Mutya ng Pasig (The Muse of the Pasig)
by Filipino composer Nicanor Abelardo and poet Deogracias Rosario
performed by Fiona De Vos (soprano) and Raul Sunico (piano)
In Mutya ng Pasig, the music of Filipino composer Nicanor Abelardo is united with the exquisite poetry of Deogracias Rosario. Written in 1926, the Tagalog song was inspired by the Kumintang, a traditional song form from Batangas (a province in the Philippines) with Malayan rhythmic patterns and modes.
In the first part of the song, the expressive text and the rich tones and musical textures paint an enigmatic night scene with the wind “seemingly awakening the moon from its sleep on the waters.” Then, the Muse of the Pasig River “appears in the purest of forms and is tossed about by waves together with a song and a poem.”
In the second more lyrical part of the song with an enchanting melody, the Muse sings of the Kingdom of Love, where she was once a princess. She says that the kingdom has vanished because Love has died. Even though “her strength lives on in the hearts of all people, she is pleading for love, which she needs to survive.”