Belamide hopes to inspire the next generation of OPM composers with her book. “Trilogy.”
Last weekend, we were treated to the annual Philippine Book Festival, the country’s largest book festival dedicated to Filipiniana titles and Filipino authors, at the Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.
The four-day festival, organized by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), revolves around the theme of fiesta, which is deeply ingrained in our culture, to highlight the best Philippine books, events, performances, panel discussions and workshops with authors.
Aimed to be more festive, this year’s edition refers to some of the country’s most famous fiestas in its decorations for each section of PBF.
And in the fiesta of books — and for our purposes, centering on entertainment — we were able to round up some important pieces from our media colleagues, and first up – “Trilogy” by award-winning songwriter Trina Belamide.
For three decades, songwriter Trina Belamide has penned hit after hit, crafting catchy pop songs that have long become part of the OPM canon — “Shine,” “Now That I Have You,” “Reason Enough,” “You’ve Made Me Stronger,” “Sabihin Mo Lang,” “Tell the World of His Love,” and many more.
Her ballads have been performed by the Philippines’ most famous names in pop, including Regine Velasquez, Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Geneva Cruz and Jolina Magdangal.
Now, thirty years of her craft and her compositions have been collected into a deluxe book, “Trilogy: The Songs of Trina Belamide.”
“I never saw myself at a level where I would be able to put out a book like this,” said the composer, who started playing music from a very young age.
“Dati, goal ko lang mabasa ko ‘yung pangalan ko in the liner notes of any cassette tape, okay na sa akin ‘yun. And then, na-surprise ako, three decades later, parang ang dami na rin pala akong kanta.”
In the book, Trina recounts the making of thirty of her biggest songs, putting readers right into the studio as each tune comes to life. Many of her most popular compositions were sang by “Asia’s Songbird,” Regine Velasquez.
“Compared to any other artist I worked with, she recorded the most number of my songs. All others, siguro madami na ‘yung five or six songs,” Trina recalled. “Siya, nineteen. I’m always, always happy to have her. Basta ‘pag may project siya, may album, I would always want to be part of it.”
No less than National Artist Ryan Cayabyab has praised “Trilogy” as a landmark book in OPM. “Trina Belamide’s remarkable contribution to Original Pilipino Music is beautifully captured in this book,” he writes, calling it a “true treasure for music lovers and aspiring songwriters.”
Trina’s book hopes to inspire a new generation of songwriters to have their works published and studied. Included in the book are lead sheets of all thirty songs.
Unlike the familiar song hits we grew up with, which only contain chords and lyrics, sheet music includes notations for the entire song, including tempo and key signature. It allows musicians to read and interpret each song fully.
This was something she and Maestro Ryan Cayabyab would often talk about. “We would talk about OPM, and he would say, sana nga mas maraming sheet music. It’s an art that’s slowly fading away,” Trina said. “Not a lot of people, especially nowadays, read notes. Sana more people are encouraged to learn it. As Mr. C says, if you know how to read notes, even if you’ve never heard the song, you can play it or sing it. I like the idea na nabubuhay ‘yung mga kanta ‘pag kinakanta ng ibang tao.”
With its emphasis on both craft and storytelling, Trina hopes that “Trilogy” will inspire the next generation of pop songwriters and composers.
“There is so much joy and enjoyment in the act of producing music, whether it’s live or recorded or written, “ she said. “The joy in music is not just from its consumption. There’s also the joy of creating.”
