Indigenous Music By Antonio C. Hila Tuklas Sining: Essays on the Philippine Arts Of all the arts, music is regarded as the most universal in its appeal and acceptance. This universality, however, does not mean that music is without individual character. Each country has its own kind of music that embodies the total experience, the collective consciousness of its people. Music, therefore, is the collective expression of the musical genius of a particular people. Such is the case of Philippine music which today is regarded as a unique blending of two great musical traditions – the East and the West. Being innately musical, the Filipinos, from the earliest to contemporary times, have imbibed these traditions and have woven their musical creations along these mainstreams of musical thought. Through time, Philippine society has witnessed the evolution of music expressed in different forms and stylistic nuances. A people gifted with a strong sense of musicality, the Filipinos turn to music to express their innermost feelings. Hence, every song they sing, every instrument they play, every music they make is a direct, almost spontaneous reflection of their hopes and longings, frustrations and fulfillment, failures and triumphs – Antonio C. Hila ndigenous music before the colonial era was largely functional. Expressed either instrumentally or vocally or a combination of both, music was deeply integrated with the activities of the natives. The ancient Filipinos had music practically for all occasions, for every phase of life, from birth to death. This type of music is largely retained and practiced by about 10 percent of the population concentrated mainly in three regions: Northern Luzon, the Central Philippine islands of Mindoro and Palawan and the southern islands of Mindanano and Sulu. In Mindanao and Sulu, two musical and cultural traditions may be noted – the Islamic, consisting of such groups as the Maguindanao, Maranao, Yakan, Tausog and Samal, and the pre-Islamic which is composed of the Bagobo, Manobo, Bukidnon, Tagakaolo, Bilaan, Mansaka, Subanon and Mandaya, among others. The understanding of Philippine ethnic music is premised on an appreciation of indigenous instruments which are used in the various ritual and secular activities of these two peoples and which are generally grouped into the aerophones or wind instruments; chordophones or stringed instruments; idiophones or percussion instruments struck with a mallet, or against each other, or against another object like the hand; and membranophones or percussion instruments using animal skins or membranes. A few differences may be noted between the instruments of the Northern and Southern Philippines. These differences lie primarily in the manner of construction, the style of playing them and the sound they produce. By and large, however, instruments found all over the Islands are strikingly similar. The aerophones are best represented by the many types of bamboo flutes that are found all over the country. The lip valley flute found in the North is called the paldong, or kaldong of the Kalinga. In the South Maguindanao call it palendag, the Manobo, pulalu. This flute has three holes on one side and fourth hole on the opposite side.