Philippine Folk Songs and Musical Elements and Processes
Folk song
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also known as traditional music or song
narrative song that uses traditional melodies
it depicts a particular topic which has short and simple theme that deals with people’s feelings, thoughts,
and ideas
Characteristics of Philippine Folk Songs:
Philippine folk songs are inspired by Western music. It is sung, spoken, or chanted. Philippine folk song
has its distinguishing characteristics such as:
 It has a simple structure.
 It is in major and minor tonalities.
 It is usually in duple and triple meter.
 Its melody is singable and is sung in an easy and relaxed manner.
 It depicts the people’s way of life.
Types of Philippines Folk Songs:
 Serenade – is a composition which consists of several movements and has no fixed form. It is
characteristically played outside a woman’s house at night. Example: “O Ilaw”
 Lullaby (Oyayi) – is a song sung to send a child/baby to sleep. Example: “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan”
 Work song – is a song to inspire workers at work. Example: Magtanim Ay di Biro”
 Other traditional songs are: Leron, Leron Sinta” and “Bahay Kubo”
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“Magtanim Ay di Biro” is a work song which was composed by Felipe de Leon.
“Leron, Leron Sinta” is a folk song that depicts humbleness.
“Bahay Kubo” is a popular children folk song about different kinds of vegetables which reflect the
traditional Filipino rural house.
“O Ilaw” is a popular example of a serenade. This song was made famous by Filipino singer and actor
Ruben Tagalog (1920-1983). The real title of the song is actually “Akong Bituin” (My Star). Its current
title has been derived from its first two words “O Ilaw” (Oh Light).
Example of a folk song:
MAGTANIM AY ‘DI BIRO (https://youtu.be/f8TgQ0aagls)
TAGALOG
Magtanim ay ‘di biro
Maghapong nakayuko
‘Di man lang makaupo
Di man lang makatayo
Sa umaga pagkagising
Ay agad iisipin
Kung saan may patanim
Masarap ang pagkain.
Bisig ko’y namamanhid
Baywang ko’y nangangawit
Binti ko’y namimitig
Sa pagkababad sa tubig.
Halina, halina mga kaliyag
Tayo’y magsipag-unat-unat
Magpanibago tayo ng lakas
Para sa araw ng bukas.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Planting (rice) is not easy
One is bent all day long
Can’t stand straight
Can’t sit properly
In the morning when we wake up
We quickly think
Where help is needed for planting
The food is always good.
Come, come friends
Let’s stretch our muscles
Let’s renew our strength
For tomorrow.
Elements:
1. Rhythm is the regular repeated pattern of sounds. It serves as the pulse of the musical composition.
Three components:
 beat – have you experienced nodding your head or tapping your foot every time you hear music?
If so, you are actually feeling the beat of the music. In singing your favorite videoke tune,
you are actually singing the rhythm because of the different note durations of the lyrics of
the song.
 tempo – is the speed of the beat. Every music has its own speed which depends on the mood of
the whole music. Most happy songs are fast while sad songs are relatively slow
 meter – it composes of time signature is the combination of strong beats (accent) and weak beats.
2. Dynamics is about the softness and loudness of the music. This can be gradual (crescendo and decrescendo)
or sudden / abrupt. Dynamics in music suggests the emotional aspect of the composition. Soft music suggests
themes such as love while loud or strong music suggests bravery or war.
3. Melody is the main tune of the musical piece. It is the organized sequence (horizontal) of single notes.
It is what you hear and what retains in your head. It has two types, the conjunct and the disjunct.
4. Harmony is the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes. It is the vertical arrangement of sound in a
musical piece.
This element can refer to the chords produced, the accompaniment styles, and the countermelodies.
Two types of harmony:
a. consonance – consonant intervals in music are more pleasant and seems like “everything is ok”.
b. dissonance – dissonant intervals on the other hand produce a more “creepy” sound that shows tension and
needs to be resolved
5. Texture is all about the thickness of the sound.
6. Timbre is the quality of sound heard. If you and your friend sing “Bahay Kubo” in unison, you can easily
distinguish each other’s voice based on the quality of the sound of your voices.
Philippine Vocal Music and Singing Technique
Vocal music
 is any type of music that is sung orally with or without a musical accompaniment.
 it is also called “a capella”, a vocal composition where singers perform by means of the human voice
Philippine music
 is a product of the unique blending of the Eastern and Western music. Early Filipinos, even before the
colonial era, was innately musical in nature. This is what we call ethnic or indigenous music. Our ethnic
brothers from the three main islands namely: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, are still using ethnic music
which plays an important role in their everyday lives. Philippine music or folk songs can be a work song,
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love song, and lullaby. These songs are usually in , , and time signatures which are performed vocally
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or with an accompanying ethnic musical instruments. Oftentimes, ethnic songs are accompanied by
rhythmic movements or dance.
Different Categories of Philippine Music:
1. Indigenous or ethnic music is diverse in nature. They differ in form, structure, styles, modes, and
terminologies. Indigenous music can either be vocal or instrumental. Indigenous or ethnic music is
rhythmic in nature rather than melodic. This is so because the instruments that are used sound rhythmical.
2. Spanish-colonial music. This period gave Philippine music a different style. Indigenous music was
replaced by liturgical and religious music. Among the songs that the Spaniards gave to us were the
kundiman, harana, and rondalla.
3. American-colonial music. R&B and Rock and Roll became part of the school curriculum. During the
1960’s the song of the Beatles became popular.
4. Contemporary music. Refers to the songs of the 21st century known as “Pinoy music” or Original Pilipino
Music (OPM) which are written in Tagalog, Taglish, and English language. This is also the period were
Filipino artist and song writers became popular like Freddie Aguilar, and different Pinoy bands like
Parokya ni Edgar, Sandwich, Cueshe, and other Pinoy rock bands.
Some of the folk songs are:
1. Indigenous music of Luzon highlands and lowlands
 Ullalim – is the tribal music of the Kalinga in Cordillera
2. Kundiman is an example of Filipino love song. This song is characterized by gentle, smooth-flowing
rhythm with dramatic intervals. The following are examples of folk songs.
 “Ti Ayat Ti Maysa Nga Ubing” – is an Ilocano folk song which literally means “The Love of the
Youth”.
 “Sarong Banggi” – is a Bicolano folk song. It is also called the “Lullaby of the Heart”.
Different Vocal Singing Techniques
 Singing Voice. Know your own voice. There are two types of singing voice: the head voice which is used
for the high notes and the chest voice which is used for the low ranged note.
 Proper Breathing is the process of filling the lungs with air, down to the abdomen then letting the air out
very slowly. This is also what you call the inhale and exhale processes.
 Correct Posture is simply sitting or standing with your head, neck, and shoulders in a relaxed manner.
In singing, you must observe proper posture either in a standing or sitting position. Keep your body erect
so that the air is allowed to flow freely to the different cavities of your body.
 Vocalization is an act of singing using so-fa names or other syllables depending on the teacher’s choice.
Vocalization can be done with or without musical accompaniment. For example, you can vocalize the
notes: do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti which is written on the musical staff. On the other hand, vocalizing with
piano accompaniment is much better because you will hear the progression of the notes being played.