Kundiman

The Kundiman (or Cundiman), is a Filipino Love Song characterized by a smooth melody and a flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals. It is the traditional way of Serenade in the Philippines. The Kundiman came to the fore as an art song at the end of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth, when Filipino composers such as Francisco Santiago and Nicanor Abelar who formalized the musical structure and sought poetry for their lyrics, blending verse and music in equal parts. In 1916, Dr. Juan V. Pagaspas, a doctor of philosophy from Indiana University and a much beloved educator in Tanauan, Batangas described the Kundiman as "a pure Tagalog song which is usually very sentimental, so sentimental that if one should listen to it carefully watching the tenor of words and the way the voice is conducted to express the real meaning of the verses, he cannot but be conquered by a feeling of pity even so far as to shed tears. The Kundiman usually expresses the unworthiness of the man for the love of the woman, and at the same time, his dire need for it. That's why it is also said that the name Kundiman might have been derived from the phrase, "Kung Hindi Man." In a nutshell, the Kundiman is the embodiment of the Filipinos' artistic and musical prowess and at the same time, it is also a testament for the Filipinos' passion for romance and the toil they give out to win the hearts of their beloved.