Filipino music for the Transfiguration?
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    A young man in our parish, originally from the Philippines, is a long way from home but interested in celebrating the feast of the Transfiguration in a setting beyond Mass, but without the deplorably bad music to which he is accustomed. I asked if he intended to change the local festival, or merely start fresh on this side of the Pacific Ocean. He indicated the latter.

    Can someone here help out: what traditional, beautiful Filipino (choral) music is there connected to the Transfiguration? I gather it's his hometown's patronal feast.
  • donr
    Posts: 971
    I don't know about the Transfiguration but a piece that we learned for our Phillipino community is called Tinapy Ng Buhay. It is not in the public domain so I can not share publically but here is the translation:

    JESUS, YOU ARE THE BREAD OF LIFE
    BREAD - BLESSED, BROKEN & OFFERED
    GIVING LIFE TO US THAT PARTICIPATE
    AND JOIN IN THE TABLE OF ETERNAL CELEBRATION
    BLESS OUR LIVES, BLESS OUR GIFTS, BLESS OUR GIFTS TO YOU
    MAY THEY BE WORTHY AND SIMILAR TO YOUR OFFERING
    OF TOTAL GIVING OF YOURSELF, YOUR LIFE AND LOVE
    TO A WORLD THAT NEEDS, THAT HUNGERS FOR YOUR LOVE
    JESUS YOU ARE THE BREAD OF LIFE...
    MAKE OF OUR LIVES A GIFT TO ONE ANOTHER AS BREAD
    THAT OFFERS JOY TO THE LONELY HEARTS THAT SEEK YOU
    MAY WE GIVE JUSTICE TO THE OPPRESSED
    AND PROVIDE A DWELLING PLACE OF HOPE TO YOUR PEOPLE

    This one was the best out of the bunch that I was asked to review. They say its a communion hymn but I would only use it for Offertory personally.

    We did it with strings during our Dedication Mass last year. The harmonize are nice.

    Here is a YouTube Link.

    PM me for more information.
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