S t.

M atthew Academy of Cavite

A Christ Centered- School

THE
MUSIC
OF
LUZON
(Lowlan
ds)

Inihanda ni: Ms. Princess Ann I. Glean

The lowlands of Luzon consist of several ethnolinguistic groups. Their vocal and instrumental
music expresses their feelings towards each other and their environment, their history, and their
religious beliefs.

The music of Lowland Luzon contains music for Liturgy and Devotional music as influenced by
the friars who believed that music was the best method to convert the natives.
Objectives:

 Describes the musical characteristics of representative music selections from the lowlands of
Luzon after listening analyzes the musical elements of some Lowland vocal and instrumental
music selections.

Folk songs

The Philippines has rich folk song traditions. Songs mark every stage in the life of the Filipino,
from the moment he is born to his death and burial. Filipinos are a musical people, as noted by foreign
visitors to our country. Like the other aspects of our culture, our folk song tradition is characterized as
rich and varied, exhibiting an interesting blend of the East and West.

FOLK SONG CAN BE CLASSIFIED AS:

1. Narrative songs or Ballads - are a form of narrative verse that can be either poetic or musical;
not all ballads are songs. Many musical ballads are slow and emotionally evocative. The islands
of Panay and Negros have the richest ballads called komposo.
2. Lullabies and Children’s songs – Philippine lullabies tend to be soporific in tune sometimes
repetitious in text. A lullaby is a song sung to send a child to sleep. The singer may be the
mother or an older sibling, relative, or neighbor. Children’s songs remind us of the happy and
carefree world of a child.
3. Didactic songs – These songs tend to moralize Filipino folks.
4. Love, Courtship, and Marriage songs – These are songs about love and courtship that dominate
the field of Philippine folk songs.
5. Serenades – Some of the most beautiful love songs are sung to serenade a loved one. It has no
fixed form and characteristically played outside a woman’s house at night.
6. Wedding Songs – The text of these songs is serious in tone and advises newlyweds from a
religious point of view.
7. Songs of Family Life – These songs express Filipino ideals about the structure of the family, the
respective roles of parents and children, and the love that should bind family members with
each other.
8. Songs of Friendship and Conviviality – Occasions for these songs are social visits, so the texts
focus on welcome and farewell.
9. Humorous Songs – Filipino folk’s sense of humor is also expressed in his folk songs.
10. Occupational Songs – Also called work songs. These songs present an interesting variety of jobs
that the Filipino folk engage in for a living. The songs also give us valuable insights into the
feelings, longings and outlook on life on the Filipino workers.
11. Social Protest Songs – These songs show social awareness of social problems like inequality,
poverty, and unemployment.
12. Religious Festival Songs – Many Filipino feasts are celebrated in songs like Christmas and Lent.
13. Death and Funeral Songs – These songs are sung by those who mourn the dead or keep vigil
during the wake.
PHILIPPINE FOLK SONGS MAY BE CHARACTERIZED AS:

 Western inspired
 Singable melody
 Syllabically set in stanza text
 Simple structure and harmony
 Uses major and minor scales
 Uses triple and duple meter
 Accompanied by a guitar

Sacred Music - Religious music (also sacred music) is any type of music that is performed or composed
for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred
or not, performed or composed for or as ritual.

Examples:

1. Ave Maria – commonly sung by a female voice or sung by a tenor or baritone with piano or
harmonium accompaniment.
2. Flores de Maria – arranged for three voices with organ or harmonium accompaniment.
3. O Salutaris Hostia – arranged for multiple voices with full orchestral accompaniment.

Secular Music - is non-religious music. Secular means being separate from religion.

Examples:

1. Berso Golpeado – a traditional greeting song of the Ibanags.

2. Kumintang – originally a war song but later developed into an ancient native dance and melody
in triple time.
3. Balitaw – a song and dance common among the Tagalogs
4. Kundiman – the most typical love song of the Filipinos.

Art music - is a general term often used to describe thoughtfully cultivated music, particularly in
Western societies, and as in contrast to pop and folk music.

Examples:

Kundiman – the most typical love song of the Filipinos

Exercises:

I. Which lines describe a Philippine folk song? Put a check.

 __________1. They are orally transmitted.

__________2. They belong to any composer or performer.

__________3. They are often learned by ear.

__________4. They undergo a lot of changes.

__________5. They are handed down from generation to generation.

__________6. Uses Major and Minor scales

__________7. They are accompanied by a piano.

__________8. They are written through notation.

__________9. They are set in stanza text.

__________10. They are Western-inspired.

II. Fill the blank to complete the given word.

1. N__rra__iv__
2. Occ__p__tio__al
3. F__m__ly Li__e
4. D__da__t__c
5. Lull__b__ __s
6. C__urtsh__p
7. __edd__ng
8. H__m__r__us
9. C__il__re__
10. S__r__n__d__

Evaluation:

Identify what is being described.

1. Family life is expressed in these songs. __________
2. These songs are sung by those who mourn the dead or keep vigil during the wake. __________
3. These songs played outside a woman’s house at night. __________
4. The text of these songs is serious in tone and advises the newlyweds from a religious point of
view. __________
5. The Filipino folk’s sense of humor is expressed in these folk songs. __________
6. These songs tend to moralize Filipino folks. __________
7. It is commonly called composo in the islands of Panay and Negros. __________
8. The singer is not always the mother but an older sibling, relative or a neighbor. __________
9. These songs show social awareness of social problems like inequality, poverty and
unemployment. __________
10. The occasions for these songs are social visits, so the texts focus on welcome and farewell.
__________