New takes on Philippine lullabies
Himig Himbing features eight music videos of lullabies from different ethnolinguistic groups of the country
Daily TribuneHimig Himbing features eight music videos of lullabies from different ethnolinguistic groups of the country
‘Hele’ directed by Milo Tolentino. | PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF CCP
'Tingkatulog,' directed by Thop Nazareno.
'Wiyawi,' directed by Carla Ocampo.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines embarks on developing, showcasing, and promoting indigenous lullabies through Himig Himbing: Mga Heleng Atin, launched on 13 November at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).
A project of the CCP Arts Education, through the Audience Development Division, Himig Himbing features eight music videos of lullabies from different ethnolinguistic groups of the country. The project aims to reintroduce Philippine lullabies to contemporary audiences and develop nurturers that are grounded in our songs and hele.
Based on the research of ethnomusicologist Sol Trinidad, eight filmmakers developed their film interpretations of the featured lullabies, including "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan," "Katurog na, Nonoy," "Wiyawi," "Aba-aba," "Hele," "Dungdungwen Kanto," "Tingkatulog," and "Ili, Ili, Tulog Anay," arranged by musical director Krina Cayabyab.
The filmmakers are Sigrid Bernardo, Mes de Guzman, Law Fajardo, Teng Mangansakan, Thop Nazareno, Carla Ocampo, Milo Tolentino, and Alvin Yapan.
"Sa Ugoy ng Duyan," a Tagalog lullaby composed by National Artist for music Lucio San Pedro and with lyrics by National Artist for literature Levi Celerio, is often sung from the point of view of an adult feeling nostalgic about sleeping in the baby hammock with their mother. The singer's emotional bearings run deeply in the melody, which is reiterated in a three-part arrangement with Bahana singing.
For this classic lullaby, Bernardo captures Filipino mothers and nurturers of all kinds across the world in a nostalgic, documentary-style, and black-and-white music video.
Bicolano lullaby "Katurog na, Nonoy" is sung by one whom a little boy looks for to put him to sleep. While there are a number of transcribed and published tunes with the same title, a folk song melody was popularized as a choral piece. Phoebe Bitoon lends her voice to this lullaby.
These imagistic parallels between babies and bananas are inspired by a collection of riddles by the late Bicolana literary historian and researcher Lilia Realubit, while the fisherman persona comes from another Bicol folk song, "Si Nanay, Si Tatay."
Ocampo took on the traditional Kalinga lullaby "Wiyawi." Often sung by caretakers (usually Kalinga fathers), it describes a warm weather that makes the baby cry. In some areas, the lullaby refers to the warmth given by the traditional babywearing, interpreting the lyrics as "tahan na, halika's ebanan (babywear) kita para mainitan ka." Its music and text were collected by Dr. Felicidad Prudente during her fieldwork and transcribed for the book Antukin: Philippine Folk Songs and Lullabyes, published by Tahanan Books for Young Readers. Additional research was provided by Ocampo and Kalinga expert Benicio Sokkong.
The music video features the rendition by Bullet Dumas and opens with a montage of the traditional Cordilleran home. As the Kalinga father attempts to soothe his child, the viewers are transported in a dream where a higante, dressed like a king and carrying a sword, slowly reveals itself.
"Aba-aba" is a lullaby indigenous to southern Mindanao, particularly sung by the Subanen people. Its field recording was documented by National Artist for music Ramon Santos and is now accessible through the archives of University of the Philippines Center for Ethnomusicology.
Mangansakan envisioned a Subanen mother being convinced by her two friends to seek greener pastures in the city. As they leave, the mother is revisited by the memory of the river goddess, cementing her resolve to stay in their homeland for her baby. The track is performed by Rolinda Gibaliga.
"Hele" is a lullaby from a 1986 field recording of Dr. Elena Mirano taken in San Mateo, Rizal. The Tagalog song is sung by a caregiver to a child, its lyrics alluding to an afternoon nap. For the music video, Tolentino created a visual narrative anchored on a tale of familial love and loss and reversal of role. The lullaby, sung by Nica del Rosario, gives voice to a woman's statement of love to her child and spouse, a nurturing anthem that bounces back to soothe a debilitating grief that threatens a once loving bond.
"Aba-aba" and "Hele" are both unpublished lullabies, and for the first time they are released, apart from their field recordings.
"Dungdungwen Kanto" (translated as "I Will Love You") is the first line of the Ilocano wedding song "Duayya ni Ayat" (Lullaby of Love). While mostly associated with weddings, it is also often sung as a lullaby.
With rendition by Abby Clutario and Joshua Cadelina, De Guzman's animated music video features the quintessential Filipino rural household, where one can see a baby hammock flying over Ilocos's iconic landscapes and landmarks.
"Tingkatulog" (Sleeping Time), a folk lullaby from Bohol, inspires a perception that the singer is someone other than the mother, mentioning that the child's mother will return in the morning and relaying a curiosity about the mother's whereabouts the whole night. The song was performed by JD Tena on vocals with Daniel Calingasan playing a bandurria. For the video, Nazareno produces a loving story of two siblings trying to take care of each other in their mother's absence. The mother is played by actress Yayo Aguila, with Marco Masa and Juharra Zhianne Asayo as the siblings.
A Hiligaynon lullaby from Western Visayas, "Ili, Ili, Tulog Anay" (Little One, Go to Sleep) is sung by a caretaker to a child and mentions a mother who is out buying bread. Its music and text transcription are published in the book Folk Songs: Songs of the Visayas by Priscilla Magdamo.
Fajardo's music video features the daily life and struggles of a family and shows a glimpse of the sugar cane workers' routines in the barrio. It focuses on women who strive to raise their children in the absence of their partner. Coleen de Guzman and Nica Tupas perform the lullaby.
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