Monday, March 15, 2010

Of metronomes and anthems

It is another moment of triumph for Filipinos everywhere as Manny Pacquiao scored another victory in the ring, this time over Ghana's Joshua Clottey. True, yesterday's 12-rounder was a bit ho-hum, considering Clottey did nothing but hold his arms over his face for the majority of the fight - plus the fact that what we really want is Mayweather['s face] on the canvas - but, still, a victory is a victory. So congratulations are in order for Team Pacquiao (especially Freddie Roach).

That being said, it irks me no end that some people find it in them to ruin a perfectly glorious moment.

One of the headlines on Yahoo! News today caught my attention: "Arnel Pineda's version of RP anthem criticized". For those of you Filipinos who [live under a rock and] didn't get to watch the fight, Pineda was given the honor to sing the Philippine National Anthem.

Apparently, the National Historical Institute deemed the Journey frontman's version "wrong", ergo, they find it essential to file a complaint to the Department of Justice.

And what, exactly, was their issue with Pineda's version? According to the article, "under Section 37 of RA 8491 or the Flag and Heraldic Code, the national anthem must be sung in accordance with the original musical arrangement of composer Julian Felipe, who gave it a marching tempo. Violators may be fined Php5,000 to Php20,000 or jailed for a year." Furthermore, Lupang Hinirang must be "properly sung with a two-fourths beat and 100 metronomes," which should make it last for 53 seconds, instead of the 89-second version that Pineda delivered.

Let's be clear on one thing: I'm not exactly a Pineda fan (though I must admit he's got the vocal chops). Neither am I pro-NHI; I am sure the agency is just doing its job. But, my goodness, how ANAL can they get? If they're that obsessive, maybe they should consider putting together an Association for National Anthem Literacy or something...

Until this day, I've never heard of an effing metronome, much less know what to do with it. I heard Pineda's version, and while, admittedly, it might have been slower than the prescribed marching beat, my amateur ears detected nothing criminally wrong with his rendition. To me, his interpretation was heartfelt, and more than enough to remind me how proud I am to be a Filipino by birthright.


A string of other talented Filipino singers received the same frown from NHI: Charice Pempengco, La Diva, Sarah Geronimo, Lani Misalucha and Kyla got less-than-stellar reviews from the board. I only agreed with the NHI on two counts: Martin Nievera and Christian Bautista, both of whom delivered harrowing renditions; but still, I don't see how that's enough to earn them DOJ's attention. The only injustice here would be to take the DOJ's attention away from more important cases and concentrate on metronomes.

Look, when we were in primary school and were first taught the National Anthem, what were the things they told us? Were we instructed to keep it at two-fourths beat and 100 metronomes (egad, I hate that word!)? Did our teachers ever whip out a stopwatch and give detention to anyone who sang it at 00:53:04 seconds or beyond? Hell, no (well, at least not in my school...)!

The only thing I remember being required to do was to sing Lupang Hinirang with nothing less than respect and reverence, with your right hand placed over your left chest, and with your eyes looking straight at the flag. Respect, not metronome, was the order of the day.

In fairness to him, I felt Pineda's sincerity and respect in singing the National Anthem. He's made a name for himself so he probably doesn't need the 89 seconds of fame this stint bought for him (or cost him, depending on your perspective). But, more than anything else, he certainly does not deserve the flak he's getting from NHI just because he sang it a few beats too slowly. That goes for all the other singers, as well (barring Nievera and Bautista).

Rather than stirring up the dust after each and every rendition of Lupang Hinirang, here's an idea for the NHI: maybe they should just put together a group of official National Anthem singers, train them in the prescribed metronomically-correct beat, and send out an official circular/pass a Congressional bill/whatever that one can only source out singers from that official group, so that future versions are guaranteed 100% correct. That would certainly be more constructive, don't you think?

I hope Pacquaio retires immediately. With a looming fine and possible jail term, I don't think any singer in his right mind should carry the responsibility of singing our National Anthem. Any volunteers from NHI?