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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Filipino culture has been known of its meaningful traditions that have,

unfortunately, changed because of Western influences over time. With all the richness

the Philippine tradition has, the best known culture of the Filipinos is its very own

“harana” or serenade which dates back in the Spanish colonization.

Harana is a vanished tradition of serenading prevalent in old Philippines. During

the old times and in the rural areas of the Philippines, Filipino men would make harana

(serenade) the women at night and sing songs of love and affection. This is basically a

Spanish influence. The man is usually accompanied by his close friends who provide

moral support for the guy, apart from singing with him (Francisco, 1974).

Courting under Filipino tradition gives very big importance on the value of

respecting the woman and her family and strictly adhering with proper rules set by

society for pursuing a lady. It is long and arduous process of winning a woman’s heart.

This practice which dates back to the Spanish times prohibits men to be very aggressive

or becoming even when they want the lady very much. One cannot just talk and approach

a lady in the street and ask her number or address. If a young man sees a lady he likes he

should seek out the help of a go between, usually a common friend of both family, to ask

the permission of the girl’s father whether he can visit them in their house. This is the

gentlemanly thing to do so the parents will most likely approve unless of course the lady

is just a child.
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At night, he will sing “harana” or love songs outside the girls house by the

window with a guitar and his friends serving as backups. They will sing and wait until the

lady finally opens the window and invites them into the house. They will then be served

with light snacks and they can talk in the presence of the girls parents and the man’s

friends. Note that in most times, the couple will be with either friends or families. It is

considered inappropriate to leave an unmarried couple unsupervised in those times no

matter what their ages are (Francisco, 1974).

While most Filipinos are still familiar with this custom, it is mostly that – only a

passing familiarity exists. Filipinos can hardly be blamed because there truly was no in-

depth study ever done of this once-important part of Philippine social fabric. Most of

what people know came from stereotypical and romanticized versions depicted in old

movies and paintings (Aguilar, 2012). Certainly, the research world did not pay much

attention to this courtship ritual perhaps because they never considered it an art form and

relegated it more as plebeian endeavor of the popular culture. Thus, herewith “harana” is

the top most issue of this study.

Theoretical Framework

In an attempt to understand the underlying stories of the Philippine traditional

courtship – which involves serenading music - the researcher based the study on the

following relevant and applicable models and theory.

Classical conditioning is a reflexive or automatic type of learning in which a

stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another

stimulus.
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The basic classical conditioning procedure goes like this: a neutral stimulus is

paired with an unconditional stimulus (UCS). The neutral stimulus can be anything, as

long as it does not provoke any sort of response in the organism. On the other hand, the

unconditional stimulus is something that reliably results in a natural response. For

example, if you shine a light into a human eye, the pupil will automatically constrict (you

can actually see this happen if you watch your eyes in a mirror as you turn on and off a

light). Pavlov called this the "unconditional response (Goldman, 2012)."

Conceptual Framework

This study was conducted in order to determine the traditional courting music of

Filipinos specifically the older residents of Brgy. Yubo, La Carlota City, Negros

Occidental who served as the respondents in the study.

The schematic diagram shows the process how the researchers were able to

accumulate the needed data for the study.

Schematic Diagram

INPUT PROCESS PRODUCT

Respondents Interview/ Quality

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study

Statement of the Problem

1. What is the difference between the traditional and modern courtship?

2. What is the courting style in the past?

3. What is harana (serenade)?

4. What are usually the love songs used to the serenade?

5. Is harana still effective today?

Hypothesis

In connection with the problems postulated in this study, the following hypothesis

was formulated:

1. There is no difference between traditional and modern courtship.

Scope and Limitations

This study focused mainly on the older residents of Brgy. Yubo, La Carlota City.

This study also focused on the Philippine traditional and musical way of courtship which

is harana or serenade. This was conducted to see if there is a significant difference in the

traditional and modern way of courtship.

Significance of the Study

The pedagogical outcome of this research can serve to preserve the traditional

way of courtship specifically to the following:

TEACHERS. As facilitators of learning, teachers will find help in this study as

they find the difference between traditional and modern courtship. This study will aid the

teacher to identify the usefulness of music for his/her students.

PARENTS. As nurturers of change, progress and development of their children,

this study will be a guide to the traditional way, proper way and ethical way of courting

in the Philippine scenario.

TEENAGERS. This study will open the minds of the youth with how traditional

way of courtship becomes a priceless culture of the Philippines. This will also become a

way on helping the new tradition to preserve the said tradition.

FUTURE RESEARCHERS. This study will help other researchers to conduct

investigations on other Philippine traditional courtship and love songs used to serenade

the Filipino women in the past.

Definition of Terms

For clarity and precision, the following terms are defined to ensure a common

understanding between the researcher and the reader.

HARANA – In this study, this term refers to a traditional form of courtship in the

Philippines wherein men introduced themselves and/or wooed women by singing

underneath her window at night. It was widely practiced in old Philippines with a set of

protocols, a code of conduct and a specific style of music (Aguilar and Enriquez, 2007).

COURTSHIP – In this study, the term refers to the activities that occur when

people are developing a romantic relationship that could lead to marriage or the period of

time when such activities occur.

TRADITION - In this study, tradition is not just a conservative force, but rather a

principle that ensures the continuity and identity of the same attitude through successive

generations.

SUITOR - In this study, the term refers to a man who pursues a relationship with

a particular woman, with a view to marriage.

MUSIC – In this study, term refers to the universal human activity, either for its

own sake or as part of other activities such as dancing, working, playing, and worshiping.

Music is not the only one of man’s activities to be principally concerned with sound.