Learning Mutya Ng Pasig by Nicanor Abelardo - with some tips/guide on interpretation

MUTYA NG PASIG (The Muse of Pasig)

by Nicanor Abelardo
(You may download the free sheet music here. You can find the English translation here.)

I heard Mutya ng Pasig for the first time when a friend sang it to me many years ago. She actually made me sightread the piece on the piano - six flats and all. I remember, it was difficult. 

It wasn't until I heard it in my Art of Accompaniment class under the late Ma'am Nita Quinto (a couple of years since I first tried sight-reading it), that I realised how exceptionally beautiful this piece really is. 

The first technical difficulty I encountered upon studying the piece was the progression of arpeggiated chords in the introduction. Because of the flats, it was difficult at first to read them all. However, after analysing the chord structures and repeating the passage several times, I got it! 

Another hard part I found consisted of sixteenth-note passages on the 2nd page - first by the right hand, then by the left.  The changes in the dynamics further added to the difficulty. The first passage is supposed to be played f, the second passage ff (with the RH playing the melody in octaves), and finally the third passage to be played p. Again, it was the repetitive playing of these difficult passages that helped me play it right eventually.

The main problem I had on the 3rd page was how to make the piano sing the melodic phrases - to make them sound alive and breathing.... I recalled the wonderful feeling I had when I last heard this beautiful music (in my accompaniment class), and doing that actually inspired me to be very patient until I got the sound that I wanted. 

Personally, the most interesting part in studying Mutya ng Pasig was on the aspect of musical interpretation. The more I read and studied the piece, the deeper the meaning became to me.

I found out that the term "Kumintang" actually posed some kind of problem to students of Philippine music. In 1846, a French writer, in his book entitled, "Les Philippines", stated that the "kumintang" was very popular and was considered to be the national song or "national chant" of our country. According to another 19th century writer, Manuel Sastron, the "kumintang" is a dance origination from the province of Batangas and was often performed in the 17th and 18th centuries. But by 1895, it was no longer to be found in the area. I also learnt that from the last decades of the 19th century onwards, Filipino scholars have been concerned with the study and preservation of traditional Filipino culture towards the creation of a national identity. Thus, one of these cases is Abelardo's "Mutya Ng Pasig", which he calls a "kumintang".

After much analysis of the song text and the music, I came up with the following interpretation of the piece:

It all begins with the gentle sound of murmuring water... sparkling... gently flowing under the moonlit night...

In the mystery of the night, the peaceful flow of waters is gently agitated with the vision of a beautiful lady, all in glorious white ... her long hair flowing in the wind...like the gentle waters from which she slowly and gracefully emerges...

The waters become turbulent for a moment as she ascends... and then gradually settles back as she glides over,... and then,..... she sings her beautiful song...

Her song is of the past... of a kingdom once known, a kingdom of love where love for the country, love for the people, love for nature prevailed... there was love for peace, love for every one of God's creation, love for beauty... love for justice. She was a Muse from this Kingdom of Love.  

However, as many years went by, people began to think more and more about only themselves... they no longer cared for others, for the environment... and love for the country was lost... When love for others died, this kingdom vanished. And so did the Muse... 

She vanished and her strength shattered... scattered... leaving a piece of her strength in the heart of each one of us. The Muse has a message - we can build her kingdom of love again by putting together the pieces of strength she left in our hearts.  

Therefore, let us think of each other's welfare again, let us love our country, love Mother Nature and stop abusing her to satisfy our personal interests... Together, with one common goal - let us rebuild our Muse's Kingdom of Love.

Take note that I literally envisioned the above scene in my performance. I believe it worked as my teacher, Sir Laureola, expressed his approval and pleasure in listening. :)

The following texts (within quotation marks) are excerpts from a library book that I used as my guide to interpret this piece. Unfortunately, I had forgotten its title. If anyone knows where this is from, kindly leave your comments so I can give proper credits. Thanks! 

"The text of the song gives important clues into what the composer is trying to do. The songtext, by Deogracias Rosario paints us a picture of an apparition that comes to him one dark night. It is the spirit of the Mutya ng Pasig, as described earlier. The Mutya ng Pasig is a pre-colonial riverine goddess whose story Jose Rizal collected in the closing of the 19th century. The mutya tells the poet the story of her death and the disappearance of her kingdom from the earth. This image is a recurrent one in Philippine literature, quite like the Mariang Makiling or Inang Bayan, where people have turned away from the old ways and have adopted a new culture. The gods and goddesses have been neglected, and thus, they have withdrawn from human society. In the process, something valuable has been lost. The kingdom, the mutya says, can only be re-established if the people strive to rebuild it with the fragments of love hidden within each of them. Thus, we see the longing to recover an ancient heritage lost due to neglect and rejection. 

In this work, Abelardo seeks to integrate his training in Western music with his experience of his own native traditions. The whole song is in a harmonic progression acceptable to European compositional style. The song is divided into three sections, each separated by a short instrumental passage. In the opening section, the text sets the stage for the appearance of the mutya, and ends with the poet's recognition of the ghostly figure. The section ends with a dramatic cry, "Ito and Mutya ng Pasig" (This is the Muse of Pasig) and is in the key of Eb minor. It is then followed by a short section in which the mutya prepares to speak. This musically functions as a bridge between the first part, in the minor key and the last part which is in the key of Eb major. As the key changes, the mutya begins to weave her melodious and lyrical tale. The melody and intensity rise, and in this way bring her back to life. The singer ends with a triumphant coda. The work follows a conventional Western song form, skillfully changing from chord to chord, modulating from one key to another, and showing the composer's ability to put together a well-built art song. But Abelardo does more than this. He also tries to retrieve the fragments of an ancient tradition and weave it into his song and possibly recreate the spirit of the kumintang, the lost national song of his people. In the spot reserved for tempo markings, Abelardo puts the term, "Tempo de Kumintang". This seems to be a description of the rhythmic motive that dominates the piano, or instrumental line. 

He also places the term, "tagulaylay" above the vocal line, probably to describe the vocal style used. Tagulaylay is said to be a very ancient style of singing, and is said to be used in the "pasyon" and related song types. In this piece, Abelardo crystallizes the "pag-ibig" (love) that he returns to our ancient heritage."

Mutya Ng Pasig Piano/Voice Sheet Music 

Mutya Ng Pasig English translation

Francisco Beltran Buencamino Sr

Francisco Beltran Buencamino was born on the 5th of November, 1883 in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan. He is the sixth of ten children of Fortunato Buencamino and Luisa Beltran. His father was a church organist and band master, and his mother, a singer. Francisco was married to Pilar Luceno and they had two children, both of whom also took up music. 

Francisco first learnt music from his father. At age 12, he could play the organ. At 14, he was sent to study at the Liceo de Manila. There, he took up courses in composition and harmony under Marcelo Adonay. He also took up pianoforte courses under a Spanish music teacher. He did not finish his education as he became interested in the sarswela. 

In the early 1900s, Francisco Buencamino taught music at the Ateneo de Manila and at the Centro Escolar de Senoritas. At the latter, he founded the Conservatory of Music and was its head until 1938. At the same time, he also handled music lessons at the Liceo de Manila. He founded the Buencamino Music Academy in 1930. It was authorized by the Department of Public Instruction to grant music degrees. Some of his pupils were Nicanor Abelardo, Ernestina Crisologo, Estela Velasco, Beatrice Alba, and Amelia Hidalgo. In the 1940s, he started working as a musical director. He also composed music for films produced by Sampaguita Pictures, LVN and Excelsior. For a time, Francisco Buencamino frequently acted on stage. He also collaborated on the plays written and produced by Aurelio Tolentino. The Philippine Music Publishers, which Buencamino established, undertook the printing of his more important compositions, but it was not a successful venture. 

Some of the sarswelas he wrote are: "Marcela" (1904), "Si Tio Celo" (1904) and "Yayang " (1905). In 1908, the popularity of the sarswela started to wane because of American repression and the entry of silent movies. Francisco Buencamino then turned to composing kundimans. 

One of his earliest compositions is "En el bello Oriente" (1909), which uses Jose Rizal's lyrics. "Ang Una Kong Pag-ibig", a popular kundiman, was inspired by his wife.  In 1938, he composed an epic poem which won a prize from the Far Eastern University during one of the annual carnivals. His "Mayon Concerto" is considered his magnum opus. Begun in 1943 and finished in 1948, "Mayon Concerto" had its full rendition in February 1950 at the graduation recital of Rosario Buencamino at the Holy Ghost College. "Ang Larawan" (1943), also one of his most acclaimed works, is a composition based on a Balitaw tune. The orchestral piece, "Pizzicato Caprice" (1948) is a version of this composition. Many of his other compositions were lost during the Japanese Occupation, when he had to evacuate his family to Novaliches, Rizal. 

As a musical director, he was involved in anumber of movies such as "Mabangong Bulaklak", "Ang Ibong Adarna", "Mutya ng Pasig", and "Alitaptap". 

Francisco Buencamino died on the 16th of October, 1952. in the same year, he was given a posthumous Outstanding Composer Award by the Manila Music Lovers Society. 

Additional Information: Pianist Cecile Licad, is his grand niece. Composers Willy Cruz, Lorrie Ilustre and Nonong Buencamino, and actor Noni Buencamino are his grandnephews. 

Note: I've lost the original sources for this post. But they can all be surely found in the College of Music Library, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. 

Short Biography of Filipina composer Lucrecia Roces Kasilag

Lucrecia R. Kasilag was born on the 31st of August, 1918 in San Fernando, La Union. She is the third of six children of Marcial Kasilag Sr., a government engineer, and Asuncion Roces, a music teacher, Lucrecia's first musical influence. A little after Kasilag's birth, the family moved to Albay and then to Manila. 

At an early age, Lucrecia learnt to play the guitar. She graduated valedictorian from the Paco Elementary School and from the Philippine Women's University High School. She finished her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the Philippine Women's University (PWU), after which she took piano lessons from Concha Cuervo, and later, Pura Lacson Villanueva. She obtained her Music Teacher's degree from St. Scholastica's College of Music in 1939. And she was sent on an Asian tour by impresario Alfredo Lozano. She finished her Bachelor of Music degree at the PWU. She obtained her Master of Music degree, major in theory and minor in composition at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester in New York. She was conferred honorary doctorate degrees by the Centro Escolar University, the Philippine Women's University and the St. John University, New York in 1981. 

Lucrecia Kasilag taught at various colleges such as the St. Scholastica's College, Assumption College and the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music. She also did pioneering research in ethnic culture and gained world-wide recognition as the Director of the Bayanihan Philippines Dance Company. She was Dean of the PWU College of Music and Fine Arts. She served as Artistic Director and as president of the Cultural Centre of the Philippines from 1969 until her retirement in 1986. She held so many other posts in many different organizations. She held key positions in national and international music organizations and has been recipient of different grants. In 1971, Lucrecia Kasilag was designated as a Colombo music expert to advise the University of Singapore on the setting up of its music department. She has written several articles and essays on various aspects of humanities and research in Asian music. 

Lucrecia Kasilag began composing during World War II. Her over two hundred and fifty compositions range from folk song arrangements, art songs, solo instruments pieces, chamber and orchestral works. She has done significant pioneering work in combining the resources of occidental and oriental instruments in East and West compositions.

In 1979, Kubing Records recorded some of her works such as "Toccata for Percussion and Winds" (1958), "Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra" (1960), "Legend of Sarimanok" (1963), "Filiasiana", a choral dance kaleidoscope (1964), "Dularawan" (Drama-Tableau) for indigenous instruments and mixed chorus (1969), "Her Son, Jose", an operator (1976) and "Sisa", ballet music (1976).

Lucrecia Kasilag passed away on 16th August, 2008 at the age of 90. 

Note: I have discovered this short biography in one of my college files, and have lost the source of this article. If anyone knows where it's from, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!

More about Lucrecia Kasilag here:

Lucrecia Kasilag in Wikipedia

Lucrecia Kasilag in WIkipedia 2

From the Philippines National Commision for Culture and the Arts

Wikipilipinas

The Piano Compositional Style of Lucrecia R. Kasilag

Filipinas Heritage Library