The palabunibunyan literally means “an ensemble of loud instruments”. It is also the term used to call the Maguindanaon gong ensemble which consists of five instruments, namely: the kulintang, agung, gandingan, debakan, babendir.
The palabunibunyan is an essential part of the Maguindanaon social and religious culture.
Musical pieces played in the palabunibunyan fall under four categories, namely Binalig (also called Sirong), Sinulog, Tidtu and Tagunggo. Unlike the first three categories that are played in various kinds of festivities, Tagunggo is exclusively for rituals and is usually accompanied by a ritual dance called Sagayan.
Sinulog pieces are characterized by slow and flowing tempo. On the other hand, Tidtu is usually played in musical competitions due to its fast and complicated tempo which highlights the players virtuosity.
The main structure of Kulintang pieces consists of the introduction, repeated section, ascending and descending transitions and the conclusion. The length of the pieces usually depends on the players as she would choose to repeat some sections several times.
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