A PINOY CHRISTMAS

MANILA, October 17, 2005 (STAR) SOUNDS FAMILIAR By Baby A. Gil - There is a song in the musical Mame that I think best expresses the way the Filipino feels about Christmas. The title is We Need a Little Christmas and it tells of putting on that Christmas atmosphere and having that Christmas feeling in our hearts to survive the hard times at any time of year. That must be why the Christmas blitz here starts earlier and earlier every year. It used to begin after All Saints’ Day but not anymore.

Where in the world can you find Christmas decorations on display in September? Here in the Philippines. How about radio stations that not only play Christmas songs four months before but also put on a daily countdown? Only in the Philippines. No wonder we have the longest Christmas Season in the world. And it is longer than before this year. We are going through another difficult period in our lives and having "a little Christmas right this very minute" can certainly help pull us through.

Just as in the case of toymakers and Christmas Tree growers, Christmas never ends in the music business. Holiday albums go into production at any time so that these can be released as early as possible. There is a very short shelf life for these products because nobody buys Christmas songs after Jan. 1. It is really best to have them in the stores early in September. And because they are there, what’s to stop us from joining the celebration by listening to Christmas music, more so if it is something like the two volumes of Pasko by The San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and The San Miguel Master Chorale?

Produced, arranged and conducted by Ryan Cayabyab Pasko I and Pasko II is made up of Filipino Christmas songs. Most of you doubtless recall that Ryan and The San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra had a huge success with the album Great Filipino Music a year ago. They have now come up with the Christmas edition and I predict that these recordings will join the Pinoy’s perennial favorites being sang or played at Mass, the malls, the radio, during carolings, etc, etc, everywhere where there is a need for Christmas music.

Growing up amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Catholic Church has given Filipino composers a unique flair for Christmas music. Unfortunately, this was badly neglected for many years due to the accessibility of foreign pop Christmas albums and the desire of local songwriters to sound the same. But bless Ryan and San Miguel for bringing these Filipino classics to the shelves of Tower and Odyssey. Hopefully, they will prove wrong the perception that old Filipino carols are not saleable anymore.

Cayabyab has divided the songs into two separate albums. Pasko I has the lilting tunes inspired by the Spanish villancicos and good old Jingle Bells that put a joyful note to the celebration. Among these are Maligayang Pasko at Masaganang Bagong Taon also known as Ang Pasko ay Sumapit by Vicente Rubi and Levi Celerio and Mano Po Ninong, Mano Po Ninang by Ador Torres and Manuel Villar, Sr., Kampana ng Simbahan by Juan Silos, Jr. and Serapio Ramos and Cayabyab’s own Kumukutikutitap with lyrics by Jose Javier Reyes. These are what kid carolers sing with their tansan jinglers and what you want playing as you rush through your shopping, cooking, parties and others.

Pasko II is made up of the sentimental ballads like Payapang Daigdig by De Leon, Sr., Himig Pasko by Serapio Ramos, and Pasko Na Sinta Ko by Francis Dandan and Aurelio Estanislao. These are the songs you want to hear during the quiet moments when you just want to savor that Christmas feeling. I warn you though. Pasko II is a real killer. While traditionally merry, Christmas can also be the saddest of times and the memory has no safeguard against remembering past heartaches.

But why dwell on that? Pasko is everything you expect a Christmas album to be and Cayabyab has written arrangements that will be savored and imitated for years to come. So disregard the killjoys who say life is too hard or that it is still too early to be in a Christmas mood. Enjoy Cayabyab’s Pasko and fill the need for that Christmas feeling.