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Philippines is a small country in Asian continent. Surrounded by countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos, its music is very much influenced from other musical traditions. The indigenous music in the country is very popular among masses. Apart from that, influence of American and European music can definitely be seen in country’s music.
Philippines’s history indicated widespread interaction with countries like Spain, USA and Australia etc. Reasons are as varied as colonization to trade. The frequent interaction has definitely rubbed on the music of the country and thus making it more appealing. Among the popular forms of music, one can find mixture of hip-hop, rock & roll and pop. Musical glimpses of Spain and Malaysian music can also be found on Filipino music.
The influence of other musical cultures has made Filipino music more colorful and appealing. It has also brought variety to its songs. The indigenous song of Philippines is ‘Kundiman’. It is basically a lyrical song that is in existence since 19th century. So how one does identifies kundiman? It’s actually quite simple for artists. They just have to tune to a minor key in the beginning and major key in the second half and the resulting effect is a soul-stirring tune that will leave you spellbound. The major turnaround in fortune of kundiman came during 1920s when it was transformed into a mainstream musical style and since then it is one of the strong pillar of Filipino music culture.
Countries like Spain and Mexico left a huge impact on Filipino music. They made western instruments like guitar extremely popular in the country. Popular western instruments used in Filipino music are; guitar, banduria, piccolo, double bass, laud, and octavina etc.
Many renowned artists have made significant contributions in the evolution of Filipino music. Names like Martin Nievera, Pops Fernandez, Toni Gonzaga, Regine Velasquez, Gary Valenciano, Kitchie Nadal, Jasmine Trias, Rachelle Ann Go, Nina, Billy Crawford, Kyla, Gary Valenciano, Yeng Constantino, Christian Bautista, Sheryn Regis, Jolina Magdangal, Jed Madela, Mark Bautista, Carol Banawa, Piolo Pascual, and Sara Geronimo have made unforgettable contributions in development of Filipino music.
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