Preserving original Marinduque folk music

By Gerald Gene R. Querubin
Inquirer

BOAC, Marinduque–The Muslims have their “singkil” and the Visayans, their “Usahay” and “Dandansoy.” But what do the people of Marinduque have?

This question has inspired an advocacy by a music educator since childhood to learn and preserve songs and folk dances that are truly Marinduqueño.

“I heard old folks in my place singing old short songs aside from the kundiman and love songs with positive values. I listened to some of them and there, my research began,” says Prof. Rex Manuel Asuncion, who is now director of the Center for Cultural Arts Studies of the Marinduque State College in Boac town.

Asuncion started playing simplified versions of Filipino folk songs on the piano during his elementary school days. He was also actively involved in folk dance presentations in schools and town fiestas.

While growing up, he noticed that the students’ most-sought performances were limited to folk songs and dances of other provinces. They were not taught to sing or dance any Marinduque songs and dances.

“If we have ‘Sarungbanggi’ of Bicol, ‘Atin Cu Pung Singsing’ of Pampanga, ‘Pamulinawen’ of Ilocos, ‘Usahay’ of Cebu and ‘Dandansoy’ of the Visayas, Marinduque has its own folk songs which are unheard of yet existing,” Asuncion says.

The professor envisions that the island-province will soon be proud of its songs that speak much about its traditions, culture, beliefs and lifestyles.

Asuncion has so far documented and notated the following folk songs:

“Alamat ng Dalawang Puting Gansa” (The Legend of the Two White Geese), a legendary myth about two lovers who jumped into the river and became white geese.

“Sulong, Aking Tandang” (Charge, My Rooster), a courtship song that depicts the intention of a rooster to a beautiful hen.

“Isang Buong Dayap,” a song of longing for a dear someone who died.

“Lahat ng Bagay” (All the Things), a song that compares life to the scent of a flower.

“Dalagang Parang” (Lady of the Fields), a nationalistic song that describes the ability of a Filipino woman to live and succeed in everyday life by helping her husband in the field.

Asuncion is now working on different versions of the traditional “putong” (royal welcome) and other songs.

Folk songs, he explains, are short songs that express love, loneliness, festivities, harvests and religious activities, and have no particular composers.

Just like the Tagalogs’ “Bahay Kubo” (Nipa Hut), these continue to exist in the community and are sung by old-timers, he says.

People long ago tended to make songs because it was one of their activities that they did in lieu of modern technology, he adds.

Authenticity

“Before we perform music in terms of solo singing or choral rendition, we look first for its authenticity—and that is the beginning of research,” Asuncion says. Music authenticity or originality, he explains, covers the exact melodic pattern, lyrics, time signature, key signature, tempo, style, influence, purpose, event and function, and how it evolves in the community.

Moreover, respondents must be at least 60 years old for music validation, Asuncion says. “I made them sing and record their voices individually and join them in singing to intensify the music. After a long hour of staying with them, music analysis follows and this demands more time.”

“I go back once I finish my notated music and check some discrepancies with the old folks until I finalize it with them with their approval,” he adds.

Old folks are willing to share what they know because they see themselves in the studies being made and they feel that they are part of the songs, Asuncion notes.

Learning the ropes

Asuncion learned music research and how folk dances and songs were documented through close interviews with National Artist for Dance Ramon Obusan, Dr. Larry Gabao of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and other music professors.

He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from the Centro Escolar University in 1995, and a Masters in Music, Major in Music Education, also from CEU, in 2006. He received a gold medal for excellence in research.

A baritone-tenor, he teaches humanities, music education and curriculum development under the MSC’s School of Education and prepares music modules for early childhood programs.

“The only thing that makes them different is that dance focuses on figures while music is on tonal approach,” Asuncion says.

“I have also seen how a Peking Opera was documented in Beijing, China, in 2006 and I could not imagine the level of patience on their performances. You know how slow some parts of the Chinese opera are,” he says.

“I was even more challenged to document our own music, instruments, rural costumes (if there’s any) regardless of its musical mood and tempo as long as it will identify my own native land.”

Local folk songs, he says, must be included in the learning competencies of the music curriculum because they also comprise the basic elements of music. “It gives full identity to the locality and has the power to develop every learner to become more patriotic to his native land. This also magnifies the love for native tongue or dialect.”

Folk songs can be further improved once they are written in simple piano pieces for beginners and set into recording for production intended for income-generating purposes in the form of video compact discs, he said.

Asuncion is looking forward to promoting Marinduque’s identity in terms of music heritage. He simply wants to respect, adore and appreciate his ancestors, who had lived and believed in the beauty of music.

He is grateful for the moral and intellectual support of his superior, Dr. Carlos Andam, vice president for research and extension of the MSC, and his co-author, Prof. Liza Marie Manoos, who does the technical aspects of his research.

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