Music is Life
The song “Purihin Ninyo ang Panginoon” is composed of the one of Filipino composer, Lucrecia Kasilag, also known as “Tita King”. I could say that her music has limited sources because there was no video that would show up when I searched her music on YouTube and Google. Lyrics have not been readily available on the internet either. However, by analyzing the lyrics of the song that was found in the library, I could say that the song was homophonic in texture, but turned polyphonic towards the end. Also, I noticed that the song’s message is about commanding the person to praise the God in heaven.
Furthermore, the song also uses the indigenous music instruments in the Philippines like what’s in the pictures above. The first picture above is the Bunkaka, this musical instrument is made of bamboo and it’s played by striking the instrument’s forked end against the palm of one hand. This instrument came from the mountains of the north, and using this instrument provides an enjoyment for us. On the other hand, the second picture above is the tambourine. This musical instrument is made of wood also, but there are pairs of small metal jingles and it’s played by striking the wood against the palm. Looking at third picture above, this musical instrument is made with hollowed out tree trunks and deer skin for drum heads. Also, drums also played by hand. Lastly, the fourth picture above is the bell. This musical instrument is usually made of metal, but sometimes of horn, wood, and glass. It’s played by striking the stick to produce a ringing sound.
Since the song “Purihin Ninyo ang Panginoon” was taken from the bible (Psalm 148: 1- 5), various composers translated the piece differently in English. One of which was the song Psalm: 148 by an English composer named Gustav Holst. He is also best known for his orchestra: Suite The Planets.
The composition he created has a homophonic texture with some hints of polyphonic at certain parts. As I compared it to the song “Purihin Ninyo ang Panginoon” by Lucrecia Kasilag, I found that they are very similar. In terms of the message of the song, giving thanks to God seemed to be at the forefront. However it is not the case with the translation in Filipino. When it comes to the instruments that were used, there was a completely different set as compared to the native version. For Psalm 148, an organ was used. This is a key board instrument operated by a person’s hands and feet. It is air pressurized to produce notes through a series of pipes organized in scale-like rows. Additionally, the melody for the song was composed or adapted by Louis Bourgeouis.
In my opinion, both songs are beautiful because they were produced for God and the text was taken from the bible. However, I feel that the Filipinos needs to focus on their own song by providing sources about the it. This will make it easy to find and use as a resource. This way, many Filipinos would easily access the song and know how to sing the song “Purihin Ninyo ang Panginoon”.
References:
"Himig | Features." Header. Accessed July 12, 2018. http://www.himig.com.ph/features/32- lucrecia-r-kasilag.
Pe a, erne e La. The NAMCYA Anthology of Philippine Choral Music. Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts, 2003.
"Psalm 148 (Gustav Holst)." Jacob Handl - ChoralWiki. Accessed July 12, 2018. http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Psalm_148_(Gustav_Holst).
"Shop." Stainer & Bell. Accessed July 13, 2018. https://stainer.co.uk/shop/n20289/.
WMARabc2news. "Psalm 148 (Music by Gustav Holst)." YouTube. December 25, 2013. Accessed July 12, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M1t3UplZTI.