The Philippine Madrigal Singers celebrate 60 years

SOUNDS FAMILIAR - Baby A. Gil - The Philippine Star 

July 18, 2024 | 12:00am

It was in 1963 when future National Artist for Music Andrea Veneracion put together a group of teachers and students from the University of the Philippines College of Music to specifically perform madrigals, a type of secular choral music. As we know now, that little choir grew up into the most popular and most admired group of singers ever assembled in the Philippines.

The Philippine Madrigal Singers or the Madz is now 60 years old. More than 60, in fact, it is currently on a year-long celebration of its six decades of existence.

It was in 1963 when singer and arranger and future National Artist for Music Andrea Veneracion put together a group of teachers and students from the University of the Philippines College of Music to specifically perform madrigals. The madrigal is a type of secular choral music with poetic lyrics performed a cappella and caracterized by beautiful harmonies. It was very popular during the Renaissance period.

As we know now, that little choir grew up into the most popular and most admired group of singers ever assembled in the Philippines. Under the guidance of Veneracion, who was lovingly referred to as Ma’am OA, The Madz enthralled music lovers all over the world with its expressive vocals and masterful handling of harmonies. The group distinguished itself by winning top prizes in the most prestigious choral competitions. Among these were the 1996 International Choral Competition in Tolosa, Spain and the 1997 European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Tours, France.

The Madz continued to excel with madrigals but had over the years branched out to include, classical, jazz, pop and other types of music in its repertoire. This decision to diversify has resulted in utterly entertaining shows which brings in crowds of music lovers whenever and wherever the choir performs. Take note too that the University of the Philippines is not carried anymore by the Madz. Not that UP has dropped the Madz or vice-versa but because the Philippine Madrigal Singers now belongs to the whole Philippines and not just to UP.

Ma’am OA passed away on July 9, 2013, eight years after she suffered a stroke. As with all National Artists, she is now resting in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. She left the Madz in the hands of the very able choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio whom she handpicked before she was taken ill. She must be very pleased with her choice, knowing that Carpio continues to steer the group towards victories in European music competitions and in successful international tours. It is Carpio as artistic director who led the Madz, alumni and present members, through their paces for the album that commemorates the past 60 years.

The album is titled “The Sound of Sixty Years, A Homecoming Celebration by The Philippine Madrigal Singers.” This was recorded at the Tanghalang Ignacio Jimenez or the Blackbox Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The tracks included are a mix of well-loved concert favorites in French, German, Spanish, English and other languages or dialects from the group’s success-filled repertoire.

My favorites are the Tagalog songs. The Madz makes these sound heavenly when performed madrigal style. The cuts are Ang Aking Bituin (O Ilaw) arranged by Lucio San Pedro; Dahil sa Iyo by Miguel Velarde Jr. and Dominador Santiago arranged by Fabian Obispo and the Ilongo lullaby, Ili-Ili Tulog Anay, arranged by Priscilla Magdamo. Then as always the Prayer of St. Francis by Allen Pote, as arranged here by Robert Delgado comes off as most heartfelt and beautiful.

Others included are In These Delightful, Pleasant Groves by Henry Purcell; Chi La Gagliqrda by Baldassare Donato; Il Est Bel Et Bon by Pierre Passereau; Hoy Comamos y Bedamos by Juan del Encina; Wohlauf, Ihr Gaste by Erasmus Widmann Jr.; Mamayog Akun also arranged by Obispo; Iddem-dem Mallida arranged by Elmo Makil; Alleluia by Randall Thompson; L’important C’est la Rose by Louis Amade and Gilbert Becaud and arranged by Magdangal de Leon; and Love is the Answer by Raymond Hannisian.

The tale of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

 Composers Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine were assigned to write songs for Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland. Among those that they came up with were The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The movie was about a family who must relocate to New York after the Holidays and an important part of the story was how they did not want to leave their happy life in St. Louis. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written for Garland to sing to child actress Margaret O’Brien. And in keeping with the plot, it was a sad song. When Frank Sinatra decided to record a cover in 1957, he requested Martin and Blaine for a happy version. This is what we now listen to from Sinatra and other artists who thought of it as a beautiful Christmas song that they just had to record their own version.

SOUNDS FAMILIAR - Baby A. Gil - The Philippine Star 

December 24, 2023 | 12:00am

I was only able to watch the musical Meet Me in St. Louis on Betamax many years after it was released in 1944. But I was already familiar with one of its soundtrack songs, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas because of the movie The Victors.

That film was a war drama from 1963 and the song was used in a scene where a deserter soldier was executed. It was a poignant moment which I never forgot. It was rendered more powerful with the sound of Frank Sinatra singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas as background music.

To this day, despite many other versions I still think of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas as the saddest Christmas song ever written. Now, I recently found out that how it was originally written was even sadder.

How can anybody write a sad song about Christmas? Well, composers Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine did. The songwriting duo was assigned to write songs for Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland. Among those that they came up with were The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

The movie was about a family who must relocate to New York after the Holidays and an important part of the story was how they did not want to leave their happy life in St. Louis. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written for Garland to sing to child actress Margaret O’Brien. And in keeping with the plot, it was a sad song.

Very sad indeed. Check out the original lyrics which I found in an article by Ellen Gutosky in the online mag Mental Floss.

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ It may be your last/ Next year we may all be living in the past/ Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ Pop that champagne cork/ Next year we may all be living in New York.

“No good times like the olden days/ Happy golden days of yore/ Faithful friends who were dear to us/ will be near to us no more.

“But at least we all will be together if the Lord allows/ From now on we’ll have to muddle through somehow/ so have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now.”

The message was, have yourself a merry little Christmas while you can because next year will be different for us.

Garland’s reaction was instantaneous. “If I sing that to little Margaret O’Brien, the audience will think I’m a monster.”

The tale says that it took Martin and Blaine some convincing but they later agreed to work on the song. After some editing or I should say a little tweaking, Garland had the song she wanted and a true Christmas classic was born.

However, it was still sad. So, when Sinatra decided to record a cover in 1957, he requested Martin and Blaine for a happy version.

And this is what we now listen to from Sinatra, Michael Bublé, Ella Fitzgerald, Kelly Clarkson, The Carpenters, John Legend, Sam Smith and so many others who thought of it as a beautiful Christmas song that they just had to record their own version.

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ let your heart be light/ from now on our troubles will be out of sight/ Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ Make the Yuletide gay/ From now on our troubles will be miles away.

“Here we are as in olden days happy golden days of yore/ Faithful friends who are dear to us will be near to us once more.

“Through the years we all will be together/ if the fates allow/ Hang a shining star upon the highest bough/ and have yourself a merry little Christmas now.”

And that is how that shining star made it to the highest bough. Isn’t it just amazing what a little tweaking can do to the lyrics of a song.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Jose Mari Chan, Pilita Corrales and the sounds from 50 years ago

SOUNDS FAMILIAR - Baby A. Gil - The Philippine Star 

July 7, 2023 | 12:00am

What a coincidence. As Can We Just Stop and Talk a While was playing on the car radio, I saw a huge Jose Mari Chan on the back of a bus hawking insurance, in front of me. It was a nice picture showing a man of a sunshiny personality. It is just what you would expect somebody who has become an enduring symbol of the Filipino-Christmas celebration to look like.

2023 is halfway over. It is now July. Soon JMC will be heard again singing his Christmas in Our Hearts, which has become so much a part of our lives. I like it that a Christmas pop song by a Filipino artist has won popular acceptance and now stands toe to toe with modern foreign carols.

I also like it that Can We Just Stop and Talk a While still gets radio airplay. Would you believe that the recording was released in 1973? That means that the song is now 50 years old.  Its message remains timely and its sparkling arrangement still sounds great.

After the success of his early recordings like Afterglow and Deep in My Heart in 1969, JMC took a break from his music career. It was only in 1973 that he was entice to record again.  The song he did was Can We Just Stop and Talk a While.

The lead cut in the album of the same title, which by the way, also had the beautiful Refrain, Can We Just Stop and Talk a While became a finalist at Tokyo’s Yamaha Popular Song Festival and one of the year’s biggest hits. It was also the beginning of a new phase in JMC’s singing career that would later include big sellers like Beautiful Girl and Constant Change.

I see 1973 as a year of transition for the local music industry. It was on the verge of a massive uprising. The few years before had the Nora Aunor phenomenon, the young combos like RJ and the Riots and the jukebox kings like Eddie Peregrina and Victor Wood.

The first game changers were the young showband The New Minstrels, which scored a big hit out of an old Tagalog song, Buhat. Then, the Spanish and Cebuano speaking mestiza Pilita Corrales followed suit with Kapantay ay Langit.

With such sounds in the air, music lovers became most receptive to the new sounds  themselves. In fact, they were eager to embrace the changes that were afoot in 1973.

A trio of rockers took it upon themselves to record something different, the bluesy ballad Himig Natin. With this song, Mike Hanopol, Wally Gonzales and Joey “Pepe” Smith as the Juan de la Cruz Band introduced Pinoy Rock.

A group of talented young musicians got together to form the Circus Band. Among them were soon to be big stars Basil Valdez, Hajji Alejandro, Pat Castillo, Pabs Dadivas, Tillie Moreno and instrumentalists Gerry Paraiso, Menchu Apostol, Atek Jacinto and Rudy Lozano.

The campus idols Apolinario Hiking Society staged a farewell concert in preparation to joining the corporate world. Some of them did. Three, however, stayed to join showbusiness and became the APO Hiking Society, Jim Paredes, Danny Javier and Boboy Garrovillo. It was the beginning of a hitmaking career that is still going great after 50 years.

Elsewhere, Dennis Garcia, frontman of a band that he named Hotdog, gave a young Assumptionista named Ella del Rosario a sweet ballad titled Pers Lab to record. That song would usher in a revolution that came to be known as the Manila Sound. It was the beginning of the golden age of Filipino pop music.

It feels unbelievable that all these great sounds happened 50 years ago and are still as popular as ever.

And I got to thinking. Which one among today’s hit songs will the people of 50 years in the future be listening to? Hopefully to many of them. What I am sure of though is they will still do their Christmas shopping to the tune of Christmas in our Hearts.