Kundiman is a genre of traditional Filipino ballads, predominantly with romantic themes. The lyrics of the kundiman are written in Tagalog. The melody is characterized by a smooth, flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals. Kundiman was the traditional means of serenade in the Philippines.
The kundiman emerged as an art song at the end of the 19th century and by the early 20th century, but this art of singing is said to even already exist in Visayan Islands even before the Tagalogs adopted it. Its musical structure was formalized by Filipino composers such as Francisco Santiago and Nicanor Abelardo who sought poetry for their lyrics, blending verse and music in equal parts.
Etymology Several theories have been proposed regarding the etymology of the word kundiman.
One theory traces the term to the Tagalog phrase "kung hindi man", meaning "if not", "if not meant to be", or "if it were not so", from which kundiman is believed to have evolved through linguistic contraction. An irritable Spanish priest, on being awakened by a group of haranistas singing "Kung hindi man dapat sa iyong kariktan..." under the window of a neighboring house with a young lady, stuck his head out and shouted, "Will you stop that kundiman".Epistola, Ernesto V. (1996). Nicanor Abelardo, the man and the artist: a biography. Rex Bookstore, Manila. pp. 49, 50-52.
Another theory suggests that the word originated from a traditional folk verse in which it first appeared and repeatedly. This theory was attributed to Don Epifanio delos Santos y Cristobal, explains that the word kundiman came a nonsensical rhyme which was very popular among the natives of Cavite. It was a teasing ditty on their young women who were known for their shyness or pretended shyness: "Hele-hele nang kundangan, hele-hele nang kundiman."
A third interpretation associates kundiman with a red garment worn by male dancers during ritual performances in rural communities.Anderson, Quiliano N. (2015). Kundiman love songs from the Philippines: their development from folksong to art song and an examination of representative repertoire.[Doctoral dissertation, University of Iowa]. Iowa Research Online. Supporters of this theory cite a line from a folk song popular in Cavite in 1873: "Mula nang mauso / damit ng kundiman" ("Since kundiman clothing came into fashion").
Structure
The formalized art song structure of the kundiman is characterized by moderate 3/4 time. One of its defining features is the shift from a minor key in the opening section to the parallel major key in the next section. For example, a kundiman that begins in C minor moves to C major midway through the song. This change in tonality is considered a key feature of the genre, and songs that do not follow this pattern are often not classified as kundiman. The character and structural elements of the kundiman is also derived from an earlier Tagalog tune called comintang.
Kundiman is often mistaken for a harana because haranistas would oftentimes sing kundiman songs during a harana, but they are stylistically different.
Historical background The kundiman is a genre of Filipino song that emerged from the broader semi-classical music tradition of the Philippines. Originally associated with lyrical expressions of love, the kundiman evolved through the late Spanish colonial and early American periods into a cultivated art song form shaped by theater, folk music, and Western musical practices.
The development of the kundiman is closely tied to the rise of vernacular musical theater in the Philippines. By 1900, the native sarswela—derived from the Spanish zarzuela introduced in 1879—had become an important venue for musical composition and performance. The solo songs featured in sarswela productions became stylistic models for the classical kundiman as well as for later Filipino love songs and ballads.
The evolution of kundiman
Late 19th century In 1872, the Franciscan scholar and Tagalist Joaquín de Coria published Nueva Gramática Tagalog Teorica-Práctica which, besides discussing Tagalog grammar and poetry, the book identified major Tagalog song forms, including the cundiman, which it described as a love song especially used in serenading. Other song forms listed included the kumintang, soliranin, and hele-hele.
In 1874, Spanish scholar Venancio María de Abella described the "cumintan" and "cundiman" in Manual de la Conversación Familiar Español-Tagalog as canción indígena, or native songs of the Tagalogs. He characterized the melody of the "cumintan" as "somewhat pathetic and monotonous, but not lacking in a certain pleasant feeling," and described the "cundiman" (kundiman) as similar to the former, but with some variations.
In Cuentos Filipinos, Spanish writer and historian José Montero y Vidal documented in 1883 the lyrics of a popular kundiman sung by Tagalogs, emphasizing its sorrowful and sentimental tone.
In 1888, Spanish historian Wenceslao E. Retana recorded a Batangas kundiman in El Indio Batangueño. The lyrics reflected themes of love, hardship, humility, and emotional longing, while also preserving the refrain "Hele ng Cundiman".
In Spanish colonial period, the kundiman became associated with veiled patriotism. Expressions of romantic devotion in kundiman songs were interpreted as symbolic declarations of love for the motherland and aspirations for freedom under colonial rule. José Rizal incorporated the kundiman into his novel Noli Me Tangere, explicitly mentioned and featured into two major parts of the book, in Chapter 23: "The Fishing Excursion" (Ang Piknik/Buwaya) with the song "Canto de Maria Clara", and in Chapter 39: "Doña Consolacion" (Ang Dalawang Senyora) with "Kundiman ng Gabi".
Rizal also composed his own kundiman, Kundiman ni Rizal. Unlike traditional melancholic kundiman songs, Rizal’s composition carried themes of protest, national awakening, and the assertion of Filipino rights.
The golden era (1910s–1930s) In 1905, Isabelo de los Reyes composed the Kundiman Jocelynang Baliwag, with music by Lucino Buenaventura, and the former also wrote the serialized novella Ang Singsing ng Dalagang Marmol, along with a series of related songs—including Liwayway, Pepita, and El Anillo de la Dalaga de Mármol—as part of his courtship of Josefa “Pepita” Tiongson y Lara of Baliwag. The lyrics of Jocelynang Baliwag even form an acrostic of Tiongson’s nickname, “Pepita,” reflecting de los Reyes’ admiration for her. In 1908, the singer Maria Carpena was considered the first Filipino recording artist. Her recording of the song "Ang Maya", composed by Jose Estella with lyrics by dramatist Severino Reyes under the American label Victor Records, was issued around 1908-1909. One interpretation is that the song alludes to freedom from the colonizer.
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."J. Pagaspas, Native Amusements in the Province of Batangas
Dr. Francisco Santiago, dubbed as the "Father of the Kundiman Art Song" or also "Father of Filipino Musical Nationalism", briefly explains in his scholarly work The Development of Music in the Philippines that the reason it is called kundiman is because the very first prolific Tagalog love song written.
Santiago declared in the late 1930s that kundiman "is the love song par excellence of the Filipinos, the plaintive song which goes deepest into their hearts, song which brings them untold emotions."F. Santiago, The Development of Music in the Philippines Endowed with such power, the kundiman naturally came to serve as a vehicle for veiled patriotism in times of colonial oppression, in which the undying love for a woman symbolized the love of country and desire for freedom.
Kundiman transitioned from a folk song tradition into a concert form through the work of Bonifacio Abdon, who adapted native Filipino tunes and musical structures into more formal compositions. Inspired by the approach of European composers such as Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann, Abdon introduced greater sophistication and complexity to the genre while preserving its traditional romantic themes. This development helped kundiman remain popular among the Filipino public while also establishing it as a respected form of art music.
Radio and film era (1950s) Jocelynang Baliwag, a kundiman closely associated with the town of Baliwag, traces its origins to a melody that circulated in older folk songs before being given lyrics. In 1940, UP College of Music professor and future National Artist Antonio Molina introduced the piece as the "Kundiman ng Himagsikan", later publishing a transcription in 1941. He had seen the phrase "música del legítimo kundiman procedente del campo insurrecto" on the music sheet and mistakenly interpreted it as referring to the Philippine Revolution, an incorrect historical contextualization.
The Filipino composer, conductor and scholar Felipe M. de León Jr., wrote that the kundiman is a "unique musical form expressing intense longing, caring, devotion and oneness with a beloved. Or with a child, spiritual figure, motherland, ideal or cause. According to its text, a kundiman can be romantic, patriotic, religious, mournful. Or a consolation, a lullaby. Or a protest and other types. But of whatever type, its music is soulful and lofty, conveying deep feelings of devotional love."F.M. de León Jr., "But What Really Is The Kundiman?"
In 1950, Villar Records, a seminal Filipino record label was established. It played a defining role in preserving and popularizing traditional kundiman by releasing prolific volumes of recordings by legendary artists.
Notable Kundiman composers By the early twentieth century, Filipino composers trained in European conservatory traditions began formalizing the kundiman into concert repertoire. According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, composers transformed the genre into an "art song" form while retaining its emotional and lyrical characteristics.
ImageComposerNotesSample of WorkFrancisco SantiagoFrancisco Santiago (1889–1947) is a composer, pianist, and educator. He served as director of the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music and helped codify the classical structure of the kundiman. His works combined Romantic-era harmonic language with Filipino melodic idioms. Among his best-known compositions are Pakiusap, Madaling Araw, and Sakali Man. Pakiusap, with lyrics by José Corazón de Jesús and Jesús Balmori, became one of the most enduring kundiman songs of the twentieth century. Scholars credit Santiago with elevating the kundiman from a regional folk tradition into a respected concert genre performed in recital halls and conservatories.Nicolasora, Michelle (2014). “Kundiman: A Musical and Socio-Cultural Exploration on the Development of the Philippine Art Song” DMA, diss., University of Memphis. Nicanor AbelardoNicanor Abelardo (1893–1934) was among the most influential Filipino composers of the early twentieth century and is often regarded as the foremost master of the kundiman tradition. Born in Bulacan, he studied at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music and later pursued advanced studies in the United States. Abelardo composed more than 140 works, including orchestral pieces, chamber music, and songs, though he is best known for kundiman compositions such as Nasaan Ka Irog, Kundiman ng Luha, and Mutya ng Pasig.