Carl Bryan Ibaos

BMME 3
Philippine Music

KULINTANG,TAGONGKO AND
KAPANIRONG OF MUSLIM PEOPLE IN
MINDANAO
We all know that from 16th to the 19th century the Spanish colonists occupied
the Philippines.They came to the island for trade purposes and to Christianize the
natives, But before the Spanish came the Muslim of Mindanao already established
their own state and government in Sulu-Tawi-Tawi archipelago and island of
Basilan and Palawan. Did the Spanish influence the people in Mindanao?

The people of Mindanao actually resisted to their political and religious

system. They attempted to conquer the Muslim states to add southern island of
the Philippines to the Spanish colonies but they never succeeded. So, the people
of Mindanao were able to keep and continue developing their culture. They are
known for their rich and well-preserved music.

When we talk about Mindanao music, the first thing that really pops up is their
use of the gongs. Their most known for the Kulintang. It is an ensemble
composed of a set of eight gongs of graduated sizes arranged in a row , a
suspended gong with a thin sound (babendir), a drum (debakan), one or two
suspended gongs (agong), and a pair of gongs with narrow rims (gandingan).
The kulintang is a counterpart of the Malaysian or Indonesian gamelan, except
that it is an ensemble strictly of percussion instruments. No wind or string
instrument is played to accompany it. The principal eight-gong series (kulintang)
is used to play a variety of meaningful compositions; the other gongs and the
drum follow its beat.

The Kulintang is played in different instrumental combinations, but the

Maguindanao ensemble is said to have the most developed melodic permutation

In Maranao, the musical or poetical

compositions played on the Kulintang
usually have dual meanings: literal
and "cultural." One example is the
Keseladeng:

Kaseladeng Deer (Translation)

Palagoy kaseladeng Run, run away, deer
Ka kerarab a kalasan. For the forest is burning.
 Aside from the literal meaning, the cultural interpretation is: the maiden
player warns her first suitor ("deer") to give up courting her, as a new and
accepted suitor will replace him. Also the message suggests that the new suitor
will become her partner in playing the Kulintang.

Rhythmic sounds played on the kulintang have neither philosophical nor

literary import; rather, they simply depict some important event or subject. One
such rendition is kambitiyara, depicting a wedding celebration. The katenatanaw
is music for a fluvial parade. The kasegorongan simply consists of playing
alternating loud and soft sounds, and the teketek pandiyang -- the simplest la la la
-- is repetitious and is taught to young music beginners.The most stylish manner
of playing the kulintang is the kaperomayas or kapagonor, in which a pretty
maiden in colorful dress and makeup performs a stunt with the stick beaters on
the eight gongs. She would wave the beaters in the air, as a majorette does in
modern parades.

Besides the kulintang, other musical ensembles popular among the Maranao
are the Tagongko and the Kapanirong. Tagongko is parade or entourage music
played by male musicians dressed in their festive fineries. It is outdoor music,
while Kulintang is indoor music. The instrumental ensemble consists of a number
of medium-sized gongs called mamalala; a number of small, high pitched, and
shallow gongs called pong; one or more tambor (snare drums); and one or more
garagara or panda'opan (cymbals). The last two are either of Chinese or European
origin. What might be the use of this musical ensemble?

Occasions or purposes for playing the tagongko include sending off or

welcoming dignitaries, honorific serving of betelquid, and wedding celebrations.
Tagongko players go at the head of the parade either on foot or aboard a vehicle
or motorboat. The tagongko is also played in ceremonies called kalilang sa tong
to appeal to the spirits for a bountiful harvest or for a rich catch of fish.

The kapanirong is a serenade (from the root word sirong which means "to go
beside a house") by a group of young bachelors who would come to a maiden's
house and play their music by the window. The house occupants would then
invite the serenaders into the house and in the ensuing merrymaking some
courtship could take place among the young. The instrumental ensemble consists
of a two-stringed guitar or lute called kotiyapi, a bamboo flute called insi, a
bamboo harp called kobing, a two-stringed bamboo tube zither called
sirongaganding, and a brass tray called tintik. Outside of the kapanirong, these
instruments can be played separately and individually.

(Source: The Maranao Man. Mindanao Art and Culture, Number Four (1980); Marawi City: University
Research Center, Mindanao State University; 130pp.)

There are many other indigenous practices in Mindanao that requires music.
One of them is the wedding feast were music plays a vital role. Some Muslim
groups play music using small and large kettledrums as accompaniment to
dancing, one of the highlights of the celebration.

In Jolo, the sua-sua is a celebrated courtship song and dance that has often
been modernized for troupe performances.

A war dance in Bukidnon called the sagayan epitomizes the gallantry of

Muslim combatants while little girls perform a festival dance wherein they wear
hollow copper anklets and ring little cells to produce certain sounds to the
accompaniment of a variety of tom-tom and an indigenous xylophone. (Baas
1975).
 In Agusan, the tud-ob, a song composed of four notes, is sung during rice
harvests. In Sulu, four gongs are used to produce a kind of music called the
tagungo.

Mindanao folk music includes the ancient Muslim folk song and dance called
estijaro, and a Mindanao folk song called uruyan. These are usually accompanied
by drums, gongs, or other percussion instruments like the subing, a gong.