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Music of the Philippines

Filipino music is quite diverse, as the indigenous people are spread across hundreds of islands and among 140 ethnic groups; Filipino music has also been influenced by the colonial legacies of the United States and Spain, and Western rock and roll and pop music. Indonesian gamelan and other Asian influences are also important.

Spanish influence

Spanish colonizers left their musical mark on the Philippines, introducing Christianity and its attendant religious music The guitar and other instruments, as well as zarzuella (a form of operetta) were popular, and soon incorporated traditional elements.

American influences

The United States began occupying the Philippines in 1898, and American blues, folk and later, R&B and rock and roll became popular.

In the 1920s, Filipino musicians adapted some traditional songs to Western stylings, resulting in ballad songs called kundiman. Popular performers included Diomedes Naturan and Ruben Tagalog.

Pinoy rock

In the late 1950s, native performers wrote Tagalog lyrics for American rock music, resulting in the beginnings of Pinoy rock. In the early 1970s, Tagalog and English lyrics were both used, within the same song, in songs like "Ang Miss Universe Ng Buhay Ko", which helped innovate the Manila sound.

Soon, Pinoy rock musicians added folk music and other influences, helping to lead to the 1978 breakthrough success of Freddie Aguilar. Aguilar's "Anak", his debut recording, is the most comemrcially successful Filipino recording in history, and was popular throughout Asia and Europe.

Pinoy rock became the music of Filipino protestors in the 1980s, and Aguilar's "Bayan Ko" became especially popular as an anthem during the 1986 revolution. At the same time, a subculture rejected the rise of socially aware lyrics. In Manila, a punk rock scene developed, led by bands ike The Jerks and Urban Bandits.

Later Pinoy rock stars include Joey Ayala, Yano, The Eraserheads, Cocojam and Grace Nono, who combine grunge music, reggae and other international influences into their music.

References

Clewley, John. "Pinoy Rockers". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 213-217. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Music of the Philippines".