Ilonggo Folk Music is the music that has been handed down from one generation to another. It is usually in a set melody; is extemporaneously composed and expresses emotions, thoughts, or ideas shared by the community. Folk music is a very essential component of every place and culture. It is the music with which the people of a nation or a group most specifically identify themselves. It consists of song or pieces taught through performance and learned by hearing. The original composers of folk music are anonymous or forgotten. A folk song does not have a standardized form. Instead, its words as well as its music exist in more than one and sometimes a great many variants, or in slightly different versions. Folk music is the music of the people. Although many folk musicians are accomplished artists who have fine technique and mastery of many pieces, folk music is generally simpler and more compact in style than classical or art music. Folk music exists in many different forms and under a variety of social and cultural conditions. Folk song includes both traditional music and the genre that evolved from it during the 20th century folk revival. The term originated in the l9th century but is often applied to music that is older than that. 

Folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers. It has been contrasted, with commercial and classical styles. One meaning often given is that of old songs, with no known composers; another is music that has been transmitted and evolved by a process of oral transmission or performed by custom over a long period of time.

We, Ilonggos are noted as music lovers and patrons of art. Prior to our colonization, records show that Ilonggos have rich cultural talents, which includes appreciation to music.

llonggo folk music is considered as the courier of Ilonggo oral culture and traditions. These types of songs are the media of expressions of the people. It unites people in a common interest towards a societal goal. There are no enough studies conducted for the better understanding and literature about Ilonggo folk music. However, despite the assembly of an enormous body of work over some two centuries, there is still no certain definition of what folk music (or folklore, or the folk) is. Folk music may tend to have certain characteristics but it cannot clearly be differentiated in purely musical terms. One meaning that is often given is an old song another is that of music that has been submitted to an evolutionary process of oral transmission, the fashioning and re-fashioning of the music by the community that gave a folk-character sound. Such definitions depend upon cultural processes rather than abstract musical types, upon continuity and oral transmission seen as characterizing one side of a cultural dichotomy, the other side of which is found not only in the lower layers of feudal, capitalist and some oriental societies but also in primitive societies and, in parts of popular cultures. One widely used definition is what the people sing. From a historical perspective, traditional folk music had these characteristics: it was transmitted through an oral tradition and it is deeply rooted as part of their cultural life.

Unlike folk music of other regions in the Philippines, it is called awiting bayan in Tagalog, ambahan/awit/biyao in Cebuano, susunan in Manobo and bukidnon or the more melodious iringay in Bukidnon, badio in Ibaloy, leleng in Sama, halikata in Tiruray. And Ivatan’s laji, which is a lyric folk song, traditional Ilonggo music has never reached contemporary popularity. Perhaps, it is partly due to the fact every region of the Philippines has its own language, culture and traditions.

Though some groups tried to collect songs from the different ethno linguistic groups, none has so far succeeded in making traditional music a part of the national identity, much more a national symbol. It is rarely taught in the basic education curriculum of the Department of Education, aside from children’s songs. This results in a mentality that traditional songs are children’s songs. Folk music is the most natural and logical place to begin music instruction. Educators agree with the preeminent value of folk song as the foundation of Music Education. 

The decline of folk music was accelerated with the advent of technology, making popular music from other countries such as Hollywood and K-Pop are easily accessible to a common Ilonggo. Though most foreigners would say that Ilonggos are music-loving people, traditional music is always at risk of being left in oblivion.

Recently, various attempts and studies have been made to collect and preserve Ilonggo folk music. Once properly documented will be our cultural asset. It can be preserved through publishing more researches, proper notation or having a compilation. It is the duty of every Ilonggo to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture. Our folk music is a vast continuum, evolving incessantly since time immemorial. Naturally, preservation of these songs is essential and assumes a lot of importance.

Due to the two UNESCO Conventions, one ‘to safeguard and protect Intangible Heritage’ and the other on ‘Cultural Diversity’, the government has initiated proactive measures to safeguard and protect cultural diversity and the various expressions of intangible heritage facing the risk of disappearance. 

With the new concept of indigenization, localization and contextualization as one of the approaches in teaching, it will be a great step for 3P’s…. the PRESERVATION, PROMOTION AND PROPAGATION of Ilonggo Folk Music.