DZFE FM: The Master's Touch

I have come to appreciate classical music during my college days.  I guess being an Art Studies Major you just can't NOT like Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin and the other classical musicians. The internet was just in its infancy and there were no downloadable MP3s that time so I tune in to 98.7 DZFE on the FM dial to get my classical trip.  

Listening to classical music relaxes me.  Once I close my eyes it instantly brings my me to places where my soul is in equilibrium.  Of course, that depends on what you're listening to.  Well, it has been a while since I have listened to this station.  With the dawn of mobile phones with radio I thought I can continue this habit on the go where ever I am; unfortunately, the phones that I owned could not get the station's signal.  It was that or the predominance of the pop music culture killed their broadcast.  It really saddened me to think that was the case and wondered if their last airing would get the same fanfare as the final broadcast of NU 107.  I don't think so.  Classical music followers are not that many.  

I have since compiled a huge collection of classical music that I just need to browse through them and select what mood I need to turn on to but every once in a while I'd dial in 98.7 on the radio and it pains me to hear static.  On my way home yesterday, I decided to bring my headphone and plug it in to my Nokia 101 to listen to the zany discussions of DJs Tony Toni, Sam YG, and Slick Ric of the Boy's Night Out.  However, The Boys were not able to take away the after effects of a stressful work day and so I decided to listen to RJ Radio for some oldies beat.  As I scanned through the dial I passed through one that I thought played classical and ---low and behold---it was The Master's Touch on 98.75!  Man!  It was such a welcome discovery that I was tuned in to it from Cubao all the way to SM Fairview (where I did my grocery) until I came home.  This morning, as I went to work, I was again tuned in.  Kung kelan naman chipipay lang ang gamit kong cellphone e dun pala ako makakasagap ng signal nila!

Anyway, other than the classical music playlist this station also have other value added segments that I appreciate like their Talk segment where different hosts gives the listeners a "deeper understanding of the biblical precepts and perceptions" among which I particularly like Guidelines by Dr. Harold Sala.   It is surely nice to hear his calming voice and his insights on Christian living.

A Magical Night of Music!

My professors in the Humanities Department at UP Diliman will surely have second thoughts as to why they let me graduate after they read this blog! Unforgivable for me not to know!

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When I first glanced at our department's workshop schedule, I ranted about who the hell was Coke Bonipata who was scheduled to give us a talk from 6-8pm. Actually, that blow-out was more from the fact that the session would be beyond our normal office hours! At 8pm I should already be home! The session actually lasted less than 2 hours and what I initially thought would be a waste of time---turned out to be a magical night of music!

Alfonso "Coke" Bolipata, as my boss, S'Paul, described him, is God's gift to Philippine music! He is a premier violinist, who, at age 8 years old studied under the wings of Oscar Yatco. At age 14, he won 1st Prize at the National Musical Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA). He furthered his studies abroad at the New School of Music in Philadelphia under Jascha Brodsky, Indiana University under James Buswell, in New York under Felix Galimir, and at the Julliard School under Dorothy Delay. He was concertmaster of the Indiana University Orchestra. He received acclaim for his performances, including that of his performing the solo passages in Strauss’ Le Petit Bourgeois Gentl Homme. He is the only Filipino who has ever participated in the premier season of the Miami-based New World Symphony in 1988 and was the soloist of the symphony’s performance of Berstein’s Serenade for Solo Violin, Chamber Orchestra and Percussion in 1991. During the previous year, he was also the soloist of Beijing’s Central Philharmonic Orchestra in their performance of Chausson’s Poeme which incidentally was also conducted by another Filipino Francisco Feliciano. He is also a composer and an actor(he played Ariel in the independent film "Boses" released in 2008).

When we arrived at the GCF Auditorium, Coke was already playing a tune which I recognized but can't seem to remember the title. Truth be known, I don't know him by face either(forgive me oh great teachers!). I was thinking that he was just some GCF musician practicing. Being into classical music, I even requested him to play Mozart's "Eine Klein Nachmusik" which he gladly obliged to. I was about to request for Vivaldi's "Spring" next if he was not approached by S'Paul. It was only that time that poor me realized that he was the speaker!

Coke shared with us the sacrifices that he needed to go through to become the great artist that he is; his love for the violin and how music allowed him to influence the poor children of San Migues, Zambales, by putting up the music school, Casa San Miguel, in his family's mango orchard when he returned home from his studies at Julliard School of Music. In between his sharing he serenaded us with classical numbers which included "Hating Gabi", "Sana'y Wala ng Wakas", and "Sa Kabukiran".

Thank you S'Paul for inviting Coke to our session. It was truly a very magical night indeed! Oh, and the food was great as well!

Inserted is an excerp of Coke's up and personal performance for the Information Management Division of Jollibee. Enjoy!

Related link http://nonomaca.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-is-there-to-classical-music.html

What is there to Classical Music?

When I took up Music Appreciation during my college years, I had no regard whatsoever to classical music. During those times I was heavily into the music of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet to even take notice of the compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonio Vivaldi or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Before, it was like, "Classical? YUCK!"---I mean, what is there to listening to violins and pianoes---even an orchestra for that matter! However, after listening to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" did I come to realize the different experience of immersing yourself to the imagery of such pieces. It was like seeing without actually seeing, get my drift?

Anyway, most often than not people would regard classical music as an elitist art form and with this respect we cannot blame them, for classical music did thrive during the middle ages duing the time of kings and kingdoms. However, classical musicians like Mozart and Beethoven did not compose their works just for the enjoyment of the elite. Actually, people then had only two choices in terms of musical inclinations---church music or secular music---unlike today where there are so many musical styles that each classification is divided into other categories. Rock for instance has "heavy metal", "R and B", and "slow rock" just to mention a few. So now you know why there are so many award categories during the Grammy's!
During the 1700's these classical composers were the primary concert artists comparable to the following of Michael Jackson. People would flock to places where they played. Even the burial of Beethoven would rival that of John Lennon's! The thing is, the elitistic stigma of classical music prevailed together with its "deteriorating" following. But more than this, maybe the fact that calssical music is a purely instumental piece that people find it hard to understand unlike other musical forms which contains words to express the emotion they wants to convey. You look at the lyrics and you know what the song is all about. Nowadays, with the influx of music videos it's not just a matter of being heard---it's GRAPHIC as well! Hmmm...talk about spoon feeding!

Classical music is a purely listening peice where you see not with the eyes and understand without words---it's closing your eyes...let your imagination drift and allow the musical current take you places! Try listening to Vivaldi's "Spring" (from his symphony Four Seasons) and see yourself promenading in a park with the folowers in full blossom or be lulled to sleep by the goddess Venus as you listen to Brahm's "Lullaby". Now, if you're the action guy, Rossinni's "William Tell Overture"(remember the theme song of "The Lone Ranger"?) and Richard Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" would be a perfect piece to listen to!

The thing is, all you need to possess is an active imagination and afterwhich let yourself be engulfed into musical ecstasy! To hell with social class! But then, in order for you to break this barrier you need to take the first step and TRY listening to it.

Tune in to 98.7 DzFE FM and enjoy the classics on radio!