ISLAMIC

COMMUNITIES OF THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

BACKGROUND
• History
- Martial alliances between Foreign Muslims and Local converts resulted in the Islamic
ancestries of Maguindanao, Buayan, and Butig. Principles of politics by marriage later spread
among the Maranao.
- In 1521, Filipino Muslims (Moros) in Mindanao successfully resisted the Spanish conquest of
the islands.
• 5 Major Ethnolinguistic of the Islamic Community in the Philippines:
- Maguindanao of Cotabato
- Maranao of Lanao and Cotabato
- Samal and Jama Mapun of Sulu Islands of Sibutu and Cagayan de Sulu
- Tausug of Sulu islands of Jolo, Siasi, and Tawi Tawi
- Yakan of Basilan and Zamboanga on westernmost tip of Mindanao
• Smaller groups:
- Sama-Bajao (seafaring people)- Sulu Archipelago
- Sangil- Cotabato and Davao
- Melebugnon- Balabac Island
• Ritual Practices:
- Kapagipat- curing rite of Maguindanao
-variants (pagipat and pagubad)
-tagunggo rhythm (played to accompany the dance of exorcism by a medium
“pedtunungan” in the patient’s house. Also played by kulintang ensemble to accompany the
“sagayan” dance of communication with the world of spirits)
- Magigal jin- possession dance of Sama-Bajao of Sitangkai

DIVERSITY IN ISLAMIC MUSICAL TRADITIONS
• Similarities do exist in the musical inventories as is some vocal styles within the larger society,
but theoretical concepts, functions, aesthetics, and repertoires differ from culture to culture,
and even from village to village belongings to one language group.
• Forms of art of these Islamic cultures have enhanced the stylistic breadth of existing repertoires.
It reflects each local society’s sense of independence from any one dominant political or
religious ideology.













INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS ETHNOLINGUISTICS FUNCTIONS
Bossed-gong -Horizontal gongs laid -Western Mindanao -Visible and familiar
in a row -Sulu Archipelago symbols of the musical
traditions of Filipinos

Kulintang -Set of of graduated -Maguindanao -Principal instrument
gongs laid in a row in a -Maranao
wooden frame
-Consists of 7-8 gongs
-as many as 11-13 -Tausug
-as few as 5 -Yakan in Basilian
island
Sarunay -Set of rectangular -Young boys and girls
metal plates with a practice on a
protrusion in the miniature copy of
center kulintang
-Plates are held
together by strings on
both ends and laid on
a wooden frame,
where they are
separated by wooden
pegs that join the two
sides of the frame



















MAGUINDANAO

(Datu Piang of the upper Mindanao River)
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS FUNCTIONS
Kulintang -Primary musical instrument - Entertain guests at public
-Tones are not tuned to a fixed occasions providing a unique
temperant medium of interaction within
-lowest (pangandungan) the community (may be in the
-highest (pamantikan) form of a competition or
-Secular social activity (weddings- courtship)
“kalilang” and baptisms-“paigo sa
(Vertical Suspended
Gongs): ragat”’seawater baptism’)
a) Agung -Large, deep-rimmed gong, with a
higher boss

b) 2 pairs of Gandingan -Gongs with narrower rim and lower

boss

c) 1 Babandil -Smaller than agung, with a narrower,
turned-in rim and low boss

Dabakan -A drum that complements the
ensemble

Burunay- old type of instruments (ownership of these indicates high social status and cultivated taste)




Palabunibunyan (Simuay ensemble)
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS FUNCTIONS
8 gong kulintang -Played with 2 mallets of light -Melodic instrument,
wood (basal) determining the shape of each
piece

2 Agung -Facing each other, are played -Provides rhythmic line
with 1 rubber-padded mallet -Traditionally a male instrument
-Kudtinengka (muffling the boss - To call people to assemble or
with the left hand and mark important hours of the
alternately striking the boss day during Ramadan
with the padded end of mallet, (particularly the beginning and
followed by striking the surface end of the fasting) or to
with unpadded part announce the death of a parent.
-When the sound is properly
transmitted, it’s considered to
possess supernatural powers
2 pairs of Gandingan -Played by 1 musician using 2 -With their overlapping
padded mallets, with each hand sonorities, create a continuum
striking 2 gongs that face each of sound
other -Young men play to
-older (larger in size, with a communicate their love to
longer resonance) young women.
-smaller (about 40 centimeters
in diameter, produce higher
tones
Babandil -Struck on the rim with a pair of -Principal ostinato instrument
thin bamboo sticks, producing -Introduces each piece by
bright, metallic sounds playing the appropriate
-Taken by a separate musician rhythmic mode

Dabakan -Goblet-shaped drum -Maintains the rhythmic motion

Dabu-Dabu -Large drum -Sounded each Friday to mark
noontime prayers.


KULINTANG REPERTOIRE
Rhythmic modes (suite of pieces) in Datu Piang:
1. Duyug
2. Sinulug
3. Tidtu
4. Tagunggo- reserved for rituals and ceremonies
Modes (relate to different shades of moods and emotions) in Simuay village:
1. Binalig- strong feelings: anger, joy
2. Sinulug- sentimentality
3. Tidtu- excitement
-well suited to musical jousts, exhibiting the players’ virtuosity
Phases of courtship and cycle of life (by Salbanon Beray and Salimba Limba) in Datu Piang:
1. Silung (modern binalig)- portraying 2 lovers
2. Sinulug- woman accepts a man’s suit and plan to marry
3. Tidtu- man’s parents agree on the dowry
4. Binalig- dowry and wedding are publicized
5. Anun (modern sinulog)- wedding is solemnized
6. Tagunggo- offspring’s baptism
Sectional types:
1. Introduction
2. Repeated sections
3. Ascending transition
4. Descending transition
5. Conclusion
Styles of playing in Simuay:
1. Minuna- slower and more formal using large gandingan
-older social etiquette is observed with regard to traditional gender assignments on the
instruments and to formalities in the invitation to perform and acceptance
2. Sinaguna- appeals to the younger generation of players, who prefer the smaller gandingan, a
faster rhythmic pace, and a highly ornamental renditions


















MARANAO

(Kulintangan)
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS FUNCTIONS
8 piece kulintang -On the way to kulintang, a lady -Medium for expressing
perform and walks with Maranao traditional culture and
deliberate grace, the right hand etiquette
swaying slowly by her side and -Form of communication among
the left hand holding the long the players
wraparound skirt, “malong” -Occurs in private homes or
-Principal instrument (played by ancestral houses, “torogan”
young women)
-Sets the musical idea and
elaborates on it
Dubakan -Principal instrument (reserved -manner of poetic interlocution
for men) between a young man and a
-Responds according to the woman
musical nuances and
permutations

Bubundir -Developing into courtship

2 deep rimmed gongs (Agung): -Played separately by 2 -To announce the
musicians enthronement or crowning of a
Pumalsan -providing elaboration sultan, or formally greet
Penanggisa-an -providing basic pulse distinguished guests (inandang)
in a social gathering
-Kaburuburu (sounded
summons by the Datu)
-Kabalok (plays to announce the
death of a member of a family











Tukimug- kulintang piece made up of melodic segments or phrases consisting of eight-strokes
-related to poetry, song, or proverb
-may be repeated, varied, or extended by 1 or 2 more segments
-consists of tones (“Kundongan”-1st four gongs: gong 3 or “Anonan”-4 upper gongs: gong 6) as a
transition between lower and upper ranges of kulintang




KULINTANG REPERTOIRE
1. Kapupanok (bird)
2. Kasolotan (sultan)
3. Kapmangurib (sunset on the western horizon)
4. Kaplakitan (love proposal)
5. Kapanon (sentiment)
6. Kasagoronan (musical sounds)
7. Kaphemabaro (naughty lady)

Kakolintang- art of playing kulintang:
ANDUNG (old) REPERTOIRE
1. Kapaginandung (things of the past)
2. Katitik Panday (creative beating)
BAGO (new) REPERTOIRE
1. Kapagonor (high art)
2. Kapromayas (piece from the town of rumayas)
New Style:“Kapangolilat sa kulintang”(art of twirling the mallets during the performance of Kapagonor






















SULU ARCHIPELAGO

Tausug
(Kulintangan ensemble)
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS
8 or 11 Gongs -Laid in a row

Pair of hanging gongs
(Duwahan):





Pulakan -Medium sized, dee-rimmed gong
-Large, narrow-rimmed gong
Bua
Tunggalan or Aalakan -Basic rhythmic structure is articulated on a large,
dee-rimmed gong
Gandang -Pair of 2 headed drums

Tung-tung on Tutuntungan -one of the upper gongs of kulintang, rhythmic
ostinato played by the 6th musician

Categorized pieces:
1. Sinug- 2 part piece (slow introduction and a rhythmic section)
2. Kuriri- single part piece (fast tempo)
3. Lubak-lubak- single part piece (characteristic tune)
-played to accompany dancing

Yakan
Types of composition:
1. Te-ed (preparation)
2. Kuriri (composition proper)

Lebad- musical unit that represents a shade of emotion or extramusical idea
Scale (intervallic sequence): C-E-G-A-C


(Tagunggu ensemble of the island of Basilan)
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS
Kwintang -Principal instrument (horizontal 5 gong)

Gandang -Cracked bamboo tube
3 hanging Agung





Optional:
Gabbang -5 key xylophone

Kwintangan kayu -Percussion beams

Nulanting- (separate player) rhythmic ostinato on the highest gong of kwintangan

Agung:
>Meglebuan- may performed by 3 musicians (may be played independently of kwintangan and gandang
“ngagung”)
>Lerukan- single performer plays them, one foot rests on the inner chamber of the lowest gong
>Labuan- left hand holds the side of the boss of the highest gong
>Penagungguan- middle-pitched gong is left to resonate

Tagunggu music:
- Paggunting (baptism-initiation)
- Pag-tamat (graduation from training Qur’ānic reading)






Sama-Bajao
Pangongka’an (orchestra)
- associated with dance and performances occur on special occasions:
Circumcision (magislam)
Marriage (magkawin)
Dances of possession (magigil jin)
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS
Kulintangan -7-9 gongs (played by 2 performers
-Melodies are consist of 3-8 tones (played by right hand)
-Left hand sounds the lower gongs at a slower rhythm
-2nd kulintang (plays an ostinato pattern on one of highest gongs,
“solembat”
-For women

Tamuk -Large hanging gong played by 1 musician
-For men




Bua -Narrow-rimmed gong
Pulakan -Smaller agung
Tambul -Drum (long bronze cylinder with a goatskin head)
-For men or women

Bola’bola’- wooden castanets (for female dancers in secular pieces)

REPERTOIRE OF SAMA GONG MUSIC
Titik tagunggu- simplest (only 3 gongs)
-ceremonial piece, aboard a boat with dancers rhythmically clicking their castanets
-dispenses all the hanging gongs
Titik tabawan- possession dance performed by female mediums
-associated with older women
Titik jin- possession dance performed by male mediums
-only 2 hanging gongs
Lellang- possession by spirits, performed as a concluding part of rite and reserved to chief medium
Tariray- danced by young women with subtle erotic movements of hands and body

SAMA-BAJAO OF BUS-BUS ON JOLO ISLAND
Duldang-duldang (darling-darling)- song-dance debate performed by pairs of male and female dancers
who alternate in singing verses of courtship in high, strained timbres
-female dancers (wear long, pointed artificial fingernails,”djang-gay”)
Titik to’ongan- variational piece rendered in fast tempo
Sambulayang- virtuosically employs the entire tonal gamut of the “papgongka’an”



OTHER INSTRUMENTS
(BAMBOO and WOODEN idiophones to a variety of strings and winds)

Maguindanao of Dinaig
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS
Kulintang -hardwood slats cut in graduated sizes, each slat tuned by the
removal of a sliced curve in its middle
-suited to pieces in the modern (sinaguna) or fast (barikata) style
of playing

Agung - played on 2-4 pieces of small bamboo half tubes of varying sizes
“tamlang agung”
- (2 half tubes are played) musician sits on a stool cross-legged
with one tube tucked vertically between the legs, the other is
held by the left hand horizontally against the other, forming a
cross. The player strikes the outer portions of tubes alternately
with a wooden mallet producing different patterns of tones
-(playing 4 pieces) musician sits on the ground with legs extended
forward, parallel to each other. Serve as the stand on which
pieces of bamboo rest

Gabbang - bamboo xylophone, consist of blades graduated by size and
resting on trapezoidal wooden resonator with cloth padding
between the blades and sides of the box
-sometimes solo or accompanied by “biola”(4 stringed bowed
instrument)
-Yakan: 5 blades, same repertoire as kwintang and other solo
instruments (playing includes the tapping of a rhythmic
ostinato,”nulanting” on portion of resonator box

-Tausug in Luuk: 16 blades, Sama from Sitangkai also played to
accompany songs and dances: “Le’le’”(old folks, enjoyed by
young)









Agricultural season
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS ETHNOLINGUISTICS FUNCTIONS
Percussion beams -Farmers play to
(luntang) -set of 5-8 logs, -Maguindanao keep birds out of
sharpened on one end fields or to while
suspended horizontally, away the time
one below the other -It sounded to wake
from a tree or outside a up the community
house so that people can
-One musician plays on eat their meals
the sharpened portion before the fast
while another beats a begins
rhythmic ostinato on
middle part of one log
-sound is believed
(Kwintangan kayu) -consists of 5 hanging -Yakan to induce
logs, topped by bamboo productivity from
and suspended from the the planting field
branch of tree facing the -removed as the
rice fields flowers sprout
-Each beam is likewise
tapered on one end,
which the principal
player strikes with
wooden mallet (lisag:
other plays basic pulse
on the bamboo pole)
-the music may be
played by 1 (ngwintang)/
2 (kajali)/ 5 starting
immediately after the
planting of rice seedlings
until they break from the
ground

Bamboo clappers - it is on top of a pole -Yakan -it can be pulled
(dalupal) (kopak-kopak) and anytime to create
placed in the middle of loud rattling sounds
field to scare the birds
-a string is attached to it and other animals
and extended to the on the ground
farmer’s dwelling
Scraper (garakot) -usually tucked on both -Maranao - to drive away
ends between the unwanted
performer’s legs scavengers of the
-Left-hand stick plays a field: birds, rats,
steady rhythm on the insects
chipped surface of tube,
 while the right-hand -young men play it
stick taps different parts to attract the
of the body, producing a attention of passing
variety not only of women, or to show
rhythmic patterns, but off their musical
also of attacks and skills in friendly
timbres competitions
-skilled players may
gradually shift their
positions from sitting to
lying on their backs and
raising the scrapers in
the air with their feet
without missing a beat or
interrupting the music

Log drum (tuntungan) - resonated suspended -Yakan
plank made of a flat
board with a rounded
portion toward one end
and suspended from a
frame
- Suspended upside
down and serving as
resonators are 2
differently sized earthen
jars whose mouths are 2-
5 cm aways from the
board
-2 players with lisag play
on the rounded portion
of the log, while another
plays on the flat end with
a long wooden shaft


Kagul - scraper-type -Maguindanao (Datu -people play it to drive
instruments and an Piang) away animals while
idiochord half zither gathering food
with one string lifted
from the other side of
the tube’s body
-While one stick
scrapers the notches
the other stick strikes
the string

 Oniya-niya -made of leaf of a -Maranao -produces a reedy,
coconut and a stalk of haunting sound, which
rice can frighten unwanted
animals in fields


FLUTES
-vary in length from 35.5-61 cm and in number of holes
-makers measure inexactly the distance between holes, resulting in variable interval relations between
tones, but music is mostly pentatonic, with addition of 1 or 2 auxiliary tones
-in western Mindanao and Sulu have their own solo repertoires, mostly intended for self-entertainment
and courtship
-technique of playing: circular breathing, which enables the players to create a continuous line of sound
without breaks between phrases or melodic units
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS ETHNOLINGUISTICS
Ring flute - made of a rattan strip that is
wrapped around the hole for
the mouth



(suling) -Maguindanao and Yakan

(insi) -Maranao

(pulao) -Sama
Lip-valley flute - has an open mouthpiece cut in
(palendag) a curve, supporting the player’s -Maguindanao
lower lip

Jew’s harp - favorite instrument of
courtship and recreational
repartee, it simulates the
sounds of speech including
prosody
-In courtship, phrases are
(kubing) based on metaphorical -Maguindanao and
language and local poetic Maranao
expressions
(kulaing) -Every young Yakan has it -Yakan
tucked in his headband
everywhere he goes
Lute - 2 stringed instrument,
body is shaped like a boat
with long neck and an
intricately curved
pegboard. Thin wire
 strings, tuned a perfect 4th
apart, are plucked with
rattan plectrum
- not accompanied by any
other instrument, player’s
thumb taps a rhythmic
drone on its body
-Muslims in Mindanao and
Sulu differs stylistically
from Mindanao cultures:
Tagakaolo, Manobo, and
T’boli

- plays while dancing or
(kudlung) with body movements, -Manobo
sometimes coupled with
(hagelong or hagelung) singing and complement of -Tiboli
polychordal tube zither
(“saluray” in Manobo)

(kutyapi or kutyapiq) - played in a sitting -Maguindanao
position, solo instrument
(kotyapi) and never accompanies -Maranao
the voice which a practice
prevalent among Palawan
highland people
-in Maranao, it’s a solo
instrument and can be part
of serenade ensemble
(kapanirong). Pieces
express abstract feelings
and ideas, or derive from
existing songs and ballads
Biola -adapted from western -Tausug
family of bowed stringed
instrument by way of
Portuguese influence in
Indonesia
-can be played as solo
instrument, or accompany
the voice and gabbang
-with a relative tuning
based on 5ths, its music
can be made to replicate
other forms of musical
renditions: lyrical songs of
love, highly melismatic
 style of the
“luguh”(structural formula
of Qur’anic recitation) and
rhythmic music of gabbang


In Mindanao, 12 movable pyramid-shaped frets made of beeswax may be arranged according to 2
pentatonic modes:
*Dinaladay- anhemitonic (repertoire is classified when it has a slower tempo)

*Binalig- ‘necklace’, which has a semitone in its lower octave (repertoire is classified when it’s played
with sometimes mesmerizing speed)

ZITHERS- CHORDOPHONES:
INSTRUMENTS DESCRIPTIONS ETHNOLINGUISTICS
Tangkol -4 stringed version of tube -Manobo
zither -Bagobo
-recreational instrument -Cordillera tribes in Northern
(played by 2 women, one Luzon
plucking the melody and the
other playing the drone
Sirongaganding - idiochord tube zither, has -Maranao
leather flap on one end and
strings lifted from body (played
by plucking the strings and
tapping a rhythmic
accompaniment on the
drumlike end)


VOCAL MUSIC

Styles of singing (Tausug from Luuk):
• “tayil” style- slow, religion-oriented, metrically free, melismatic, high tessitura and optional
accompaniment
• “paggabang” style- suited to secular songs in fast tempo, metered, syllabic, and with medium
tessitura and instrumental accompaniment

Gulu (master)- under its tutelage, training of vocal expression of reading the Qur’an is conducted
formally
Magsambag- Yakan: tutoring and learning is often done at night when everyone is asleep
Mulid (disciple)- is required to repeat and commit to memory luguh after luguh intone by teacher
Tarasul- sung at student’s oral examination, commenting on verses of 13th chapter of Qur’an




Religious songs
-related to Qur’anic recitation

-“zubor”: one of the prayers observed on specific hours of the day, from morning until midnight
(“adhan or bang”: opens a responsorial invocation sung on melismatic melodies by imam and deacon)
>”fatiha”: chanted in middle of service and “lasib”: sung at the end

-“puwasa”: usually falls after harvest, it starts when marked by sounding of log drum or large skin drum
(dabu-dabu)
>”talawi”: evening prayers are preceded and capped by singing of it
• Syllabic invocation, punctuated at the end of each phrase by a chorus of men chanting the word
Muhammad
• Syllabic with chorus closing the prayer with one word amin
• Highly melismatic vocal setting between a lead chanter and chorus

-“dikil or dikir”: sung during Maulud, poetic verses containing lessons of Prophet Muhammad,
recounting events in his life or praising his works
>Maguindanao sources (text are Arabic books):
• Molud sa riful alam
• Birjanyi naaru
>Tausug Maulud ceremony (“luguh”- sung in mosques in Jolo during he entire month of commemorating
the birth of Muhammad)
• Songs rendered in tayil style (with high tessitura and free melismatic lines), taken from book
“Kitab Maulud Shafari-anam (The Birth of the Glory of Mankind): may sung alone or alternation
between leader and chorus or between smaller groups of singers


Epics
(rendered with reciting tones and short melismatic passages)
Primary literary symbols of each group’s cultural heritage:
• Kundaman- Palawan
• Ibalong- Bikol
• Biag ni Lam-Ang- Ilokano
• Hudhud- Ifugao
• Ullahingan- Manobo
• Hinilawod- Sulod of Panay
Islamic cultures of Mindanao and Sulu:
• Radya Indara Patra and Diwata Ksalipan- Maguindanao
• Darangen- Maranao: “kandurangen”(songs rendered in the style of it)

Tutolan ko Radia Mangandiri (story of Radia Mangandiri)- similar to Ramayana, search of Mangandiri for
Tuwan Potre Malano Tihaia, whom Maharadia Lawana had abducted. Earlier, Lawana had transformed
himself into a golden goat. Mangandiri was assisted in his quest by the monkey Laksamana, who later
turned out to be his son

Kata-kata- epic poems of Sama and Yakan, are recited only by mediums and other important persons
who have the authority to conduct rituals. It is performed in private, sometimes only by narrator or the
company of chosen apprentice
- It is usually timed during full moon, the narrator intones the verses while lying on his back. It
lasts for several nights, as the main highlight of important public gathering

Other narrative forms
Langkit- Tausug traditional ballads, strong component of contemporary oral literature: they chronicle
recent events, ranging from the historic burning of a town in Jolo to humorous accidents in the life of an
ordinary person
-singers are often hired to entertain guests, each narration can run from 10mins to several hours
-accompanied by gabbang or biola
Nahana- similar form of Yakan, short narrative song about the life of famous person or specific events in
the community

Tunes of the Songs:
• Dehellu- old
• Dembulli- new
Magkawin- Yakan wedding celebrations:
• Jamiluddin- sung to recount the story of how the couple first met, and later events led to the
present engagement or marriage. Can also be considered important part of the occasion, when
parents of both parties meet to agree on their children’s union
• Sa-il or lunsey- part of nuptial ceremony, sung with containing words of advice to couple
regarding the difficulties and rials of married life

Songs of love
Expressions of love in Maguindanao:
• Sindil- replete with vocal devices and requiring subtle changes in vocal timbres
• Bayok- general term for song, more syllabic with a limited vocal range and quality free of special
vocal techniques. Used in sung debates and effectively convey metaphorical and figurative
language of poetry
Styles:
• Baqat- Tausug: uses ancient language, sung in formal “luguh” style
-“leleng”(highly modernized version of such ballads of love as the “tenes-tenes or
“duldang-duldang”)
• Kapranon- Maranao: more contemporary, highly sentimental ballad rendered in somewhat
melismatic and rhythmic mode of singing

Songs for entertainment
FORMS:
Meglebulebu- Yakan
Kapamelo-malong- Maranao
GENRE:
Former- song debate between male and female groups, exchanging proverbs and metaphorical adages
and passing a waist-band “seputangan” from one group member to another
Latter- sung by a woman while demonstrating in delicate movements the ways of wearing malong

Musical exhortations
Public assemblies such as enthronement of datu or graduation (magtam’mat):
Bayok- Maranao: singer is called “pabubayok”, an onor, highly-caliber artist who has undergone
extensive training in “kambayok”(art of bayok performance) and other artistic, intellectual, religious
activities
-rhetoric requires the singer to establish through extemporized speech the relationship between
the present event and its principal personalities and entire Maranao cultural heritage:
“Darangen”(famous piece)- high point is reached when singer shifts to singing of portions from it and
music becomes more rhythmic and syllabic. Singer accompanies this portion with rhythmic tapping
(tintik) of any object within reach or graceful swaying of her hands, each holding a fan
-onor puts forward for public scrutiny his/her own artistic being (stage presence and ability to
capture the audience’s attention and interest)
-singing commences with subtle utterances on lower vocal register, gradually increasing in
intensity and range as exhortation unfolds

Songs for children
Langan bataq-bataq- Tausug: sung by mothers and older men while rocking the baby’s cloth cradle
-subjects: birds, animals, feelings of joy or sadness, thoughts about portents that will
have some bearing on the child’s future
-done with high and loud voice (text is in Tausug and rendition belongs to the
melismatic “tayil” vocal tradition)
Ya-ya- Yakan lullaby: sung softly and more slowly
Magbinua- Sama: sing of a world of dreams in gentle tones, almost speech-like within limited vocal
range
Sangel- Maguindanao: sung for either male or female children (texts are punctuated by nonsense
phrases “bungbung mang-mang” and sung on a melody consisting of 2-3 principal tones)
Aembo-aembo- Sama: onomatopoeic song of play, sung in rhythm with rocking of baby between the
mother’s raised feet. At the end of each short verse, feet are straightened and baby slides to the
mother’s lap
-short melodic phrases, repeated in connection with specific games: “puk lara”, sung by
children who sit in a circle, playing a game of catch

Occupational songs
Kalangan- Sama: marine life, various strophic songs, sung on fishing expeditions (texts are improvised,
alluding to the kinds of fish the mariners intend to catch and to the manner catching them)
-texts are sung on preexisting musical patterns, representing vocal range of about an octave
-patterns consist of melismatic phrases and syllabic recitations, which show a strong influence
from luguh (“Lugu’kamun”, type of song that young sing while fishing for squill)

* Kalangan magsangkalia- sung during deep-water fishing, in search for sharks (require ritualized
behavior, occurs during specific times of the year and during particular phase of moon)
-“kuluk-kuluk”- high point, sistrum made of bamboo frame, holding an odd number of
coconut shells cut in half. Sounds produced by instrument are supposed to attract sharks
* Kalangan taebba- while fishing above shallow-water reefs (texts express feelings about natural
landscape and life in sea
-more rhythmic character, loosely synchronized with alternate plying of poles
between one singer and composition

Music for the dead
Hadis- Tausug: strong religious orientation accompanied by biola usually cover sacred topics and sung in
melismatic style (text express general thoughts on life and death, memories that the dead person had
bequeathed to community)
-“Pangadjiq”(ritual: before the day of burial, Qur’an is recited by group of young women for 7 days
in the house of deceased)
Lu’ui- Sama: lamentation, relieve the emotional and psychological stress brought about by death
-consists of wailed descending vocal phrases, provides a channel for expressing good memories and
reproaches the deceased for having abandoned the living