Kundiman Filipino Love Songs

Kundiman (originally spelled Cundiman) is a genre of traditional Filipino love songs. The lyrics of the Kundiman are written in Tagalog. The melody is characterized by a smooth, flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals. Kundiman was the traditional means of serenade in the Philippines. The Kundiman came around to be an art song at the end of the nineteenth century and by the early part of the twentieth century, its musical structure was formalised by Filipino composers such as Francisco Santiago and Nicanor Abelardo (February 7, 1893-March 21, 1934); they sought poetry for their lyrics, blending verse and music in equal parts.

Balitaw is a song that is usually a topical debate genre performed between a male and female, the original form believed to be derived from pre-Hispanic courtship genres mentioned above. In the Visayas, Balitaw is both a song and dance using lyrics which are ideally humorous and performed spontaneously to a preconceived theme, similar in ways to calypso singing on Trinidad. Most balitaw now, however, are sung to memorized verse using a standard melody and chord progression. Musically, the balitaw has evolved over time, incorporating melodic variants; even popular melodies can be substituted for traditional melodies in performance.

INSTRUMENTAL is a musical composition or recording without lyrics, or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments. In a song that is otherwise sung, a section not sung but played with instruments can be called an instrumental interlude. If the instruments arepercussion instruments, the interlude can be called a percussion interlude. These interludes are a form of break in the song.

HARANA O SERENATA ay ang awit o tugtugin na isinasagawa isang gabi mula sa labas ng tahanan ng taong pinararangalan o nililigawan. Karaniwan itong ginagampanan ng isang lalaking manliligaw sa may ibaba ng bintana ng bahay ng kaniyang babaeng nililigawan. Iniaalay niya ang tugtugin at awit para sa kaniyang sinisinta, nang sa gayon mapagwagian niya ang puso ng sinusuyo at iniibig. Karaniwan itong nagaganap sa mgalalawigan. Madalas ding sinasaliwan ng tugtugin mula sa isang gitara ang kumakantang tinig ng lalaking mangingibig.

BALLAD is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally “dancing songs”. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of the British Isles from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many ballads were written and sold as single sheetbroadsides. The form was often used by poets and composers from the 18th century onwards to produce lyrical ballads. In the later 19th century it took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song and the term is now often used as synonymous with any love song, particularly the pop or rockpower ballad.