UNIT 1:

Vocal Music of
Luzon (Lowlands)
Music is important to the
Filipino people. It plays an
integral role in the day-to-day
life of every Filipino. In urban
areas, music is commonly used
to provide entertainment and
fun as seen in rock concerts,
singing shows, singing
competitions, and many others.
is performed every Lenten
season.
Various kinds of music and musical
practices can be found all over the
archipelago. Commonly, music and
musical practices vary by geography.
There are musical practices in the region
of Mindanao that is very distinct from
the musical traditions of Luzon. Cultural
and traditional backgrounds are
important aspects that explain the
distinction of one musical practice from
another depending on its geographical
area.
The vocal music of Luzon, particularly the
Lowland region, will be the focus of this
unit. This unit, firstly, explains the
geographical and cultural background of the
Lowland Luzon area. It further discusses the
musical performance practice of Lowland
Luzon through a selection from the
categories that are folk songs, art music,
sacred music, and secular music.
 THE 7 ELEMENTS OF MUSIC ARE:
• Melody is a set of notes that is the main line of a
musical piece.
• Timbre, also known as tone color or tone quality,
refers to the characteristic of sound.
Characteristics of sound can be high, low, rough,
smooth, thin, thick, etc.
• Rhythm is the consistent pulse or beat
throughout the music. It is also considered as an
element of time in music.
• Harmony is a set of notes played together to
create a certain mood or tonality.
• Form is the general shape of the music. In
popular songs, for example, the form may be
divided into an introduction, verse, chorus,
bridge, coda, and so on.
• Texture refers to the characteristic of some
melodic lines in particular music.
• Dynamics is the loudness or softness of a
sound or music.
Culture refers to the way of living of a certain
group of people in a particular area.
 Lesson 1: Geographical
and Cultural Background
of the Music of Luzon
1. Where is the picture set? Can you describe the environment in the picture?
2. What do you think are the men doing in the picture? The man in the middle
is extending his arms, what could this mean?
3. How about the lady, can you describe her action?
4. What could be the activity being done by the characters in the picture?
The picture above depicts a musical practice
called harana, a tradition commonly found in
the rural areas of Lowland Luzon. The origin of
harana emerged during the Spanish colonial
rule of the Philippines. Like harana, many other
musical styles, genres, and instruments were
brought in the Philippines during the Spanish
colonial rule. To better understand how musical
styles, genres, and instruments emerged and
evolved in the country, we must also learn the
geographical and cultural background of the
lowlands of Luzon.
 THE GEOGRAPHY OF LOWLAND
LUZON LOWLAND
Luzon refers to the plains in Central and
Southern Luzon. The National Capital
Region, Region IV-A (CALABARZON), and a
portion of Region III (Bataan, Bulacan,
Nueva Ecija, and some parts of Zambales
and Tarlac), are part of Lowland Luzon. The
geographical features of Lowland Luzon are
as follows:
• The Lowland Luzon is home to natural and man-
made land and water formations. Some of the
prominent land and water formations in this area
are the Taal volcano encompassed by Laguna de Bay
in Laguna, the Pasig river which connects the
Laguna de Bay and the Manila Bay, and the Angat
Dam in Bulacan which supplies the National Capital
Region (NCR or Metropolitan Manila) with water.
• The urban center of the Philippines, which is the
National Capital Region (NCR) is part of the lowland
Luzon area. In NCR is the capital city of the country,
which is Manila, surrounded by modern, industrial,
and commercial areas.
• Lowlands in Luzon are areas which practice
fishing and agriculture as the primary source
of living. Products found in this area of Luzon
are rice, kakanin, coffee, tea, smoked or dried
fish, and many more.
 THE CULTURE OF LOWLAND LUZON
Lowland Luzon is rich in culture and traditions.
Key to its dynamic culture are the people that
reside in it. Tagalog refers to the majority of
people living in the lowland Luzon area and the
language by which they communicate.
Throughout the years, lowland Luzon has been
in contact with many foreigners that significantly
affected its current state
• The history of the Tagalog culture dates from the pre-Hispanic
era. The petroglyphs found in Angono, Rizal and Laguna
Copperplate which dates back to 1000 AD are proofs of the
ancient Tagalog settling.
• The term "Tagalog" is derived from the Filipino prefix "-taga"
which means coming from and "ilog" (river) or "alog" (the
shallow portion in a stream). This means that the Tagalog
people are men of the rivers having built their culture (fishing
and agriculture) beside streams of waterways.
• During the Spanish colonial rule, Manila became an established
capital and the trading center of the country.
• The lowlands of Luzon has mainly been influenced by Spanish
and American culture. Religions like Christianity, Catholicism,
and Protestantism are the main religion in this area that was
brought through the Spanish and American colonialism.
 Las Piñas Bamboo Organ Church

The Bamboo Organ Church is an example showing both

geographic and cultural influences. Located in the city
of Las Piñas, the 200-year old church is known for its
rare bamboo-made organ pipes built by Father Diego
Ciera in the early 1800s.
 Bahay Kubo
Bahay Kubo is a popular folk song in the
Philippines. It depicts the bahay kubo or nipa
hut, a traditional housing in the Philippines. The
song also describes the environment of the
bahay kubo by enumerating the vegetables
planted near it.
Lesson 2: Performance
Practice
 Performance Practice in the Vocal Music of
the Lowlands in Luzon
Performance practice refers to how music is
performed. The word "perform" does not
refer to an activity done in a stage with a
crowd of people watching. It merely refers to
music being practiced or done. In the vocal
music of lowlands in Luzon, music is either
for entertainment, for learning, for
performance, or for rituals.
  Music as Entertainment
One purpose of vocal music in the lowlands is for
entertainment. Musicians gather together to play their
favorite tunes. Singing contests in search for who has the
highest voice. All these are to render entertainment or fun.
Fiestas are important cultural occasions celebrated by the
Tagalogs in the lowlands of Luzon. Fiestas are celebrated
by communities in commemoration to religious saints or
significant events in their community. Popular fiestas
celebrated in lowlands of Luzon are Feast of the Black
Nazarene which is celebrated every January 9 in Quiapo
Manila; Flores de Mayo celebrated every May; and Pahiyas
Festival celebrated in Lucban, Quezon every May 17
  Music as Learning
Vocal music in lowlands of Luzon is also practiced
through learning. Learning music can be done in
schools, churches, art centers, talent agencies, and
many more. There are many ways 18 in which the
vocal music of the lowlands can be learned. It can be
acquired through observation and imitation. Children
tend to imitate their favorite singers by singing the
way their favorite singers sing. Another way is
through formal learning. In formal learning, a set of
systems are created for the students to enhance
their musical skills.
  Music as Performance
Vocal music of lowlands in Luzon are performed
in stages or halls with bright lights and an
audience. This activity is done by professional
singers or musicians who have dedicated their
lives creating music for a living. In musical
performances, music becomes the center of
adoration of the audience. People would visit a
performance because they love to listen to a
particular song or watch it being performed.
  Music as Ritual
Vocal music of the lowlands is performed to
accompany rituals. One example is religious
rituals in churches that make use of music. In a
Catholic mass, for example, a certain type of
music is used in a particular part of the mass.
Rituals are not limited to religious ones. A secular
example can be seen in the celebration of
birthdays. It has been a ritual that in 19
celebrating birthdays, the song Happy Birthday to
You or Maligayang Bati has to be sung
Lesson 3: Folk Songs
and Art Music
  Folk Song
Refers to the song of the people. Commonly, folk
songs do not have composers for it is owned by the
people. The song naturally became popular among
the people of the community. Folk songs spread
through aural traditions, meaning it was not
written or strongly imposed for the people to learn
it. Popular genres like awit, and kumintang are folk
vocal music found in the lowlands in Luzon.
• Awit often translated in english as "song" is
generally in slow, triple time which tells of
legends and epics. Francisco Balagtas' Florante
at Laura is a famous example of an awit.
• Kumintang, on the other hand, refers to many
genres of music and dance. In dance, it refers
to the hand's circular motion. In music, it
originated as a war song and turned into a
love song. Some sources claim the kumintang
as the prototype of kundiman.
  Art Song
Is a vocal genre composed by a learned
composer. Art songs usually appear in
written notation with an accompaniment.
The Kundiman is a vocal art song which
became popular in the early 1900s. It
achieved a distinct style because of
classically trained composers
Francisco Santiago and Nicanor Abelardo.
Kundiman: Folk Song Turned to Art Song

The Kundiman, despite being known today

as a Filipino art song, has folk origins.
There are many theories on the origin of
Kundiman. However, the popular belief is
that it originated from the phrase "kung
hindi man". The vocal art song Kundiman is
known for its romantic theme about love
and loss.
FRANCISCO SANTIAGO, the father of
Kundiman Art Songs, established the
kundiman as an art song. He composed
kundiman by using poetic lines in Tagalog
and by incorporating rich harmonic
progression. Santiago also standardized the
kundiman form which is binary. The art
song kundiman is known for having two
tonalities, and it usually starts in a minor
key followed by a major, brighter key.
Lesson 4: Sacred and
Secular Music
The vocal music in the lowlands of Luzon can be
categorized as sacred or secular. Sacred vocal
music refers to songs that are sung in churches.
These songs are considered sacred because it
accompanies sacred rituals. Therefore these
songs are not to be sung in public spaces or as
entertainment. Other songs outside the category
of sacred music are known as secular music. The
themes of secular music can range from personal
experience, everyday activities, love, nature, and
many more.
 SACRED VOCAL MUSIC
THE MASS  The Catholic Mass is one example
of sacred vocal music. It is a choral composition
that sets the parts of a mass into music. The
choral music of a mass was originally composed
with a Latin language. However, throughout the
years, the churches made use of the local
languages so that more people will understand
the mass. Church masses can be performed in a
capella, meaning voices only. Other instruments
can also accompany it.
The Catholic mass is divided into five parts: Kyrie,
Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. Each part is
considered as a movement in a musical
composition.
• Kyrie- the first movement of the mass, is usually
in ternary form or ABA form.
• Gloria- the second movement, functions as
celebratory praise to God.
• Credo- encourages congregational singing to
instill faith among the churchgoers.
• Sanctus- is a hymn in Christian liturgy.
• Agnus Dei- the words "Agnus Dei" translate
into English as "Lamb of God" and it is a chant
addressed to Christ. It is commonly used
during Mass in the Roman Catholic Church and
has been adapted into choral pieces by a
number of history's best-known composers.
MORO-MORO AND SENAKULO Moro-moro is
a religious theatrical play that became popular
with the Spanish colonial rule. It is a comic play
that portrays the battles among the Moros or
the Muslims and the Christians. In the end, the
Christians are always portrayed as winners in
battle. The Senakulo is a religious play
performed in the Lenten season that depicts the
life and sufferings of Jesus Christ
PABASA The Pabasa is another vocal genre
that is done during Holy Week. Pabasa has
become a tradition practiced by the local all
around the lowlands in Luzon. During Holy
Week, locals gather together in parishes to
practice pabasa. This is done by turning the text
of the booklet Pasyon into a song. The singing
starts in Holy Wednesday and ends till Good
Friday. This practice is done to commemorate
the life of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
 SECULAR VOCAL MUSIC

Secular Vocal Music, on the other hand, refers to

all vocal music that does not have sacred or
religious content. The genres from the previous
chapter like kundiman, kumintang, and awit are
examples of secular vocal music in lowlands of
Luzon.
Instrumental
music
 RONDALLA
Rondalla- originated in Spain but became
most popular in Philippine folk music after
it was introduced during the 19th century. It
is an ensemble of stringed instrument with
the pick such as guitar, laud, octavina,
piccolo, and bajo de uas.
 MUSIKONG BUMBONG OR
BAMBOO MUSIC
The Musikong Bumbong or bamboo music
is a band that uses improvised instrument
made of bamboo. The bamboo band
includes piccolo, tuba, clarinets flutes, and
saxophones made of bamboo. Musikong
bumbong or Bamboo music is still played
during festivals.
 ANGKLUNG ENSEMBLE

Angklung is a handmade musical instrument made from pair of

bamboo, mounted in a bamboo frame, that produces sounds
when shaken.
• Short Quiz (1-20) about Lesson 1- Lesson 4 in
Music
• Performance Task for Music