Philippines: Music Festival Kicks-Off in Manila

Musicians from across Asia and the Middle East played together in the streets of Manila for the four-day International Rondalla festival.

Rondalla, a Spanish word meaning serenade, is an ensemble of plucked string musicians playing light tunes often in festivals and cultural gatherings.

[La Verne Dela Pena, Musicology Expert]:
„Among the different instruments in the world, the plucked string is one that has real connections all over the world. Of course there are other instruments as well but for some reason the plucked string is where you can have connective heritage.“

Despite their varying origins and cultural heritage, the groups agreed that music needs no translation, and they could easily appreciate each other’s melodies.

[Arash Shahriari, Iranian Tanbour Player]:
„It’s difficult and sometimes impossible to express feelings of pain or happiness with language. We believe that music and art is a language that can easily be used to channel that feeling to others. That is why it is not difficult to understand our music if you listen to it.“

Rondalla musicians from China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand and host country Philippines joined the festival.

Among the instruments were the sitar from India, tanbours from Iran, the sueng from Thailand, and the kutiyapi from the Philippines.

[Ian Tumakin, Filipino University Student]:
„Their instruments are entirely different than in the Philippines. It is interesting because we were able to learn more about the different instruments of other countries, and even had the chance to use them.“

To appeal to younger generations, whose appreciation of Rondalla is declining, the groups have tried different musical innovations.

[Ramon Santos, Ethnomusicology Expert and Festival Organizer]:
„You are recreating a tradition, you are renewing a tradition. It’s a process. You can’t just wake up one morning and expect the world to accept the music right away.“

Chinese instruments like the pipa and erhu were used to play traditional music for thousands of years. Nowadays, Taiwanese musicians have combined the traditional music with more modern tunes like jazz, using the violin, piano and saxophone.

Foto: NTDTV