The Bikol Folk Song

             Folk Song, is defined as music passed down among the generations that doesn't necessarily have a specific author that it is attributed to. The Bicol folk songs are the music that is shared by Bikolano people in their culture. Bicol folk songs are fairly well-known amongst enthusiasts for their unique aspects of composition and meaning.

            The folk songs are often made from impromptu verses and improvised melodies, and follow a common rhyme scheme with a regular set of rhyming patterns. Strongly tied into the Bicolano culture, the songs are classified into one of a variety of groups depending on their lyrics and meaning:

• Kundimans (love songs)
• Kulintangs (songs of disenchantment)
• Sinalampati (wedding songs)
• Panayoknok (lullabies)
• Panambitan or Tagulaylay (funeral songs or eulogies)
• Kulang-Kulang (any long ballad, epic, or religious chant)
• Horasa (commemoration of catastrophic event)
• Abyahi (happy song)
• Angoy (sad song)
• Kunigrat (triumphant song)

Composition of Bicol Folk Song

  

         Bicol folk songs can be quite the feat, especially those that are indeed composed and improvised on the spot:

• It's a classic form of entertainment to watch a skilled folk songster come up with one of these ballads in the midst of a public performance, and this has been a traditional method of celebration among the culture for generations.
 
• The songs are also well known for their sense of humor, which can sometimes border on vulgar to those with sensitive ears.
 
• Sly wordplay, self-deprecation, and old-fashioned puns and double-entendres are designed to lighten the mood at festivals and provide a laugh, while paying homage to centuries of culture.

The Bikolanos

          Bicol Region (Region V) is on the southeastern part of Luzon, in the South it is surrounded by the Visayan Sea, Pacific Ocean I the east, Lamon Bay in north, Sibugan Sea and Quezon province in west. The term "Bicol" could have been derived from "Bico," the name of a river which drains in San Miguel Bay. Possible origins also include the bikul or bikal bamboo tree which line rivulets, and the ancient native word bikod meaning "twisted" or "bent".

                                                          The map of Bicol Region

 

            Bikolanos are the people who lived inside the Bicol Region it is either by birth or blood. They are the fifth-largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the world, inhabiting the islands of the Philippines. The Bikolano language, referred to as Bikolano or Bikol, is a dialect made of fragments from various other cultures, including the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language spoken by their ancestors.

            The Bicol Region is known for its” Ibalong” , the epic of the region about the three fierce heroes Handiong, Baltog and Bantog fighting the evil  lady snake Oriol. The epic is celebrated every month of October  portraying the epic by street dancing and exhibition. But recently the Sannguniang Panglunsod of Legazpi City, changes the date to the month of August.

                                                  

                                                  Epic of Ibalong and its Festival

          Aside from its wonderful culture, Bicol Region has its wonderful music. And music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. And the elements of music include: pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").

            In precolonial times, people were often judged by their ability to sing or create new songs which would be accompanied by the community on musical instruments which the singers themselves made. The religious fold dramas in Bicol which center on Catholic beliefs and liturgy also contain musical elements. The Bicol composers trained in religious music eventually wrote secular pieces as well.

            In the contemporary time, there are new folksongs which refer to local history and geography, sometimes ridiculing politicians like the barangay captain, the mayor, and the election candidates. The themes are broader in protest than nationalistic songs. Whatever the content, serious or nonsensical, these songs generally have a simple structure and a free form.

with notes from: http://litera1no4.tripod.com/bicolano_frame.html

                             wikipedia.com

pictures from:        google.com