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The Presence of Shadow and Mathematical Sequence in Abelardo’s “Kung Hindi Man”

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Saul M. Muyco
» doi: 10.48047/ecb/2023.12.si7.553

Abstract

The Philippines’ kundiman, titled "Kung Hindi Man" by National Artist Nicanor Abelardo, is an exciting composition that provides for a challenging mathematical analysis in terms of a set of note series and the formation of “shadow”, a term that I used to refer to the repetition of musical phrases in modified versions of itself, either as a form of response or an emphasis of an ideational or emotional point. Musically, terms such as “antecedent and consequent” comprise a period. However, I found additional material that follows these phrases, particularly in the kundiman mentioned above that I interpret as a "shadow". Interpretations can be subjective and relative, but specific objective analyses can be made with a mathematical "set" (Bagaria, 2023) or a collection of elements in a sequence. I use this analysis to draw out the effect of a sequence, e.g., notes in ascending or descending fashion, thereby providing another interpretation besides a mathematical structure. In his book "Sound and Sentiment" (2012, 3rd ed.), anthropologist Steven Feld explains that the shape of pitch motives can evoke a particular emotion. This emotion can be an effect brought about by the inharmonic chords and notes in the sequence. In this study, I examine musical notes in their mathematical and affective value, making Applied Mathematics more understandable in its inclusion of experience, association, and expression

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