Rondalla
Encyclopedia
The rondalla is an ensemble of stringed instruments played with the plectrum
or pick
and generally known as plectrum instruments
. It originated in Medieval Spain
, especially in Catalunya, Aragon
, Murcia
, and Valencia
. The tradition was later taken to Spanish America
and elsewhere.
The word rondalla is from the Spanish ronda, meaning "serenade."
(as well as 'New Spain', namely Mexico
) were forerunners of the present-day rondalla and included four types: groups of young men who played and sang regularly in front of homes, bands of musicians known as murza or murga
who begged for alms, a group of musicians known as comparza who played on stage, and groups of university musicians known as estudiantina, dubbed “tuna”. The usual musical instruments used by estudiantina members were mandolin
s, violin
s, guitar
s, flute
s, cello
s, bass
es, tambourine
s, castanet
s, and triangle
s. Estudiantina musicians in Spain and Mexico, before and during the age of musical romanticism
, wore 16th century attire such as "short velvet breeches, ornate shirts and a short cape with multicolored ribbons".
musical instruments of the time, including the
guitar
s, flute
s and vihuela
s. Mandolins, castanets and tambourine
s were also used and today a full range of instruments can be heard, such as the Mexican vihuela
, violin
s and cello
s, marimba
s, xylophone
s, harp
s, and timbales
.
Currently, there are many groups in Spain (such as 'La Rondalla Sierra Almijara' and 'La Rondalla de la Costera'), and Mexico (such as 'La Rondalla de Saltillo', 'Los Paladines', and 'La Rondalla Motivos') and United States ('La Rondalla del Sagrado Corazon' de Richmond) that carry on the tradition
, and mostly in the late 19th century, certain styles were adopted by the natives, especially in the Philippines. The use of the term comparza was common, however, during the American period in the Philippines, the term rondalla became more used. At present, rondalla, in the Philippines, refers to any group of stringed instruments that are played using the plectrum or pick. The Filipino instruments are made from indigenous Philippine wood and the plectrum, or picks, are made from tortoise
-shell. Other stringed instruments composing the standard Filipino rondalla are the bandurria
, the laúd
, the octavina
, the bajo de uñas or double bass
, bass guitar
, and other Filipino-made instruments modeled and developed after the guitar.
The Philippine rondalla’s repertoire
include folk songs such as the balitaw and the kundiman
, balse (waltz
), danza
, march music, modern and contemporary melodies, and foreign and Filipino classics.
Plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand...
or pick
Guitar pick
A guitar pick is a plectrum used for guitars. A pick is generally made of one uniform material; examples include plastic, nylon, rubber, felt, tortoiseshell, wood, metal, glass, and stone...
and generally known as plectrum instruments
Plucked string instrument
Plucked string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments that are played by plucking the strings. Plucking is a way of pulling and releasing the string in such as way as to give it an impulse that causes the string to vibrate...
. It originated in Medieval Spain
Spain in the Middle Ages
After the disorders of the passage of the Vandals and Alans down the Mediterranean coast of Hispania from 408, the history of Medieval Spain begins with the Iberian kingdom of the Arianist Visigoths , who were converted to Catholicism with their king Reccared in 587...
, especially in Catalunya, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
, and Valencia
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
. The tradition was later taken to Spanish America
Hispanic America
Hispanic America or Spanish America is the region comprising the American countries inhabited by Spanish-speaking populations.These countries have significant commonalities with each other and with Spain, whose colonies they formerly were...
and elsewhere.
The word rondalla is from the Spanish ronda, meaning "serenade."
History
The playing bands in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(as well as 'New Spain', namely Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) were forerunners of the present-day rondalla and included four types: groups of young men who played and sang regularly in front of homes, bands of musicians known as murza or murga
Murga
Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay and in Argentina during the Carnival season. Murga groups operate in Montevideo and at the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; the Argentine murga is more centred on dancing and less on vocals than the...
who begged for alms, a group of musicians known as comparza who played on stage, and groups of university musicians known as estudiantina, dubbed “tuna”. The usual musical instruments used by estudiantina members were mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
s, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s, bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
es, tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s, castanet
Castanet
Castanets are a percussion instrument , used in Moorish, Ottoman, ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Sephardic Music, and Portuguese music. The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by a string. They are held in the hand and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents or...
s, and triangle
Triangle (instrument)
The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve...
s. Estudiantina musicians in Spain and Mexico, before and during the age of musical romanticism
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
, wore 16th century attire such as "short velvet breeches, ornate shirts and a short cape with multicolored ribbons".
Rondalla instruments
Some instruments used for the early rondalla were influenced by the MozarabMozarab
The Mozarabs were Iberian Christians who lived under Arab Islamic rule in Al-Andalus. Their descendants remained unconverted to Islam, but did however adopt elements of Arabic language and culture...
musical instruments of the time, including the
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s and vihuela
Vihuela
Vihuela is a name given to two different guitar-like string instruments: one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings, and the other, the Mexican vihuela, from 19th century Mexico with five strings and typically played in Mariachi bands.-History:The vihuela, as it was known...
s. Mandolins, castanets and tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s were also used and today a full range of instruments can be heard, such as the Mexican vihuela
Mexican vihuela
Vihuela is the name of two different guitar-like string instruments: the historical vihuela of 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings, and the Mexican vihuela from 19th century Mexico with five strings and typically played in mariachi groups.-Mexican vihuela:While the Mexican vihuela...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s, marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
s, xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
s, harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
s, and timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
.
Rondallas in Spain, Mexico and the United States
Today, rondallas are more modern and expressive, using lyrics that are vibrant, yet still keep with the traditional theme of melancholy love and evening serenades.Currently, there are many groups in Spain (such as 'La Rondalla Sierra Almijara' and 'La Rondalla de la Costera'), and Mexico (such as 'La Rondalla de Saltillo', 'Los Paladines', and 'La Rondalla Motivos') and United States ('La Rondalla del Sagrado Corazon' de Richmond) that carry on the tradition
Philippines
During the Spanish period in the East IndiesSpanish East Indies
Spanish East Indies was a term used to describe Spanish territories in Asia-Pacific which lasted for three centuries . With the seat of government in Manila, the territory encompassed the Philippine Islands, Guam and the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, and for a period of time, parts of...
, and mostly in the late 19th century, certain styles were adopted by the natives, especially in the Philippines. The use of the term comparza was common, however, during the American period in the Philippines, the term rondalla became more used. At present, rondalla, in the Philippines, refers to any group of stringed instruments that are played using the plectrum or pick. The Filipino instruments are made from indigenous Philippine wood and the plectrum, or picks, are made from tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
-shell. Other stringed instruments composing the standard Filipino rondalla are the bandurria
Bandurria
The bandurria is a plectrum chordophone from Spain, similar to the cittern and the mandolin, primarily used in Spanish folk music.Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had with a round back, similar or related to the mandore. It had become a flat-backed instrument by the 18th century, with five...
, the laúd
Laúd
The word laúd is the Spanish word for lute. It is most commonly used to refer to a plectrum-plucked chordophone from Spain. It belongs to the cittern family of instruments. It has six double courses , similarly to the bandurria, but its neck is longer...
, the octavina
Octavina
The octavina is a guitar-shaped Filipino instrument with a tuning similar to the laúd.-History:With the large Spanish influence from the 16th to the 19th century, many traditional Spanish instruments became incorporated into the Filipino culture, and after passed time, have evolved into entirely...
, the bajo de uñas or double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and other Filipino-made instruments modeled and developed after the guitar.
The Philippine rondalla’s repertoire
String instrument repertoire
-Solo instruments:*Violin:**Violin solo**Violin and piano**Violin concertos**Two violins*Viola:**Viola solo**Viola and piano**Viola concertos*Cello:**Cello solo**Cello and piano**Cello ensemble pieces**Cello concertos*Double bass:**Double bass solo...
include folk songs such as the balitaw and the kundiman
Kundiman
Kundiman is a genre of traditional Filipino love songs. The lyrics of the Kundiman are written in Tagalog. The melody is characterized by a smooth, flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals...
, balse (waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
), danza
Danza
Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dances, performed to a pattern, usually of squares, to...
, march music, modern and contemporary melodies, and foreign and Filipino classics.