalla
competitions are Category A: 1995 - Parañaque District III Elementary
Rondalla, 2001 - Las Piñas Elementary School Rondalla, 1999 - Kabataan
 Silay Rondalla Ensemble, 2003 - Naga Central School Rondalla, 2011 - Lucban
Elementary School Rondalla; Category B: 1996 - Parañaque District III
Community Rondalla, 1998 - Marcelo del Pilar High School, 2005 - Nabua
National High School Rondalla, 2007 - Sisters of Mary Boystown Rondalla,
Category C: 2009 - Andres Bonifacio Elementary School Alumni Rondalla.

 1996. Paligsahan sa Sining - One of the categories in this competition was

rondalla contest. The membership of each group was limited to 30 players
who were 16 years old or below. The final competitions were held on
February 17, 1996 at the Aurelio Tolentino Hall of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in
cooperation with the Department of Education and Sports put up the
contest. The Parañaque Community Rondalla won the top prize worth
100,000 pesos in cash and in kind.

 1997. NAMCYA highlights rondalla in its silver jubilee celebration - With

the theme: Diwang Pilipino, Muling Alab, the NAMCYA celebrated its 25 th
year anniversary on November 24 – 30, 1997. Part of the highlights of the
celebration was a number of rondalla concerts at the Abelardo Hall in the
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. The performers were:
Osamis City National High School Rondalla (Region X); Nabua National High
School Rondalla (Region V); Quezon National High School Rondalla (Region
IV); and Paranaque District III Community Rondalla (NCR).

 Rondalla organized abroad. In 1927 Jose Estacion, head of the Amoy

conservatory of music in China organized and conducted Philippine
Rondalla4. About the 1960’s a number of rondalla groups proliferated
beyond the Philippine shores. Sometime in the late 1970’s the National
University of Singapore Rondalla directed by Joe Peters, an alumnus of the
University of the Philippines where he obtained his Master of Music
Education degree, performed before an appreciative audience in the
Concert at the Park presentation at Rizal Park open air auditorium. Hosted
by Tina Monson Palma, the group played well-arranged Philippine
traditional music, Singaporean tunes and Latin-American song hits.

 On August 10, 1998 in its second tour of the Philippines, the Eskwelahang
Pilipino Rondalla Ensemble surprised its audience in a superb concert at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines. Christi Ann Castro - a musicologist - the
music director and concert mistress led her group to an evening of delightful
sights and sounds. Adeptly diverging from the traditional line of rhythm,
tempo and harmony, some Philippine traditional tunes and love songs in
their repertoire were given novel treatment that made them sound fresh
and touching. Added to the gorgeous scene and vibrant sounds were the
vigor and artistry of performance that kept the audience in the grip of
delight and amazement. Organized in 1986 and originally under the tutelage
 of the noted classical guitarist Michael Dadap, the ensemble is a project of
the Eskwelahang Pilipino Inc. based in Boston, Massachusetts.

 2002 An All-Japanese Rondalla had a concert at the Rizal Park open

auditorium as part of the Concert at the Park serial presentation. This group
was organized in Japan by Carmen Herrin, a native of Lopez, Quezon. She
was a former student at the Centro Escolar University (CEU) conservatory of
music. Married to a Japanese newsman, she now settles in Japan and
continues to promote Philippine rondalla as one of her social activities in her
immediate community.
 2004. The First International Rondalla Festival. A milestone in the history
of the rondalla, the first international rondalla festival was held on February
8 - 14, 2004 in the cities of Naga and Legaspi, Bicol Region. Under the
auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in
cooperation with the local governments and the Developmental Institute for
Bicolano Artists Foundation, Inc. (DIBA) the festival turned out to be a huge
success. Credits for it go to the adroit and vigorous leadership of Dr. Ramon
P. Santos, and the support of NCCA chairwoman Evelyn B. Pantig, Ms.
Amelita P. Zaens of DIBA Foundations, Mayor Jesse M. Robredo of Naga and
Mayor Noel Rosal of Legaspi.

 2007. The Second International Rondalla Festival. At the height of the

festival’s activities which was participated by 12 local and 9 international
groups in Dumaguete City, Dr. Ramon P. Santos together with international
and local leaders of the group delegates led the creation of the World
Rondalla Organization.

 2011. The Third International Rondalla Festival. The ‘Musikahan sa Tagum’

festival highlights the 3rd International Rondalla Festival’s seven-day event.
The ‘Rondall-Awit’ competition was featured as an event on the sixth day of
the 3rd IRF. The PASARON was officially affiliated to the IRF organizing body
and World Rondalla Organization for the preparation of the 4 th and 5th
Festivals in which they are planning to hold it in a foreign land.

B. THE RONDALLA ENSEMBLE

1. Definition - A rondalla ensemble is a group of musicians who play a variety of
plectrum string instruments such as the banduria, octavina, laud, piccolo, mandola,
guitar and bass. To these basic instruments, cymbals, triangle, drums and other
percussion instruments are added, often used for special effects and usually on
optional basis.
2. Forms of rondalla
a. Standard – banduria, octavina & the accompaniment section. (almost all of the
rondalla arrangements are written in standard form)
 b. Minimal – a solo banduria, octavina or mandola; A duet using 2 similar of any
rondalla instruments; or a sonata of two different rondalla instruments; all
accompanied by a guitar.
c. Full symphony – a symphonic orchestration which includes all the instruments of
the rondalla. (Best for classical and symphonic cross-over scoring for the
rondalla.)

C. KNOWING THE RONDALLA INSTRUMENTS

1. Rondalla Instruments
a. Banduria & Piccolo upper-range sound
b. Octavina & Laud – mid-range sound
c. Mandola, Guitar and Bass lower-range sound
2. Choosing good quality instruments
a. Wood
 Soundboards: Spruce & Cedar/Redwood
 Rib & backboards: Rosewood, Lanka, Mahogany Narra & Calantas (wood
grains)
 Fret board, neck and bridge: Ebony, Mahogany
b. Quality control & defects
 Fret distances.
 Bridge and its height.
 Size of the instruments.
 Distances of strings.
c. Sound test
 Resonance - The fullness and richness of sound, prolonged by vibration.
 Tuning precision. Good instruments don’t lose its resonance and “soft
touch” even if tune to standards.
3. Strings
a. Problem with local strings. (Inconsistent gauge)
b. Brand. La Mariposa, Fuerza, Eagle, Señorita, etc.
c. Proper gauge or size for each instruments.
 For banduria 0, 1, 3, 4wound, 5w, 6w.
 For octavina 1, 2, 3w, 4w, 5w, 6w.
 For guitar: Acoustic - 1, 2, 3w, 4w, 5w, 6w; Classic – Nylon strings
4. Tuning and concert pitch
a. Importance - Good tuning should be observed at all times. It is part of good
training for the children.
b. Tuning device
 Pitch pipe (blown): Chromatic pipe, guitar pipe and single note pitch pipe.
 Tuning fork (very reliable): “C” and “A”
 Electronic tuner
c. Concert pitch
 Instruments ranges
 Modifications
 D. ORGANIZING A RONDALLA GROUP - Start right. To achieve better results the organizer
should plan well his course of actions.
1. Organizer’s goals
a. Competition
b. Cultural dance troupe
c. School entertainment
d. Recordings
2. Information campaign - It is encouraging to note that in spite of the ceaseless
emergence of fads after fads in the world of musical entertainment, the rondalla has
stood its place in the cultural life of our people in at least some appreciable number
of places. Thanks to our schools, churches, rondalla enthusiasts, and to the one
institution that has strongly influenced the present development and renewed
interest in the rondalla, the National Music Competition for Young Artist (NAMCYA).
However, in some schools and communities the rondalla isn’t exactly popular. If
any, the children have vague idea or little understanding about the ensemble. Thus
the lack of interest in the project by both children and parents. To address this
problem, on-campus information campaign should be conducted. Send letters to
parents. Emphasize the following objectives:
a. To develop the musical talent of the children.
b. To help develop their personality.
c. To train them in discipline, teamwork and cooperation.
d. To help keep children away from vices and undesirable companies by spending
their leisure time in wholesome and beneficial activity like joining the rondalla.
3. Recruitment -
a. Requirements for membership
b. Audition (Aptitude test for students who have taken previous training)
c. Assigning of instruments
 Fitness of instrument to the child
 Interest of the child
 Balance of the group
 Number of members

II. TEACHING THE BASICS

A. ORIENTATION
1. Maintenance and care
a. Don’t allow children to leave their instruments on their seat.
b. Keep instrument in bag or case when not in use. Wipe strings after use.
c. Don’t leave instruments under direct sunlight or in a room of high temperature.
d. In case of cracks, loosen the strings immediately to prevent worsening the
damage.
e. Instrument should be stored one side down (tagilid) or hanging.
f. Regularly inspect the machine heads for possible loosening or lose of parts.
B. ACTUAL TEACHING
1. Discipline - Set the standard of discipline during the very first meeting of the class.
2. Parts of instruments: the finger board, sound board, sound hole, bridge, frets,
machine heads and pegs, nut, tail piece, etc.
3. Resting and playing positions (demonstrate)
a. Sitting
b. Left and Right hand position
c. Position of the instrument
4. Holding the pick. Hold the pick firmly between the tips of the thumb and the first
finger. (Demonstrate)
5. Picking strokes
 Tremolo - The downward and upward movement of the pick executed
evenly and rapidly to prolong the sound.
 Downward stroke - The natural stroke is downward. But there are a few
whose tendency is to use upward stroke natural to them. This should be
discouraged.
 Downward and upward picking - This is required only in playing running
passages as tempo demands.
6. Basic fingering patterns - (Create a tablature)
 Numbering of fingers.
 Ordinal number of strings. Reading from right to left: first, second, third,
fourth, fifth, and sixth. These numbers are encircled.
 Numbering of frets. Frets are numbers using roman numerals.
7. Basic drills and exercises - The earliest exercises for beginners should be short,
simple and interesting. One way to do this is to use harmonized exercise. (See
attachments) It is much easier to play the first string of the basic instrument –
banduria and octavina, we deem it better the start with the four notes above the
staff: sol, la, si, do