Popular Filipino Folk Songs: Harana, Kundiman, Kumintang, Balitaw

Popular Filipino Folk Songs: Harana, Kundiman, Kumintang, Balitaw


Filipinos love to sing. They sing for many reasons. They sing when they are happy. They sing, too, when, they are sad. They sing to put their children to sleep. Do you know what name is given to this kind of song?

There are also Filipino folk songs to make people laugh. They tell funny stories. Sometimes the stories they tell are silly, but some people enjoy listening to them.

There are songs that teach moral lessons, too. They are sung to advise' young girls on how to choose a husband. Many of our songs are songs of love. Some have a happy tune. Others have a sad tune.

We have songs about love of country and about a great hero. In the past when peopl went to war, they sang war songs.
The Filipinos have songs for every occasion.`

A very popular song in our barrios, is the planting song. As farmers plant, they sing to the tune of a musical instrument known as the kudyapi. The song makes the hard work of planting in the mud easier. It makes the work faster, too. Our school children know very well a planting song. Can you guess what it is? Can you sing?

Harvesting time is also a time for gay songs. This is especially so if the harvest is plentiful.

Very much enjoyed by young men and women is the harana. This is sung on moonlight nights under the window of a young girl. The song is sung by a man who admires her or by someone the man has invitedd to sing for him. The harana talks of love. It is a means by which a young man tells a girl of his  admiration for her.

Another very popular Filipino Song is the kundiman. This kind of song talks about different feelings. It may talk about joy, sorrow or pain. Many of our music makers are known for their kundiman. Most of our people, even the young ones, enjoy listening to them because of their beautiful tunes and words.

The kundiman speaks of the beauty of the Filipino women and the bravery of the men. They may tell of the loveliness of our country or of our pride in our people. Can you give an example of a kundiman? What do the words speak about?

Very popular, especially in the past, is the kumintang. The war songs of long ago were named kumintang. This has a livelier tune than the kundiman. Do you know how the kumintang is sung?

Still another Filipino folk song is the awit. This song has a legend or tale to tell. It is often sung by the old people who love to tell stories of long ago. An example of the awit is "Florante at Laura"

Another song that tells a story is the balitaw which is very much sung in the Visayan islands. It is often sung by a man and a woman while they dance and try to outsing each other. The Visayans are proud of their balitaw as the Tagalogs are of their kundiman.

We should all be proud of our beautiful Filipino folk songs.

Comments

  1. I wonder if the song of Callalily entitled "Kundiman" belongs here in this filipino folk songs. I'm sure when you heard it you will also like it. By the way it is an OPM Songs.

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