Music For the Christmas Soul

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MUSIC FOR THE CHRISTMAS SOUL
by Wilhelmina S. Orozco

MUSIC is really a part of our Philippine life.

Everywhere I go now, I am able to listen to

different kinds of music that extol the birth

of Christ, the celebration of Christmas, the

value of family togetherness, the greatest

event of the year insofar as the Filipino people

are concerned. However, there is something

amiss in the kinds of songs being sung – a

few only sing of absenteeism of loved ones,

mostly those who are abroad to make a living

for their families here in the Philippines. The only song I hear most often related to that  is Pasko na Sinta Ko which remains the favorite as its lyrics speak about pining for the absent beloved.

Neither does any song mention the loss of a loved one abroad. Perhaps I should write that one and compose the music for it, in memory of my son, Eugene who died in Singapore in 2014.

One event I went to was the concert of the UP Jazz Band KrizzMazz beside the UP Carillon.  

In that UP event I heard two pronunciations of Carillon, that phallic-like tower beside the UP Theatre, housing the many bells. By the way, I went there when I was still in college and had watched Mr. Regalario, the carilloneur then play the UP Naming Mahal and some religious pieces, I think one of them was Ave Maria. The playing was almost sacred -- because the bells sounded as if they were playing for people, both human and spirits,  located miles and miles away. However, some of the bells then were quite off tune due to age. At present, they are new, or some might have been fixed, or some are new, straight from Belgium, as an official said. 

Going back to the pronunciation, one set of officials pronounced it as carilon (American English), while one did it as carilyon (British English), the way we have been pronouncing it ever since. I think that pronunciation can take up the social usage of the term. As alumni of the university, we have always called that iconic music tower as (carilyon) and it sounds so much Filipino to speak it that way. We need not be foreign-oriented when pronouncing words that have been part of us for generations especially as they are akin to our surroundings. 

Nonetheless, it was a delightful evening except for some quirks. But first, the music that the band played were a combination of soulful and snappy pieces; however, the instrumentalists played best when the piece is swingy. Somehow, I have abstracted that when playing jazz, as I have also watched international players here during the French Jazz Festival this year, that jazz has to be played sensuously. As the black musicians say, they play from their souls and their guts. Therefore, when the piece is about loneliness, you could really feel in your heart the pain and ache of the player, or the subject being played about. So I hope that our jazz people would consider that suggestion. Immerse youself in the emotions of the songs that you are playing – find out what the composer had in mind when they were created. Feel their joys and pains. Now how does one do that? Simply forget what you are. Forget any rigid philosophy or musical theory that you cling to and attain transcendence.

Ang hirap gawin no?

You see Folks public performance, regardless of the genius, the beauty of the voices of the singers, is bound to become so-so once the mixer, the microphone controllers are not aware that their sounds are not producing the proper volume and do not have that appropriate mixing of basses and trebles. Once, I watched the concert of two leading singers of the UP College of Music, Raymond Roldan and Jeannelle Bihag the singing couple who have now relocated to Bicol. Their voices came out flat, or parang tunog lata pa at other times. So I gave a comment to the mixer who then remixed the sounds so that an  auditorium quality came out. And the whole Bahay ng Alumni reverberated with the angelic voices of the two, who sang to their hearts' content especially the love songs as they are real lovers on and off stage. 

Do we ever wonder if the international singers who come over bring with them their own mixers and people who would work on them? That is because they want to preserve the integrity of their voices which the machines could bring down as so-so once the technicians are just too lazy to get the proper mix. And this is where I think sound-check is very necessary also before the performance. Performers should not go onstage if they have not had their voices checked for volume, amplification and dynamics. Feedback during soundchecks have to be sought in order to give the best performance of their lives, so to speak. 

Incidentally, I remember having gone to the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium way back the in the late 90's amd I asked the coordinator, how come the volume was flat; then, we could also not distinguish the different instruments being played by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra which was playing at that time that I had attended? Folks, you know of course that an orchestra has strings, wind, brass, and percussion instruments. Then I learned from her that all their mixing instruments were outdated; the following year, the budget proposal of the agency handling the place must have asked for a raise as now, the sound system is excellent at the Park. You must go there Folks, every performance is free entrance, whether drama, dance, music, singing, etc, local or international. Our masses are getting the best events, of high quality, not usually seen on TV nor heard on radio. 

I think if the audience is critical enough of how pieces are played, then we could also make our people be discriminating of the songs -- both melody and lyrics -- they hear on air, whether over the radio or tv. Right now, they must be contented with how things are simply because there is really no effort on the part of producers to go above what they have been used to doing. On the other hand, when record producers bring their singers, I notice that their singers get the best mixing equipment; unfortunately, the lyrics of the songs are wanting. 

Let me tell you that when I was in Nairobi in 1985 to attend the Celebration of the UN Decade for Women, I came out of our hotel one morning and walked to the venue of the conference. On the way, I saw an African man in the market sweeping the street with "walis tingting." You know guys, he was WHISTLING in tune  a native song. Whistling early in the morning. It was a beautiful experience. Then at the end of the conference, I saw three Afro women dressed  in their traditional formal costumes, complete with long skirts, and turbans. You know what they did, one started singing a song, and the two others did a second voice. Improvised right there beside the street. What this means is that music runs in their veins,  as they cared not how their voices had sounded but that they should express themselves complete with body movements. 

Anyway, the best concert that I have heard here recently was the UP CRL Choir rendition of the Gospel Mass at the UP Church of the Risen Lord, not because I am a member of the choir, Folks. The music itself is laudable, composed by Robert Ray, an American. By the way, there is a condition in their score for the public not to xerox the material without havig contributed to their group as this is the only way they could go on composing, which really makes sense. Some of the best artists are not dependent on any institution when creating in order to be able to be truly artistic with only God as the prime motivator.

Gospel Mass has several parts: Kyrie, Lord Have Mercy; Gloria – Glory to God in the Highest, Credo, I believe in God, Acclamation – Hallelujah Praise the Lord, Sanctus – Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts, at Agnus Dei- Lamb of God.It is sung by 5 voices – soprano, alto, basso, tenor and contratenor. It was sung under the baton of Chris Arceo, assisted by pianist Sara Matsuura with the Choir supervised by Alexander Cortez.  It was played on the 29^th of Novembre 2015 UP Diliman Church of the Risen Lord. I think a DVD of the performance will be coming out soon. Kindly contact the UP CRL.'s.

Here are some of the parts. The word Amen is sung five times, one after the other, by the Soprano, then the Alto, and so forth and so on. What is produced is like an echo with different voices, running one after the other.

The Choir has many solo singers who really belted it out making you feel that God is just there listening also to all the pieces. We had soprano and tenor soiloists, imbued with spiritual values so that they could express that upifting quality the lyrics contain. 

Finally, may I say that one of the best talents of the Filipino race is that ability to engage in music which we must really honor and give much support to. We need to discover more and more talents not only in singing but also in composition -- unearthing the many abilities to arrange, to develop new genres, to conduct, to combine indigenous and western instruments, to make the children find beauty in music, and so much more. 

Our indigenous groups, the Badjao and the Aeta need not come here to beg alms but to showcase their original cultures, including their songs. The dept of social welfare and development or DSWD could merge with the cultural agencies to develop them when they come to MetroManila and give them cultural space, not only inside but also outside of theatres. In this way, they become part of our scenery, part of us in a very enhancing way. The problem with DSWD is that it cannot move quick enough to address issues that have bearing on our identity. 

One way of tackling this is to have many reviewers who can provide in-depth analyses of programs, not merely focussed on personalities so we can raise the level of discussions, also. These reviews have to be aired on radio especially. Unfortunately the news I hear about culture focus more on which actor is in love with whom, which actress refused a higher political career in favor of domestic rule, or which actress who is fading from limelight showed her elitist and disgusting attitude toward the elderly, when she ordered her guard to ask an elderly lady to go out of the elevator as she wanted to be the only one using it. Unfortunately, ( I heard this over DZRH Morley Alino), the lady happened to be the owner of the building. And so the actress is now banned from the building altogether despite her being a regular customer of a spa outfit. 

Maybe there are many dissonant voices in politics and that is because engaging in music, or even the arts in general lack support. Sadly, artists are treated as intermission numbers, if not pure entertainers. It's time to give the muses their rightful places in our society. 

Many have said that music is the language of the soul.So now I  say, music is the language of our soul and race.