Sabihin Mong Ikaw Ay Pilipino
“Sabihin Mong Ikaw ay Pilipino”
Manila Concert Choir’s Sabihin Mong Ikaw ay Pilipino was performed at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium, Silliman University, Dumaguete City last November 23, 2013. They showcased Filipino songs which was divided into Revolutionary, Ethnic, Folk and Popular.
In the first set of songs, which was the revolutionary, they lifted the audience’s Filipino spirit within them. I felt the pain, the pride, the strength, the love and the hope that they tried to convey. Most of the songs had the World War II and the oppression of colonization as a background. What came to my mind was Andres Bonifacio; he must have felt like this. But as I realized it, it can also be a source of inspiration for us today in times of crisis like this. Our ancestors fought for our country with only bolos on their hands and yet they did it, they had the courage. Now that our people are oppressed not by colonization but by nature, we must hear these songs so that our hearts may be full of love for our people and our motherland; so that we fight for the lives of our people and give them the hope that the calamities took away from them. Manila Concert Choir, through their songs, gave me the strength and the courage and I hope they were also able to convey this to the other and the bigger part of the audience.
The second set of songs was Ethnic. Most (well, you can say ‘all’) of their songs were not understandable but the rhythm took all the confusion away. This just shows that even if we are home to many diverse people, languages and cultures, we still understand each other proving the quote “Only Filipinos understand Filipinos” true.
The next set of songs was Folk. Few of the songs used a dialect alien from my own but it was nevertheless understandable. Most of the songs were in Visayan, my mother tongue, but they were of course unfamiliar. But even though they were unfamiliar, I love them. They talked about Filipinos’ day-to-day living
Manila Concert Choir’s Sabihin Mong Ikaw ay Pilipino was performed at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium, Silliman University, Dumaguete City last November 23, 2013. They showcased Filipino songs which was divided into Revolutionary, Ethnic, Folk and Popular.
In the first set of songs, which was the revolutionary, they lifted the audience’s Filipino spirit within them. I felt the pain, the pride, the strength, the love and the hope that they tried to convey. Most of the songs had the World War II and the oppression of colonization as a background. What came to my mind was Andres Bonifacio; he must have felt like this. But as I realized it, it can also be a source of inspiration for us today in times of crisis like this. Our ancestors fought for our country with only bolos on their hands and yet they did it, they had the courage. Now that our people are oppressed not by colonization but by nature, we must hear these songs so that our hearts may be full of love for our people and our motherland; so that we fight for the lives of our people and give them the hope that the calamities took away from them. Manila Concert Choir, through their songs, gave me the strength and the courage and I hope they were also able to convey this to the other and the bigger part of the audience.
The second set of songs was Ethnic. Most (well, you can say ‘all’) of their songs were not understandable but the rhythm took all the confusion away. This just shows that even if we are home to many diverse people, languages and cultures, we still understand each other proving the quote “Only Filipinos understand Filipinos” true.
The next set of songs was Folk. Few of the songs used a dialect alien from my own but it was nevertheless understandable. Most of the songs were in Visayan, my mother tongue, but they were of course unfamiliar. But even though they were unfamiliar, I love them. They talked about Filipinos’ day-to-day living