MUSIC OF CORDILLERA

In the Highlands of Luzon, music is relatd to different occasions such as life cycle
events and occupational activities and various rituals.

During the agricultural cycle, peace pacts, courtship, marriage and death rites,
musical performances may be witnessed in the region.

Music or cordillera may be categorized into:

1. Vocal Music
2. Instrumental ensemble
3. Vocal ensemble with instrumental accompaniment
Characteristics of Vocal Music
Melismatic- vocal passage with one syllable
- sung against several note passage
Free meter- musical meter without time signature
A. Vocal Music
1. Ibaloi Baliw- one of the vocal genres considered to be the signature form
for specific cultures in Cordillera.
- it is a style of singing without prior preparation or practice in the
leader-chorus form.
- Vocal genres among the indigenous communities may be identified
according to their functions.
2. Owiwi (kalinga)-lullabies
3. Dagdagay (kalinga)- infancy-related songs
4. OPPIA (Kalinga)- infancy- realated songs
5. Langan bata-bata (Tausug)- infancy-related songs
6. Bua (subamen)- infancy-relateed nsongs
7. Kawayanna (Kalinga)- infancy- related songs
8. Hudhud (Ifugao)- chanted epic poetry which is recited and chanted only
during four occasions: the harvesting of rice and wedding, funeral wakes,
bone-washing (bogwa) rituals.
- It also comprises of over 200 stories of about 40 episodes each.
Themes are about celebrations of the Ifugao heroes, heroines, wealth,
and culture.
B. Metal Instruments
1. Metal Instruments- gongs
- one of the common instrumental music is he Gangsa ensemble. It
consist of five to six flat gongs played in standing position or bending
position.
A. Gangsa Toppaya- gongs played by striking with the palm while
rested on the lap.
B. Gangsa palook- gongs are struck or beaten with wooden mallets
while held by left hand. This is usually played by men.
 2. Bambbo Instruments- woodwind And percussion instruments
a. Bungkaka or bilbil- played by stiking against the palm of one hand
b. Tongali- a nose flute played with the extreme forward edge or left
nostril.
c. Tongatong- are bamboo tubes played by stomping each against the
ground.
d. Ulibaw- a mouth-resonated bamboo instrumnents played with a flexible
tongue fixed at one end to a surrounding frame
e. Patteteg- bamboo of different sizes of varied timbre that is split in half
and is struck by a wooden stick while rested on the lap.
C. Vocal ensemble with instrumental accompaniment
Vocal ensemble is performed during courtship usually in song-
debate form accompaniment by different instruments such as:
kuglong, which is a 2- stringed lute, and the saluroy (Polyuchordal
zither)
Vocal incantations like:
1. Antang (Manobo)- match-making
2. Sindaay , taraul (tausug)- greetings and advice during wedding
3. Tamuyong, dango, aggayam- greetings and advice during
kalinga weding \
4. Salidummay and dangdayang-ay- entertainment
Music of Mindoro
The music of Mindoro is used for communication with the spirits
in rituals and worships, weddings, works, courtship, wedding,
works,. courtship[s, festive occasions, an lullabies.
A. Vocal Music
1. Marayaw- song used to communicate with spirits in rituals
for healing the sick and protecting the community.
2. Pamuybuyen- legend
3. Ambahan- compose of a seven- syllable line endig in
rhymes
- Often used in parenting in courtsip, and by visitors to ask for food.
- Texts are commonly written in bamboo.
- often chanted accompanying instruments
B. Instrumental Music
- is is used during festivals, rituals, courtship and daily activities of
Mangyan.
1. Kudyapi- is a lute with long nck, and has two strings hat run from
the neck to the base of a resonating chamber.
2. Gitgit (Lute)- an instrument with 3 to 4 strings with a wooden body
and human hair for the bow.
3. Kalutang- a pair of equal-sized wood struck together .

Palawan Music
 Palawan music is characterized by limitation of sounds from nature
and the environment.
- It is also highly influenced by the native language of the province.
A. Vocal Music
The natives of Palawan have different kinds of vocal form.
1. Kulial- it is a lyrical poem expressing love. His/her vocal music is
accompanied by kusyapi (two-stringed lute) and played by man
pagang (bamboo zither) played by woman.
2. Tultul- it is a chanted vocal music about epic heroes and usually
chanted at night, ending at daybreak.
B. Instrumental Music
Bagit- is an instrumental music played on the kusyapi, showing
rhythms, movements and sounds of nature.
Basal- is a gong ensemble consists of set of one or two big gongs,
agung and a pair of small ringed gongs, sanang, and drum called
gimbal.
Gabbang- xylophone
Basal- gong
Suling- Flue
Pagang- zither
Kudyapi- lute
pagang- zither
Gimbal- drum

Music of VIsayas