Philippine Classical Music (2 of 6)

The most famous composer who excelled in religious music in the western tradition was Marcelo Adonay (1840-1928) of Pakil, Laguna.

New musical forms still in practice developed around religious and secular activities. The pasyon chants story of the Passion sung in the vernacular during Lent; the cenaculo depicts drama of Christ’s passion and death; the santacruzan and flores de Mayo celebrated the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the dalit airs mournful plaint; the awit chants story based on the Crusades; the tagulaylay recites lament; the kumintang is a war song turned love song; the kundiman sings typical love song in binary form; the duplo is a literary-musical joust; the carillo demonstrates shadow play, and the comedia or moro-moro depicts the fight between Mohammedans and Christians.

A few bamboo organs from Spanish models were constructed in the 19th century, the most famous of which is the Las Pinas bamboo organ built in 1818 by Augustinian friar Diego Cera. After its repair/restoration in Bonn, Germany in 1975, this particular bamboo organ has become the setting for annual organ festival at Las Pinas in February for the past 15 years.

A strong sense of nationalism was incited among composers and librettists by the Filipino rebellion of 1895 against Spain. Tagalog playwrights wrote revolutionary sarsuelas (song-plays) depicting contemporary Philippine life and culture. The first operetta was Sandugong Panaginip (Dream-Alliance) with libretto by Pedro Paterno and music by Ladislao Bonus. Julian Felipe composed the Martsa Nacional which later became the official anthem of the Philippines. Original lyrics were by Jose Palma in 1899, translated into English by Camilo Osias and later into Filipino by the Department of Education and Culture in the 1950s.