Filipino Music as a Part of Filipino Culture - Essay Example

Original Pinoy Music (OPM) and the Filipino culture As diverse as its culture, the Filipino music is considered a colorful mélange of various influences of its past. As Joseph Lam has once commented, the fusion of western and eastern ideology in the culture has created a plethora of musical possibilities among Filipino artists. The Spanish and US influences are among the strongest influences that are most apparent in today’s Philippine music industry. If the traces of the over-three-century Spanish regime were to be narrowed down into a musical emblem, it would best be the guitar. With the immense number of Filipinos who play the guitar, it truly is the most common instrument in the country’s music industry, one musical contribution left by the Spaniards. As Professor Samuel Tan noted in his book “A History of the Philippines”, as the Philippines experiences neocolonialism in the coming of the US, Filipinos have come to embrace this new culture and tailor it to their current lives. The strength on the US influence spreads on two elements of music—rhythm and lyricism. Since the US introduced rock ‘n roll, R&B, and blues, Filipinos have come up with their own variations in musical style as they adopt it to their own culture. The rhythm could be rock ‘n roll, but with Tagalog lyrics; or famous Filipino singers with their own versions, or “covers” as it has been called, of hit singles in America. All these contribute to the richness of the Philippine music as mélange of various influences in the country’s past. One of the leading forces that continue to shape the current Philippines music industry today is a quintet known as “The CompanY”. Critically acclaimed as the Philippines’ premiere vocal group, The CompanY, with a capital Y at the end of the group’s name is a quintet that started in the industry since 1985. For twenty-one years, the group has garnered most of the prestigious some 36 musical awards in the country. Its five members have had excellent background in music—they are theater actors, vocal instructors, composers, and members of some of the most prestigious internationally-awarded choral groups in the Philippines such as the Philippine Madrigal Singers, University of the Philippines Concert Chorus, University of the Philippines and Ateneo College Glee Club. The CompanY, as claimed in the group’s website, keeps their music from being confined into a single category; with their songs, they exude their vocal prowess and the range of musical possibilities their capabilities could carry by trying on virtually almost all music genres that involve vocal harmony such as traditional/classical choral music, pop, mainstream jazz, smooth jazz, dance, R&B, contemporary a cappella, novelty, folk, Brazilian, gospel, electronica, rap, lounge core, Christmas, Acid jazz, swing, bebop, vocalese, alternative pop, musical theater. With its music and lyrics by Trisha Belamide, the song “Now that I have you” is originally included in the CompanY’s album “Six by 6”. With the line “All my life it seems like something had been missing” as the start, the song continues on its hopeless-romantic theme. This song speaks of a love a person has longed for, for quite some time in his or her life. As the person goes on with the mundaneness of his or her world, he or she meets someone. That someone represents the “thing” he or she has long felt missing in his or her life; suddenly, someone comes to fill in the emptiness inside. The song celebrates the “joy” one feels for the arrival of a new love in his or her life. Such themes are common among Filipinos as exhibited in most of the country’s literature, films and other music. The older Philippine folklores and literature, as mentioned by Teodoro Agoncillo, have talked largely of heroes of romantic quests. Since Philippines is a tropical country and the abundance of natural resources, as traced in the earlier literature of the country, life is not associated to harshness or suffering, but associated more with the blandness of everyday living; the two seasons of the country sometimes make a day indistinguishable from another day. The themes of arrival of a new love which has been longed for by a person for quite some time have its roots deep in the culture of Filipinos. Incorporating such themes with Western musical style, in this song “Now that I have you” by The CompanY, is apparent in the use of western musical arrangement of the song. Nevertheless, a very Filipino attribute of the song is its mellowness, which can be associated with their sentimental nature. The other song, “Pakisabi na Lang”, with its music by Moy Ortiz, the lyrics by Edith M. Gallardo, is originally included in the CompanY’s album “Harmony”. The story of the song tells an unrequited love that has, for quite some time been hidden. The persona wants to express it; however, he does not want to express it himself. Rather, the persona wants it to be expressed indirectly, by using another person on his behalf. The phrase “pakisabi na lang” as translated to “just tell her” depicts the thought clearly. The story goes on as the persona’s special love is emotionally unavailable—the love of his life is in love with another man. And he, while acknowledging this fact, gives up his hope of the two of them being together. In the song, perhaps the persona accepts that fact he cannot win his love, however he still wants her to know how he feels towards her, but through another person. Perhaps he no longer sees the point of telling her personally of his love for her, so he wants it expressed through another person—to kind of relay the message to her. A love from a far—unrequited, and that does not ask for anything return is what the song is all about. The sincerity of Filipino people in terms of their love for another person is a very depiction of this song. The I’m-not-asking-for-anything-in-return love has been a very notion of ‘true love’ to most Filipinos, making it one of the most romantic themes when it comes to songs and literature in the country. Aside from the emotional unavailability of a special love, the popularity of unrequited love in the country stems from the fact of very extreme lifestyles of the people, which to many Filipinos, has created metaphorically contrasting worlds—heaven and earth as to richness and poverty; the opposite worlds of the cast-off ugly and outstanding beauty as a function of the aesthetic standards of the Philippine society; the modern and the traditional; the urban and the rural; the famous and the commoner; and so on. The notion of the different worlds, which according to literatures will never meet, gives the Filipinos a euphoric melancholia when it comes to a distant love. In this case, the complexity of the Philippine society is inflicted to such drama in songs like this one of The CompanY’s. The neocolonialism shortly after the US invasion has stirred the economic differences, which results in the complexity of the society of the country. The use of western instruments, but in a mellow musical arrangement distinct to Filipinos due to their sentimental nature, is very apparent in this song. Indeed, music has been and continues to be a very vital component in the lives of Filipino people. With the popularity of reality singing competition as television shows in the country, music definitely has been a part of their culture. Whether to express themselves, or to convey a message, or to be inspired— the Filipinos have clearly adopted music to their everyday lives as expressed in the themes of their songs. The CompanY, being the premiere vocal harmony act in the country as claimed in its own website, is a major element in shaping the Philippine culture. With their songs that offer the same story most of the people feel during their daily lives, the group’s music has touched the hearts of many. While the two songs talk about themes such as a love that has long been waited for and unrequited love, the CompanY’s songs, like the musical genres they try to delve into, speak of diverse topics too. The group knows to tailor their music to various types of audiences they have. By giving such heartfelt music with superb vocals, they not only provide entertainment to their audiences, but inspiration as well. Inspiration that comes in the message their songs convey of which listeners can relate to. The vast musical genres the group’s exceptional vocal prowess touches on give them an edge to be patronized by many different segments of the Philippine society. When different musical genres, in the Philippines, cater to different groups of the society—popular music for the masses, smooth jazz to some of the more educated, the classical to the most affluent, R&B to the youth market—The CompanY is definitely a major force in the Philippine music industry. Works Cited Agoncillo, Teodoro. History of the Filipino People. Quezon City, Philippines: Garotech Publishing, 1990. Anthony Olaer, Elmer. "OPM Stands For Original Filipino Music." EzineArticles 30 January 2008. 09 March 2008 . Lam, Joseph Sui Ching. "Embracing ‘Asian American Music’ as an Heuristic Device." Journal of Asian American Studies Volume 2, Number 1 (Feb. 1999). 09 March 2008 < http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_asian_american_studies/v002/2.1lam.html>. Tan, Samuel. A History of the Philippines. Quezon City, Philippines: Paperchase Printing Services, 1997. "The Company." The Company – Philippines’ Premiere Vocal Ensemble. 2007. 09 March 2008 < http://thecompanysingers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=23>. Read More