During 12 research field trips to the Philippines, between 1976 and 2007, I have studied the music of the mountain people living on the southern island of Mindanao, especially the music of the Binukid speaking minority groups, namely the Bukidnon, Higaonon, Banwaon and Talaandig, as well as the music of the neighboring Matigsalug and Tigwa Manobo. Since my trip in winter 1997/98, I have been concentrating on documenting the music of the Philippine boat lutes in different areas of Mindanao and Palawan.
Music and Dance of the Bukidnon People
To get an introduction to this music culture, take a look at one of my articles:“Music and Dance of the Bukidnon of Mindanao – A Short Introduction.”
It was published by the Filipino Association of Berlin (FAB) in 1993 and later incorporated into the Austrian-Philippine Homepage of the University of Vienna. It is written in English and has 35 photographs as well as 2 video clips.
Additional information about Bukidnon music can be found here:“Religious Elements in the Vocal Music of the Bukidnon on
Mindanao Island, Philippines”
“Bukidnon and Tigwahanon: a Comparison of Two Musical Cultures”If you are interested in viewing more photographs regarding music, musical instruments and dances of the Bukidnon people of Mindanao, you might also take a look at my
“Gallery of Photographs from Mindanao”
under the headings
“Music and Dance” and “Rituals and Ceremonies”.Finally, there is still a photograph of a Bukidnon saot dancer on my page about
Music and Dance of the Tigwa Manobo People
I’ve been planning for a long time to write an article on the music of the Tigwa Manobo people of Southern Bukidnon. This article, however, is still “under construction”.
To get an first impression, take a look at one of the papers, which I read during a conference of the International Council for Traditional Music:“Bukidnon and Tigwahanon: a Comparison of Two Musical Cultures”
The Music of the Philippine Boat Lutes
Being a guitar player myself, my interest in Philippine traditional music was, right from the start, attracted by one of the most sophisticated musical instruments of the archipelago: the boat lute. Of this instrument, commonly known by its generic name, kutiyapi, at least 13 different types are used by at least 21 ethnic groups. Up to now, I was able to collect material about these lutes among the Bukidnon, Talaandig, Higaonon, Tigwa, Matigsalug, Ata and Obo Manobo, Blaan, Tboli, Mandaya, and Magindanaon. Philippine boat lutes have become my favorite topic in Philippine ethnomusicology, and I’m in the process of writing a book about these instruments. Up to now, I only published three articles. Summaries of two of these can be found here:“A Preliminary Study of the Symbolic Meanings of Philippine Boat Lutes”
Regarding the boat lute piyapì, kutiyapì or katiyapì of the Bukidnon, there is some basic information in my article about Bukidnon music:
“Music and Dance of the Bukidnon of Mindanao – A Short Introduction.”
Finally, there are another two photographs with descriptions on my Mindanao music page:
“Photographs of Mindanao, Philippines: Music and Dance”
Collection of Videos Featuring Philippine Traditional Music
There is now a collection of 90 video clips compiled from YouTube and other providers, together with my additional comments. You can find it here:
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Created: Sunday, April 28, 1996
Updated: Saturday, July 26, 2008
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