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Friday, January 16, 2004
22 years of keeping Cebuano music alive
By Leticia Suarez-Orendain
In a mad dash to do this story, G clefs and F clefs flew out of my window.
Alas, there is no musicality when one is in a rush. But tonight you will have to rush to hear the work of Cebu’s pop music artists, painstakingly wrought to express in melody and lyrics ideas coming from the heart.
Culled from 149 entries, the work of the 12 finalists to the Cebu Popular Music Festival gives you a glimpse at how fragile music is and why it must be preserved.
The festival, which will be held at the Waterfront Hotel, is a yearly pre-Sinulog treat that aims to promote new Cebuano songs.
Yet part of that promotion is perpetuation of the song, meaning, producing it in a permanent form (tape or CD), and hearing it regularly on the radio or at home. However, in all its 22 years of glory, why have we heard little of them?
Gani Villarojo of Soundtraxx Production Studio provided one reason.
There have been sporadic recordings of the 12 songs that land in the coveted 12 seats
like recordings of “the best” of the third and fourth outing.
This is such a pity. Villarojo said that from the emotional ballads like Usahay, the songs have evolved. He says that we now have songs with commercial value, like Langit Ug Yuta (first in the fifth pop fest) and Sama sa Usa ka Damgo (third in the first pop fest).
And it has given birth to well-admired singers. Pop music interpreters were catapulted to fame after the tilt like Vina Morales, Anna Fegi and Sheryn Mae Regis, the first runner-up in Star in a Million search.
Which is why it was music to the ears when Villarojo said that he is producing a studio recording of this year’s harvest. The CD, on sale on contest night, will bear the name of the composers and singers.
Before he forged ahead, Villarojo asked the permission of governor-turned Talisay Mayor Eduardo Gullas.
Villarojo is also trying to get dyLa, dyAR and dyRT to spin the songs even off season.
Cesar N. Laspiñas on his part has been there since day one of the pop fest, founded by Mayor Gullas, with his Mutya Orchestra.
Laspiñas said he formulated how to do the contest. He defined Cebuano music as one done in the dialect. Which is why he laments that many young people don’t speak Cebuano fluently. It challenges the Cebu Arts Foundation Inc.’s purpose of the tilt, which is to promote Cebuano culture, be it art or music.
He said that contrary to my view, there are some AM stations that play pop fest songs. He teased me by saying that maybe I don’t listen to AM stations.
I do. For instance I like Bantay Radyo’s Harana. Anyway, he says he has done live recordings of the contest starting with the 15th edition. You remember he owns the Mutya Audio-Video Mix Incorporated.
Ironically, most of his buyers are balikbayan countrymen.
If there is a limited release, it is not only a marketing problem but more so the fear that pirates would reproduce the music without permission.
That can hurt the artist, the producer and the public because of the low quality of the product.
As to the definition of what pop music is, Laspiñas said it is easy to sing and can be sung anywhere unlike classical music, which is more complicated and is difficult to perform.
That said, the presence of Laspiñas and the entrance of new players like Villarojo are instrumental in preserving this very fragile product of our culture. The best we can do is cater to it side by side with the Britney Spears of the west.
(January 16, 2004 issue)
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