Crooning “Rock-A-Bye-Baby”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or any popular English nursery rhyme to pacify an infant is one thing, but how about singing a lullaby in a Tagalog, Visayan or Mindanaoan language? It was a calming experience for audiences to hear such lullabies at the recent launch of Himig Himbing: Mga Heleng Atin (CCP Indigenous Lullabies) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
A project of the CCP Arts Education Department through its Audience Development Division, Himig Himbing featured eight music videos of lullabies from different regions of the country. The project is aimed at reintroducing the Philippine indigenous lullabies to contemporary audiences and developing nurturers that are grounded in Philippine songs and heles.
Eight music videos of eight lullabies from the regions were developed based on the research of ethnomusicologist Sol Trinidad and arranged by musical director Krina Cayabyab. Eight filmmakers, namely Sigrid Bernardo, Alvin Yapan, Carla Ocampo, Teng Mangansakan, Milo Tolentino, Mes De Guzman, Thop Nazareno, and Law Fajardo created their respective film interpretations of the featured lullabies.
The following videos are “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” (a Tagalog lullaby composed by National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro with lyrics by National Artist for Music and Literature Levi Celerio), “Katurog na, Nonoy” (a Bicolano lullaby sung by one whom a little boy looks for to put him to sleep), “Wiyawi” (a traditional Kalinga lullaby often sung by caretakers, usually Cordilleran fathers), “Aba-aba” (a lullaby indigenous to Southern Mindanao, particularly sung by the indigenous group Subanon), “Hele” (a lullaby from a 1986 field recording of Dr. Elena Mirano taken in San Mateo, Rizal), “Dungdungwen Kanto” (translated as I Will Love You, the first line of an Ilocano wedding song also often sung as a children’s lullaby), “Tingkatulog” (translated as ‘Sleeping Time’, a folk lullaby from the area of Bohol), and “Ili, Ili, Tulog Anay” (translated as ‘Little One, Go to Sleep’, a Visayan lullaby sung by a caretaker to a child and mentions a mother who is out buying bread).
CCP Board Trustee and Vice Chair Michelle Nikki Junia, who initiated the idea in the form of a lullaby, explains how both adults and children can benefit from this unique endeavor.
“There have been a lot of studies that show that music has positive effects on brain stimulation, even before they are born. That’s why I encourage the moms to already listen and sing to lullabies during pregnancy,” Junia shared.
Audiences who get to watch the videos will surely have a memorable takeaway. “I think the young parents would be very excited to have a fresh and new set of repertoires to sing to their babies,” Junia advises. “There are not many activities that you can do for infants. It’s really a repertoire of songs that can truly help them in this stage to nurture their young ones. They will be proud that they know something indigenous.”
