Lyrics of Philippine Folk Songs with Example
Folk Songs in the Philippines
One trait of Filipinos would be love for music. This is reflected even during their pre-colonial eras where their ancestors have already been making music and lyrical poetry. By analyzing the music of a certain time or era, you can also get a glimpse at what kind of history and living conditions they had. You can see their culture and way of life and even get to unravel the many different aspects of their consciousness.
There are many different kinds of Folk songs that come from the Philippines and as I have said they all reflect different cultures and traditions of the different regions. For instance, folk songs from the north would be very different from the south and they tackle different issues as well. This shows how diverse the Philippines really is most especially when it comes to culture and traditions. There are so many dialects and mixtures of ethnicities and this is why their folk songs are also very diverse.
There are many examples of Philippine Folk songs. This was usually used in tribal communities for festivities and was passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation. The interest of the ancestors in music are also reflected in the old instruments they used to have and used to make music. Materials used were typical in the Philippine environment such as wood or bamboo or even animal skin. But even without the instruments Philippine folk songs would still exist because for as long as their literary consciousness were creating poetry or Philippine Epics, they could still turn these into songs just by even adding a simple rhythm or melody.
Discovering Filipino Folk Songs
Nowadays, we tend to forget the importance of discovering the older folk songs and just listen to international music. It is important to always look back at our roots and rediscover what their music is like and what kind of songs they used to sing and write. There are many resources out there where you can find Filipino folk songs and their lyrics. You can even easily get a hold of them online. Just by being in front of your computer, you can easily have access to the beautiful music of the Philippines.
There are many different musicians that are now still influenced heavily by Philippine folk songs. And this is a good way of preserving the cultures and traditions of the different regions in the country. It can show how the Filipinos have always been independent and sovereign and did not need the colonists to intervene with their personal lives and communities.
But also, as I have said, since there were a lot of colonists who occupied the Philippines, the Spanish even staying in the country for over three hundred years, many of the folk songs are influenced by the different cultures and traditions of these foreigners.
Meddley of Philippine Folk Songs
Map of the Philippines
Philippine Folk Songs Lyrics
So what are you waiting for? Get a chance to discover the deep and rich history of Philippine folk songs and music. It is surely something that you will not regret. There are really a lot of good music and songs that are folk songs from the Philippines. And you don't even have to stop there because it is not just about the music and folk songs. Also get a chance to discover the Filipino literature by checking out Philippine folk stories also locally known as Tagalog Kwentong Bayan.