Kalesa - Filipino Folk Song | Contemporary Philippine Music by Ernani J. Cuenco [Music Module]

MUSIC Quarter 3 – Module 1: CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE MUSIC Example (TRADITIONAL, NEW MUSIC AND SONG COMPOSERS) - Mga halimbawa ng lumang kanta o awit / awitin / awiting Pinoy - Kalesa Song by Ernani J. Cuenco. A kalesa is a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage used in the Philippines. It is commonly vividly painted and decorated. It was a primary mode of public and private transportation during the colonial era of the Philippines, though in modern times, they largely only survive as tourist attractions. Filipino composer Ernani Cuenco: Kalesa Performed By: Thea Perez, Soprano Greg A. de Leon, Baritone Solaiman E. Jamisolamin, Guitarist Bulacan Clarinet Quartet Video Location: Paco Park and Intramuros Kalesa Lyrics - Philippine Folk Songs Kalesa'y may pang-akit na taglay Maginhawa't di maalinsangan Nakahahalina kung pagmasdan Kalesa ay pambayang sasakyan Kabayo ay di natin problema Pulot at damo lang ay tama na Matulin din sa kalsada Tumatakbong maginhawa Wala pang gasolina Repeat all Kalesa ay panghatid tuwina Nung panahon nina maria clara Mga bayani nitong bayan Sa kalesa'y dinuduyan Kalesa'y nakaaaliw Lalo na pag gumagabi At kung kasama ko ang aking giliw Mangangalesa na rin kami (Repeat first and second paragraphs) Matulin din sa kalsada Tumatakbong maginhawa Wala pang gasolina. Kalesa (Horse-drawn Rig) / 1978 / Music: Ernani J. Cuenco / Lyrics: Levi Celerio The original “Kalesa” comes in the form of a five-page published music sheet arranged for solo voice with piano accompaniment, and an accompanying four-page a cappella choral arrangement for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass (SATB) copyrighted by the composer with FILSCAP in 1978. The lyrics express the importance of the kalesa as a convenient, charming, and economical mode of transportation, with a short nostalgic reference to the late Spanish colonial period. The structure of the piece follows an AABA song form. It starts in G Major with a three-measure piano introduction in 4/4 time signature, followed by a three-measure syncopated rhythmic pattern in 2/4 time signature, and then the enunciation of the syllables “tsk tsk tsk … ” that depict the sound of a horse trotting. The 16-measure second stanza in C Major is set in a slower rhythm. The return of part A climaxes into a fast tempo with a fortississimo (fff) dynamic mark, following a poco accelerando from the andante B section. ERNANI CUENCO (1936 – 1988) National Artist for Music Ernani Joson Cuenco, composer, film scorer, musical director and music teacher, was conferred the National Artist musicality that contain the classical sound of the kundiman. Award for Music in 1999. His works embody a Filipino sense Cuenco was born on May 10, 1936 in Malolos, Bulacan. As a boy, he was encouraged to learn the violin. He was mentored by his mother, his godmother Doña Belen Aldaba Bautista, and his first teacher, Jovita Tantoco. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music, major in Piano at the UST Conservatory of Music in 1956. A UST scholarship grant in the same year enabled him to study the cello under Professor Modesto Marquiz, which he finished in 1965. In 1968, he completed his Master of Music degree at the Sta. Isabel College. From 1960 to 1968, Cuenco was a cellist at the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Dr. Hubert Zipper. Likewise, he played for the Filipino Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Manila Chamber Soloists from 1966 to 1970. His career as a musical director began in 1960 when he was discovered by then actor Joseph Estrada while he was playing as part of a band he had formed with friends at an exclusive restaurant in Makati. In 1963, Cuenco was sent as a delegate to the International Music Conference in Tokyo, Japan. Aside from being a composer and musical director, he was also a faculty member at the UST Conservatory of Music until his death on July 11, 1988. To this day, Cuneco’s compositions are popular and well-loved, especially Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal and Bato sa Buhangin which he composed for films in honor of his wife. Aside from these signature pieces, Cuenco’s other songs include Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis, Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa, Pilipinas, Inang Bayan, Isang Dalangin, and Kalesa