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Santiago's Kundiman (Anak-Dalita)

5/3/2021

10 Comments

 
By Ace Gangoso
May is a month worth celebrating! This month is Chamber Music Month AND Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month here in the United States. During this past season’s Origin Stories concerts, I was thrilled to explore and share my heritage through some of the music of the Philippines. One of the most fascinating and treasured musical genres of the country is called kundiman. On the surface, kundiman present as songs of longing, courtship, and love, but they have double meaning: the beloved represents not just one person as a love interest, but the Philippines itself and the pride and resilience of its native people. These creations were a means of coping with and challenging the oppressive Spanish colonial rule beginning in 1565 and lasting three centuries.
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Chocolate Hills, Philippines. Photo by Jacky Lo.
There was an interesting dynamic of resistance, a phenomenon some refer to as “Filipinization”---in a way, a form of “reverse colonization”. Filipinos learned to embrace the educational, social, and cultural practices forced upon them, but utilized them for their own benefit, recreating their own native identity through these foreign mediums.  Kundiman songs illustrate this perfectly, adopting the musical idioms of Spanish dances, and scored music in the formal western classical tradition that university-trained musicians know well today.

​The earliest known iterations of kundiman date back to about 1800, evolving through the century to more broadly resemble art song compositions of Europe.  The composer Francisco Santiago (1889-1947) is often hailed as the “father of Kundiman Art Song,” and his 1917 song, simply titled “Kundiman” (sometimes subtitled “Cancion Filipina” or “Anak-Dalita”) is one of the most widely performed of the genre. The poem by Deogracias A. Rosario (1894-1936) is a serenade of one beckoning a love interest to come to the window to accept one’s pleas of love. It carries the characteristics most typical of kundiman: plaintive melodies, abundant tenuto and rubato, ascending tessitura, lush accompaniment, and modulation from minor to parallel major---a simple but effective way of symbolizing the journey from despair to hope.
This is the story of my ancestors, but I am sure that the feelings of loss and captivity have been ever-present to all of us this past year.  May this music be a beacon of light in the darkness for you as it has been to many.
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Author

Tenor Ace Gangoso joined Fourth Coast Ensemble in 2019.  His various other musical affiliations, including the CSO and Grant Park Choruses, Chicago a cappella, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the Chicago Black Catholics Choir, hint at his interests in different musical genres and styles.  He believes good songs are like onions: they come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, have many layers, and take on the unique flavors added by those entrusted to their care.

10 Comments
Joachim Luis link
5/3/2021 02:54:07 pm

Fellow Tenore and pare!

I love this song. It’s the first kundiman I sang at a “professional” recital (after doing others in undergrad/grad school).

Glad to see you on 4th Coast but disappointed we never met in person while I was living in Chicago.

Mabuhay!!

Joachim

Reply
Ace Gangoso
5/3/2021 08:03:24 pm

Maraming salamat!

Perhaps our paths will cross in the future. I saw a virtual choir with you singing "Rosas Pandan" today. I had hoped to sing that song on this program since my family is Visayan but it was hard to find a good solo version. Thanks for listening and commenting!

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    Hello, and welcome to the blog!  We are Fourth Coast Ensemble, Chicago's classical vocal quartet.  Join a different member of our ensemble for insights into our favorite art songs, links to archival and new recordings, and reflections on why we value and continue to come back to this musical medium.  We proudly present, your #artsongfix!

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  • About
    • The Organization
    • Quartet & Staff Members
  • On Stage
    • Upcoming >
      • 2024-25 Season >
        • 2024 Holiday Soirée
        • WordSong Chicago: Woodwinds by Ami Kaye
        • 6th Annual Chicago songSLAM
    • Past Seasons >
      • 2023-24 Season >
        • Chicago Public Art in Song
        • 2023 Holiday Soirée
        • Shores of Song Festival >
          • From Schumann to Chicago
          • WordSong Chicago
          • Off the Bench: Songs from the Pianist Perspective
          • Fifth Annual songSLAM Chicago
        • End of Season Kabarett
      • 2022-23 Season >
        • 2022 Gala: Chicago Public Art in Song
        • Laughterreise: Liebeslieder Edition
        • Chicago songSLAM
        • Fine Folk
        • End of Season Potluck
      • 2021-22 Season >
        • A Brush With Our Time, world premiere
        • Laughterreise
        • Roaring Twenties
        • Chicago songSLAM
        • End of Season Talent Show
      • 2021 HD Season >
        • Soprano | Mezzo Duo
        • Tenor | Bass Duo
        • Quartet Remix
        • songSLAM
      • 2019-20 Season >
        • Songs of Fourth Coast
        • American Woman
        • Between the Lines
        • Four by Four
  • Blog
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    • Give
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