Ramon Paolo T.

Quintero
2011-11368

MuL 9 MR11A Music of the Philippines

Maam Patricia Silvestre

CONCERT REVIEW: Triple Fret: An Impromptu Concert

Photos were grabbed from the Official Facebook Fanpage of Triple Fret.
Last September 11, 2013, Wednesday, an impromptu concert was held at the UP College of
Music, under the initiation of our instructor in MuL 9, Maam Patricia Silvestre. This impromptu
concert featured UPs very own Triple Fret, an all-girl guitar trio. Despite being submerged in a wide
array of musical genres, it was my first time to witness a performance of three women with their
acoustic guitars.
Triple Fret was launched officially at a music concert at the UP School of Economics in
2011. It consists of Marga Abejo, Jenny De Vera and Iqui Vinculado, all of which studies at the
College of Music here in UP Diliman. Ms. Vinculado graduated cum laude from the University Of
Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, and currently pursues further studies in music. The concert was
supposed to be held at the Mini Hall; however due to the technical reasons, the concert was moved to
Rm 202 of Abelardo Hall.
The acoustics of the Mini Hall was far better than that of Rm 202. The acoustics of the latter
was a little bit dry compared to the acoustics of the Mini Hall. Besides the acoustics, the aesthetics,
the feel of the place of the former venue was more preferred than Rm 202. However, due to the
non-working air-conditioning system of the Mini Hall, the impromptu concert changed venue to Rm
202. The conditions of the said room were also good, though.
In spite of the logisitic problems of the said performance, the audience, including myself,
forgot the lack of aesthetics of the concert, due to the undeniable talent of the group. They did pieces
which will they perform in a concert in Brunei later that month. Their repertoire for that day
consisted of the following:

REPERTOIRE:
A. Vivaldis Concerto in D for Lute, Strings and Continuo (transcribed for three guitars)
Moderato
Largo
Allegro
Sounds from the Palabunibunian
Three Filipino Folk tunes
Manang Biday (An Ilocano Folk Song)
Ugoy ng Duyan (L. San Pedro)
Leron Leron Sinta (Tagalog Folk Song)
P. Bellinatis Baiao de Gude

By looking at the programme, it can be deduced that Triple Fret offers a wide range of
repertoire, from Renaissance-Baroque, to Filipino folk music; from Filipino indigenous music to
Brazilian jazz. Their first piece was a Baroque Concerto by Antonio Vivaldi, which was originally
intended for lute, strings and a basso continuo. There was nothing extraordinary with this work,
except that it has been beautifully transcribed for three guitars. The Baroque elements, such as the
fugue passages, in the concerto were not compromised during the transcription. The guitars acted as
the lute, strings and the basso continuo, respectively.
The next two performances were related to our subject; they are Filipino pieces. The first of
these performances was an adapted version of a Maguindanaon Palabunibunian Ensemble. What I
really appreciated from this act is the fact that I can recognize the melodious passage of the
kulintang, the rhythmic patterns of the babandir and dabakan and the drone of the gandingan and
agong. They were able to mimic 5 instruments with their guitars, which was nothing more than
exemplifying. The folk tunes arrangement varied. Manang Biday had a binary arrangement,
consisting of a very fast and a moderate section. They stayed loyal, however to San Pedros Ugoy ng
Duyan arrangement, and played the piece as it is. There was also no notable variation in their
arrangement of Leron Leron Sinta. Of all the pieces they performed, I can say that these three tunes
were the crowd favourite, having been able to relate to each of them. The last piece, composed by a
Brazilian national, gave us a very electrifying feel. This piece truly showed their prowess in playing
the guitar since Baiao de Gude seemed to be a very challenging and technically difficult piece.
This impromptu concert made me aware of the undeniable presence of musicality among us
Filipinos. It is a shame, however, that not all are given the chance to shine in the musical scene. The
members of Triple Fret said that they are aiming to perform in front of a European audience. After
the concert, they have earned new followers in students like us. They are a group to be proud for.