What Are Bicol Folk Songs?

Folk songs, in general, are usually defined as music passed down among the generations that doesn't necessarily have a specific author that it is attributed to. Bicol folk songs, then, are the traditional folk songs of the Bicolano people. of the Philippines.

We know Bicol folk songs are the music shared in the Bicolano culture. Bicol folk songs, are fairly well-known amongst enthusiasts for their unique aspects of composition and meaning.

The folk songs are often made from impromptu verses and improvised melodies, and follow a common rhyme scheme with a regular set of rhyming patterns. Strongly tied into the Bicolano culture, the songs are classified into one of a variety of groups depending on their lyrics and meaning:

• Kundimans (love songs)
• Kulintangs (songs of disenchantment)
• Sinalampati (wedding songs)
• Panayoknok (lullabies)
• Panambitan or Tagulaylay (funeral songs or eulogies)
• Kulang-Kulang (any long ballad, epic, or religious chant)
• Horasa (commemoration of catastrophic event)
• Abyahi (happy song)
• Angoy (sad song)
• Kunigrat (triumphant song)

Composition of Bicol Folk Songs

Bicol folk songs can be quite the feat, especially those that are indeed composed and improvised on the spot:

• It's a classic form of entertainment to watch a skilled folk songster come up with one of these ballads in the midst of a public performance, and this has been a traditional method of celebration among the culture for generations.
• The songs are also well known for their sense of humor, which can sometimes border on vulgar to those with sensitive ears.
• Sly wordplay, self-deprecation, and old-fashioned puns and double-entendres are designed to lighten the mood at festivals and provide a laugh, while paying homage to centuries of culture.

Background on the Bicol People

So, now you know Bicol folk songs are the music of the common people - but who are the Bicol people?

• The Bicolanos are the fifth-largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the world, inhabiting the islands of the Philippines.
• Specifically, the Bicolanos live primarily in the southeastern peninsula of the island Luzon, and number nearly 6 million in population.
• The Bicolano language, referred to as Bicolano or Bicol, is a dialect made of fragments from various other cultures, including the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language spoken by their ancestors.

Bicol Folk Songs in Culture

Bicol folk songs are still very much a part of the heritage of the Bicolano people today, and people both within the culture and outside of it appreciate them for their deep ties to folklore, history, and tradition.

However, their widespread nature has died out in recent generations and has largely been lost to Western influence. They are now typically used as part of festival celebrations and by those of the older generations, as opposed to being part of the everyday entertainment of the people as they used to be.

Efforts are being made to preserve this irreplaceable part of the culture, and that has led to interest in Bicol folk songs beginning to develop in many areas of the world. Even in the Western cultures, Bicol folk songs are learned by many musicians and historians alike who are interested in this truly unique side of a culture that's not very well known to outsiders.