THE PHILIPPINE RONDALLA by Loen Vitto and Laverne dela Peña The Rondalla as a Musical Form The rondalla is a plucked string ensemble composed of instruments belonging to the lute and cittern families. The standard rondalla consists of five sections: the bandurria, octavina, laud, guitarra (guitar), and bajo (bass). The name ‘mandurria’ was mentioned by Juan Ruiz in the 14 th century while the word ‘bandurria’ was used to describe a three stringed instrument by the writer Bermudo (1555). Other sources connect the instrument to the ancient Greco-Roman pandoura. From its Spanish model that has twelve strings, the bandurria in the Philippines has fourteen strings, to produce more volume. It is tuned in fourths as follows: f#-b-e1-a1-d2-g2. The strings are grouped into six: f#-1 string, b- two strings; e1-two strings; a1- three strings; d2-three strings; g2- 2 strings. The term ‘laud’ in Spanish literally means “the ud” (la ud) in reference to the ud, the pear-shaped and round-backed lute introduced to Spain by the Arabs in the 13 th century. As for the name ‘octavina’, it is probably a variant of the Italian ottavina, a small virginal and also an organ stop. The bandurria, laud, and octavina are played using the plectrum, with the longer tones produced by a tremolo or the rapid down-up movement of the plectrum. The legato effect is produced by finely rendered tremolo. The instruments of the Philippine rondalla have been patterned from the Spanish instruments, but through the years they have evolved to become truly Filipino. Brief history of the Philippine Rondalla The rondalla was brought to the Philippines by Spain during the colonization (16 th to 19 th century) but there is no exact year when it started in the country. While the Philippines take its rondalla history from Spain, Spain’s plucked string tradition may be traced to the music traditions of the Middle East that play instruments from the family of the ud and the sitar (Persia). Some records say that the word ‘rondalla’ came from rondo or ronda: a group of young men who went from house to house to sing and play music, with the guitar as accompaniment. Later, the term became rondalla and it meant “a group of musicians”. Documents also point that various terminologies described a rondalla: one is murza/murga which refers to musicians playing on the streets; another is estudiantina (tuna/tina for short) which is a group of student musicians based in schools; and also comparza that is a semi-professional music group (Rubio: 2257). In the Philippines, especially in the Visayas, ‘comparza’ is widely used to designate musicians who play in public gatherings and celebrations such as birthdays, fiestas, and other occasions. According to Hilarion Rubio, rondalla groups were formed because of the people’s passion for the art, thus more informal groups such as the comparza flourished. Most of the musicians were amateur, but there were also professional musicians from the marching or symphonic bands who became teachers and conductors of rondalla groups. In the early 1900s rondalla music was in demand for American luxury shipping companies, to accompany Philippine folk dance performances presented aboard. The Comparza Joaquin (1905-1913) was one of the most popular groups that went to America through these luxury shipping lines (Rubio: 2256). From the late 19 th century until the first half of the 20 th century, the rondalla was part of mainstream urban culture and associated with prominent universities and social institutions. This may be partly attributed to the works of such formally schooled Filipino composers as Antonio Molina, Lucino Sacramento, Lucio San Pedro, Jerry Dadap, Bayani de Leon and Alfredo Buenaventura who have explored this musical medium in composing art music. Some of the rondalla groups formed in the early 20 th century were the Comparza Santa Cecilia (1908) led by Victorino Carreon; the Rondalla Ideal founded by Antonio Molina in 1909; the Rondalla Oriental headed by Dalmacio Samarista; as well as the Comparza Gumamela and the Rondalla Apollo organized by Jose Silos. Even cab drivers had a rondalla group: it was called the Manila Yellow Taxicab Rondalla established in 1940 by the owner of the cab company, Don Enrique Montserrat. Some of the conductors who led the group were Antonio Molina, Honorato Asuncion, and Felipe Padilla de Leon. It performed with bands and orchestras such as the Montserrat Philharmonic Band and the Yellow Taxi Orchestra and Chorus (Rubio: 2256). Schools and universities contributed to the development and sustenance of the rondalla in terms of broadening the musical repertoire, codifying and systematizing rondalla practices. The Centro Escolar University (CEU) Rondalla was one of the oldest school-based rondalla groups on record. It was founded in 1