Music & Culture
Ever since I was a child, I had always been surrounded by music, be it in the house singing random songs, in karaoke bars during events, or singing with friends while walking down the road. The Filipino culture is deeply rooted in music, having life-cycle songs (songs about life, songs for birth, songs for funerals, love songs), and festivals with music contests, so it was something like a default that I would pursue music as a career. Music is like breathing, integral to the daily life (I have yet to see a Filipino not sing) and with it as a career, it makes me look forward to the future and hopefully contribute to the world in making it a little bit more beautiful.
Filipino in Thailand
I came to Thailand when I was eight years old. Half of my life has been on foreign land with different sights, food, and culture. My first years here, I felt alienated. But as time wore on and I grew up, Thailand became part of me. But I would never truly belong.
As a Filipino who lived half my life in Thailand, I felt a sense of loss with my very own country. I knew very little of the traditional games, the musical lullabies, the festivals, and the in-depth history of my motherland. But the culture, the way of life, the way I carried myself and my pride as a Filipino - I never lost that.
As an outsider, I observe but rarely indulge. But I also hope others will see me and understand, as I did living here.
Project Idea
Harana is a musical culture that has already been forgotten, only remembered through media and stories told to us by our grandparents. As a Filipino, harana was often mentioned when talking about love and family and how romances started between grandparents and grandaunts/uncles. Singing to someone, singing door to door during Christmastime, and karaoke - music was integral in every day life and I wanted to include that particular culture in my project.
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As I did my research, it gave me the inkling on the concept of musicians being haranistas: we play for our audience, introducing ourselves by our sounds, wooing the audience to listen by the expression of the melody, hoping for them to come back again.
The Romantic
My pieces were written during the Romantic Era with the purpose of defining everyday life. With the exception of the introduction.
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As an introduction, Bach's violin sonata no.1 - Fugue, fits the cake. It is an unaccompanied work that showcases the skill of the violinist. Under the firmament of the night sky, the haranista sings alone in lament, hoping for the lady to open her window and accept his song.
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Though the Conus violin concerto is not gifted as a wedding piece, it is considered a romantic piece, for its melodies and sweet harmonies. In relation to harana, it is in terms of virtuosity. For haranistas, the better the singer, the higher the chances for him to be accepted. The same can be applied to the piece, what with its challenging techniques and virtuosic passages in the music that impresses the audience and woos them.
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The Franck sonata was composed as a wedding gift for his violinist friend, Ysaye who in turn, played it on that day. It was something personal and given for a private function, with a sense of intimacy. Based on my personal interpretation of the piece, it starts off mellow and quite lyrical, similar to harana where the sun goes down and night starts to come up, with the world quieting down. Feelings grow more turbulent (in the second movement) just like how a haranista would feel as he courts the girl he likes. The third movement is more fantasy-like, the same as when the girl opens the wndow, thus accepting his feelings and he thinks it is just like a dream come true. The fourth movement is happy and joyful, in accordance to mutual feelings.