1. University of San Agustin Iloilo, Philippines.

*             Correspondence: aiobheann37@gmail.com

Keywords: analysis, performance, guide of kina ray, art songs, Beny Castillon

1. INTRODUCTION

Ilonggo’s are known for their love for music and a fair number of singers. Known to this fact, there are many Ilonggo’s who strive to develop their musical skills in singing and music making through formal training in academic institutions specifically by studying at conservatory of music [1]. In Iloilo, the only music school that trains and hones students in the classical field is the University of San Agustin, Conservatory of Music [2]. The institution has contributed significantly to the musical and cultural life of Ilonggo’s as well as in the field of Music Education in Western Visayas through its varied curricular offerings. It has been the house of formidable musicians, music educators and singers in Western Visayas and reaped local, regional and national awards [3]. One of its products is Mr. Beny Fruto Castillon. He is the composer of the famous choral piece “KRUHAY!” which has been performed by Filipino choirs here and abroad. Beny Castillon had been composing beautiful choral pieces, sacred pieces and Kinaray-a art songs. Kinaray-a is a Visayan dialect spoken by Karay-a people mainly in Antique province in Iloilo and other provinces in Western Visayas [4]. His art songs observe compositional techniques which is currently referred to as Western European classical style, with text in Kina ray-a. Why the need for analysis of his art songs? Musical analysis, by some, is regarded as a dry theoretical exercise that is of little practical use to musicians especially to singers. However, if used effectively, analysis is a practical tool which can help in the understanding of how tonal and other forms of music are constructed [5]. Understanding these underlying texts and structures can help performers in several ways, for instance, with the phrasing of music. Native Karay-a people would sound best in articulating Castillon’s art song texts [6]. To somehow suit with the authenticity demanded for singers, a proper Kinaray-a diction guide through the song texts from the composer himself is necessary in order to avoid mediocrity in the performance by understanding how the underlying phrase structures work, how complete and incomplete structures can be joined, it is possible to understand how feelings of expectation and realization, tension and resolution can be created in interpreting the whole music [7]. Understanding how this process works can help with the interpretation and expression of the piece. This research is about the study of Kinaray-a art songs of Beny Castillon, with a thorough analysis of his 5 original works in varied compositional styles [8]. Castillon’s works had been interpreted by Ilonggo classical singers in local concerts for years, and had greatly influenced younger musicians to compose original works to express their musical language too. Unfortunately, these interpretations have noticed to be just mere simple singing and lacks depth and sense as to how Castillon would want his works interpreted in a way he wanted them to be performed. Through an analysis of each song, a deeper understanding of how each piece will be interpreted, how the story of each piece will be told and how to create contrasting characterization for a credible performance will be achieved [9]. Each piece’s following compositional and musical elements will be looked into: melody, form, rhythm and textual contexts. A table outlining these elements will also be presented. Then, an analysis on the performance perspective of each piece will be discussed. Castillon’s biography and the historical overview, traditional and cultural influences of Buga song, Antique where Castillon was born and grew up will also be reviewed. Kinaray-a language tends to have a deeper meaning and cannot be understood easily by non-Kinaray-a speaking people [10]. Through textual analysis and translations, any singer can present an authentic performance of the song and can likewise internalize and understand the meaning and the real sense of the whole piece. Through this, better expression and interpretation will be expected from singers even if they do not speak and understand Kinaray-a language. Castillon’s choral work, “Kunai” became one of the most loved repertoires of local and international choirs but, very limited sources of information are found about him as the composer [11]. Through this research, additional source of information will be given and can highlight Castillon understanding that he is not only best in creating choral pieces but also in composing beautiful Kina ray-an art song. Through thorough analysis of his original art songs, and IPA discussion of proper enunciation of Kina ray-a language, not only singers from Western Visayas but also from other places will benefit in understanding and interpreting his art songs artistically [12]. It will only be right to give honor to a humble, but known local composer hoping that somehow his art songs will also be heard outside Iloilo. The composer’s supremacy in the interpretation of his Kinaray-an art songs need to be acknowledged and followed [13]. This would mean that a performance suggestion guide of each art song that will come from the composer himself will also be discussed in this paper. Ilonggo’s living in the city can understand Kinaray- an even if they are speaking Hiligaynon (official dialect of Ilonggo people Not only that this study helped singers especially in the classical field, this will also be beneficial to the University of San Agustin Conservatory of Music [14]. As the only Conservatory of Music in Western Visayas and the institution that honed Castillon, it will carry a name for the department whenever these art songs will be performed and heard not only locally but internationally. Secondly, for the Province of Buga song, Antique as this will impact the small town in the province of Antique being the hometown of Castillon upon acknowledging and presenting a study of his works [15]. Thirdly, the voice teachers for this will help them understand and be guided in teaching singers the correct ways of interpreting, articulating and enunciating Kinaray-a texts when singing Kinaray- an art song [16]. Finally, for other researchers as this can be used as added reference to the future studies related to this [17].

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

this study is narrative inquiry primarily through an in depth-interview with Mr. Beny Castillon. A review of literature in the history of Buga song, Antique which could be of help in the data needed such as how this has influenced Castillon in his musical journey will be looked into. An analysis from a performance perspective of 5 Kinaray-a art songs of Castillon will be discussed. In addition, there will be a practical Kinaray-a diction guide for singers and English translations of the song texts in order to help singers with tools that will allow them to create compelling and artistic performances of these Kinaray-a art songs. This paper will analyze 5 Karay- a art songs of Beny Castillon, “Harana Kang Uru anon”, “Badlit”, “Panaad”,” Turog Ron”, and “Kundiman ni Olayra”. These analyses are necessary for the performer to understand and put in the effort to present a credible performance of Castillon’s Kinaray-a art songs.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Before embarking on the analyses, Castillon’s commonly used musical features in his compositions will be put into consideration. A performance suggestion as to how Castillon would want these works to be performed or interpreted will also be discussed. Castillon wrote numbers of compositions which shows his craftsmanship. Although his works are presented with different moods, Castillon’s warm heart and gentle spirit is constant in his works, especially in his melodies. He likes to use the traditional Kundiman structure in his art songs, which is commonly in moderate ¾ time, begins in a minor key and ends in a parallel major key, and structured in AB or ABA form. The usual theme on love sentiments, heroism and melancholic feels is what Castillon chose to observe in his works especially upon writing his texts which comes first before creating his melodies. Castillon thought of composing Kinaray- an art song as there are no existing compositions for solo voice in Kinaray-a language. “Daw ti-on na gurunga mabatian Duman kang Iban ang mga kanta nga Kinaray-a nga Kundiman ang istilo”-Castillon (It is but time to let others hear songs with Kinaray-a lyrics in Kundiman style). Castillon desired for simple melodies, for easy grasp of the performer and likewise the listener. His simple yet beautiful melodies are what make Castillon’s art songs loved by Ilonggo singers. He wanted to leave an impact to every singer and listener with his melodies and texts. The piano accompaniment is another very important support to Castillon’s vocal lines. With the help of his good friend Dr. Gerardo Muyuela who is a pianist, they both created piano accompaniments that balanced the textures of Castillon’s melodic passages. The same musical characteristics were observed in the three works of Castillon namely; “Panaad”, “Harana kang Ururanon”, and “Badlit”. These works carry a plaintive melody. First section commonly is in a minor key depicting the longings, pleas, despair, and sorrows. On the second section then is in a parallel major key which depicts hope and joy. There is an abundance of rubato and tenuto that shapes the melodic lines to highlight specific characteristic of each piece. These are then balanced by the lush accompaniment section that doubles the vocal lines with added chromaticism employed in the inner voices. For the “Turog Ron” and “Kundiman ni O-layra”, both art songs used modern idioms especially on the accompaniment section. These show angularly shaped melodies and wide tessituras using leaps of 6ths and 7ths.Cadenzas offered here used motif of the thematic materials. Finally, for the modulation section, piano accompaniment usually plays the motif against the contrapuntal vocal part. Song no 01: “Panaad” “Panaad” literally means, Promise. Castillon’s heart break led him to compose this piece in 2003. The love of his life chose to leave the country for work and greener pasture which made him feel desolate. He was at his bottom point that even his career as a music teacher got affected. Though close friends tried to lift him up, his human nature and broken heart was undeniable. With this experience, he poured his heart out in creating the texts of this piece and eventually laid down the melody which he then realized that he was able to create such beautiful song because of his experience. He composed Panaad in 3 days’ time. Castillon’s “promise” to love that person will indeed last a lifetime.

Table 01: “Panaad” (Promise)

MELODY	Melodic Contour Phrase Length Vocal Range and Tessitura Form  Text Painting	Mostly stepwise with few leaps 2-4 measures Middle AAB “Panaad ko indi gid mag lubad” (my promise to you shall never fade) moves up to its highest note on F4 then on the last line,”Wara ron it iban, ikaw lang!”(no one else but you alone!) expresses his full declaration for his love on sustained same note with ff dynamics.
RHYTHM	Tempo Metric Organization	Moderate Common 4/4 time
TEXT	Lyricist Subject/Theme	Beny F. Castillon Lifetime promise for a lost love

Being one among the first to perform this piece, I consider this my favorite among Castillon’s art songs. It has a very beautiful melody. This was written in binary form which is a typical “Kundiman” style. It starts with a minor key and moves to its relative major key. Castillon set to music its proper flow of Kinaray-a text. He frequently sets his syllabic stress on the up or 4^th beat of each line. Glottal stops are consistently articulated on words that starts with letter ‘a’ [‘a:] like “ang” and “asta”,’i’ [‘ɪ] like “ikaw” and “indi” as this gives a more authentic Visayan sound. The piece starts on the minor key to demonstrate sadness and longing of the heart that suddenly lost his love. This sadness is heard from the 5-measure piano introduction before the vocal line comes in on the 6^th measure. Castillon made use of accidentals and chromatics to further paint the sadness felt upon every word of the passage. Singers should pay attention to these chromatics for best execution. Examples of these are shown on the score excerpt below.

Figure 01: Measures 7-11 of “Panaad”

Same repeated melodic line is seen on measures 15-17. On the next section, “Hakupa and akon pag palangga sa sirak kang kaagahon…” the key moved on to FMajor which introduced a more hopeful melodic passage. Castillon’s abrupt shift of mood displays artistry in a sense that, the bleeding and longing heart is still present and yet, in spite of it, you do not hear any resentment. There is still the assurance and the promise in the melodic line that needs to be internally understood by the singer during the performance. Measure 46 indicates piu mosso which is directive to the performer’s execution of the passage to have more motion and should move more quickly until the end of the piece. This shows off the rushing heartbeat as the subject would want to break down in loneliness and sadness while facing the reality of losing his love. And with this gushing emotion, is the declaration of the promise to love no one else except” you” which is demanded to sing with a full voice on ff ending on the words “ikaw lang!”

Figure 02: Measures 46-53 of “Panaad”

Castillon would want the singer for this piece to avoid too much technicality in the performance especially on the note durations. Play with the emotion demanded through the phrase lines, dynamics and rubato passages. Heavier vocal color should be applied specifically on the last 2 final lines (asta san-o, wara ron, wara ron it iban ikaw lang!) Singer should pay attention to syllabic stress of each line of text in order to express the meaning and flow of Kinaray-a language. “Pull out the real emotion needed in order to let the listeners feel how broken hearted you are while performing this”- Castillon. Song no. 2: “Harana kang Ururanon” this piece is a continuation of his “Panaad”. “Harana kang Uuranon” is translated as Serenade of the Rainy Season. While still on the healing stage of broken heartedness, the memory and enchantment brought by the rainy season evoking his past experience led him to compose this piece. Rainy season will always be connected with the love of his life. He also got inspired with the sound of the crickets and the beauty of fireflies on late afternoons. These completed his thoughts about her.

Table 02: Harana kang Ururanon (Serenade of the Rainy Season)

MELODY	Melodic Contour Phrase Length Vocal Range and Tessitura Form Text Painting	Small but consistent leaps 2 measures Middle A1A2B igpat kang iput iput (twinkling lights of fireflies) on staccato imitating the small fancy lighting insects-fireflies.
RHYTHM	Tempo Metric Organization	Moderate ¾ time
TEXT	Lyricist Subject/Theme	Beny F. Castillon Rain, Crickets and Fireflies reminding him of his love

This second piece is very lyrical in nature. The 2^nd and 3^rd measures of the introduction part present the melody of measures 23-25. This compositional style is common and traditionally observed in folk music accompaniments. Before the singer comes in at measure 10, a 2- measure cute playful arpeggio accompaniment gave a different mood to the piece. This accompaniment style continues in contrast with the lyrical vocal line. The accompaniment paints the picture of raindrops as it starts to pour, little by little, and with this, the reminiscing of past memories of his love starts to linger as the singer enters.

Figure 03: Introduction passage of “Harana kang Ururanon”

The reminiscence and the longing continue until he heard crickets and saw fireflies that helped ease his feelings. This change of musical mood is observed in the next section starting from measure 30 on A Major. Score Example 04 Measure 30 of “Harana kang Ururanon” this section presents a more hopeful spirit. The beauty of fireflies in spite the darkness around them keep on shining, and with this, Castillon impressed a spirit of hopefulness and joyfulness through his texts.” igpat kang iput iput, kasadya naga ulit ga lingaw…Pagla-um ang gina dara sa andang pag du-aw, kay sa rum-an mag irimaway liwan ang aton dughan..” These fireflies gave him hope that someday, time will come for their hearts to be together again. Medium loud, and lighter voice weight will obviously be the demand of this section. As what Castillon suggests, vocal drama is necessary to justify his works and tell its story.

Figure 04: B Section of “Harana kang Ururanon”

Rapid 8^th and 16^th notes run on the accompaniment part to again, project the chaotic emotion of a lonely but hopeful heart, ending with ff. Singer sustains the last word “dughan” until the end which should cut together with the piano accompaniment to extend and emphasize the thought. This last note requires a comfortable middle range for the singer to execute a typical folk or Kundiman vocal style.

Figure 05: Rapid runs of the accompaniment part towards the end.

Lighter voice color is the need for this piece. Interpret it by coloring the voice to sound very sad and eventually coloring it to sound hopeful and happy. Two emotional expressions should be felt and seen on this piece. The first is, the longing heart and the second is the hopeful spirit. Pay attention to the change of mood in the second section and the simple melodic phrases which is a contrast of the first section. Make sure to present more visible facial and emotional expressions for each section. Song no. 3: “Badlit” this third piece was Castillon’s final words of acceptance. “Badlit” is translated as Fate. When reality hit him that his love would never come back, he wholeheartedly told himself that he should move on with his life no matter what. He accepted that this was his fate and that what happened to their relationship was part of God’s plan for him. Even if he was not able to fully express his love for that person, through this piece he could at least express everything he would want to say.

Table 03: Badlit (Fate)

MELODY	Melodic Contour Phrase Length Vocal Range and Tessitura Form	Scalar and wide leaps on some passages 3-4 measures Middle to High AB
RHYTHM	Tempo Metric Organization	Moderate ¾ time
TEXT	Lyricist Subject/Theme	Ben F. Castillon Accepting his “fate” no matter what

This piece is also lyrical in nature.  Indicating the gentle character of the composer is observed in the melodic line of the introduction. The vocal line is being doubled by the accompaniment which offers the chance for the singer to create variation on the dynamics, phrase shaping and mood as the repeated A section demands for it. In the interpretation of an art song with a strophic form or repeated same passages, the need for variation on every repeat should be given attention to by the performer or singer.

Figure 06: Vocal line being doubled by the accompaniment section.

The B section changed to C Major which offered a more positive feel. Melodic line sounded brighter and more leaning towards the sense of acceptance. As what Castillon mentioned, in spite of the pain he went through, he learned to accept the plan of God for him and that he still should be thankful knowing that this “fate” is only temporary and this will pass through and will make him a better and stronger person. The accompaniment section continues to double the melody of the voice until the end. Again, the singer’s role is to create variation on the performance while overall, paying attention to the text enunciation which is very vital in the diction aspect of vocal technique.

Figure 07: Section B on C Major.

Full voice on the final note placed on the word “badlit” should also be executed by the singer on ff. In addition, the arpeggios of the accompaniment add to the mood creating a harp-like effect followed by the two sets of quintuplet and periods the piece with the last note on C which is also the same sustained note of the voice section.  Such crafting of these gives a beautiful ending to the piece.

Figure 08: Ending passage of Badlit

Same with “Harana kang Ururanon”, a lighter voice quality is the need of this piece. Avoid too much technicality by elongating phrases and contrasting dynamics on repeated passages. Song no. 4: “Turog Ron” When we speak of a lullaby, we refer to a mother’s singing while putting her baby to sleep. This Turog Ron (Sleep Now) is a lullaby of a child to his/her mother. The child’s gratitude to his mother for all the love and sacrifices she has given him is what this piece is all about. He urges his mother to sleep and take some rest, for it is now his time to give back the love for his mother assuring her that she can peacefully take her time to enjoy and rest.

Table 04: Turog Ron (Sleep Now)

MELODY	Melodic Contour Phrase Length Vocal Range and Tessitura Form Text Painting	Step wise with wide leaps 3-4 measures Middle to High AB Turog ron, turog ron, la la la la, turog ron (sleep now, sleep now, la la la, sleep now) passage getting softer and softer in dynamics to make sure the sleeping mother should not be disturbed in her peaceful sleep.
RHYTHM	Tempo Metric Organization	Andante ¾ time
TEXT	Lyricist Influences Subject/Theme	Beny F. Castillon Lullaby Mother

This lullaby for a mother is not a usual theme expected of usual lullaby’s set for babies. Castillon’s love for his mother was simply exposed in this piece projecting his loving and thoughtful heart. Unlike the common lullaby mood which is gentle, with rocking rhythms on often repeated melodic patterns, this lullaby introduces a more ethereal feel heard at the introduction of its piano accompaniment with rapid flowing 32^nd notes supported by arpeggiated chords on the bass line. This ethereal sound paints the picture of a life on country side that reflects sounding rivers and birds chirping at daytime.

Figure 09: Flowing 32^nd notes of the Introduction on accompaniment section.

The singer starts the vocal passage on measure 8 in a light and lulling style while the running notes continue to flow and the birds continue to be heard on top of the vocal line.

Figure 10: Vocal line supported by the same accompaniment.

A 2 -measure ad lib on measure 17 breaks the monotony of the passage. This short break showcases the singers vocal and intonation skills.  Singer may add more improvisations on this cadenza, provided that it will not be too long according to Castillon. This break is simply an expression of sigh coming from the singer after her/his continuous execution of repeated melodic lines.

Figure 11: Ad lib/ short cadenza on measure 17.

After breaking the passage, the piece goes back to its first mood on measure 22. Again, the vocal line being supported by the rapid runs of 32^nd notes of the accompaniment section. The child’s plea in a tender manner is felt until the end of the piece. This may not sound melodically sing-able like any lullaby but the performer’s role is to understand the underlying meaning of the whole song and work on the phrasing, vocal coloring and dynamics in order to interpret it beautifully. Simply end the piece in a light covered tone on a very soft sound as the mother is already asleep.

Figure 12: Ending section of Turog Ron

A sweet lullaby singing style is what Castillon wants to hear for this piece. Interpret it in a way that as if you are lulling a baby to sleep while executing the sincerity of the voice. Pay attention to the contrasting melodic lines and unusual phrase in order to approach it differently and avoid redundancy in the overall interpretation. Sing it in a very relaxed way, no operatic attacks or avoid too exaggerated vocal character. Song no. 5: “Kundiman ni O-layra” Castillon grew up hearing the story of Olayra. This legendary fairy princess who owns a golden ship travelling around the world said to have lived in Carit-an, a barangay in municipality of Patnongon (a gigantic tree). The story of Olayra was written and serialized over radio DYKA by Russel O. Tordesillas during the 80’s (Delos Santos, 2003). This legend of Olayra was about her love affair with a mortal human being. Castillon wanted this Kinaray-a literature be put into a song. Hearing this story on the radio had been a wonderful pastime of the people in his hometown and this inspired him to create this art song.

Table 05: Kundiman ni O-layra (Song of O-layra)

MELODY	Melodic Contour Phrase Length Vocal Range and Tessitura Form	Small and wide intervals 3-4 measures High
RHYTHM	Tempo Metric Organization	Allegretto and Allegro 4/4 time
TEXT	Lyricist Influences Subject/Theme	Beny F. Castillon Radio Storytelling of the legend O-layra

Kundiman ni O-layra is in a through-composed form. No section is the same in melody and plenty of cadenzas were added for a more dramatic and aria-like interpretation. Melodic contour or melodic lines are not lyrical or melodious since it is was not composed to be performed by anybody who lacks technicality. The piece opens with O-layra’s execution of cadenza responding to the complicated yet playful running notes of the accompaniment section. Upon hearing the introduction part, listeners can already perceive the unreal setting of this piece. It started with 4/4 time and changes to ¾ on measure 9 until the end. The character introduces herself through a beautiful cadenza at the beginning which demands attention for a singer in the execution of notes specifically the intonation. The next passage of the vocal line was given attention to by the composer by emphasizing speech-like delivery and word setting. Since this is not lyrical in nature, recitative singing can be effective. Measures 36-44 has a slight change of melodic contour to give another characteristic in justifying the subject O-layra. Despite her powers and strong character, there is a tender part within her which is felt in this passage. Then on measure 48, her strong character went back on a semi recitativo passage which continues until measure 52.

Figure 13: Opening passage of Kundiman ni O-layra

Figure 14: Different character observed on measure 36 of Kundiman ni O-layra

The song fully develops on measures 56-70 as O-layra engages her emotion with the listeners in a happy and strong pounding “aahhs” that invites vocal freedom for the singer.

Figure 15: The piece culminates by the main melodic theme

The piece culminates by presenting the main melodic theme again on a different key with two key changes towards the end and a short cadenza in between. O-layra’s exceptional and legendary character was simply weaved into the composition of this piece and her plea to tell her story to everybody is what she demands. With this, singer should execute a full and well supported voice in high B and a sustained fortisissimo on the final note A in order to highlight and justify the character. The continuous running 16^th notes of the accompaniment depicts a light sense of cheer and openness which greatly supports the vocal line.

Figure 16: Repeated main melodic material on two key changes of Kundiman ni O-layra

Figure 17: Culminating passage on full voice and ff on sustained A.

A dramatic, more operatic voice is demanded for this piece. Sing this in aria with recitativo style to tell the story and pay attention to its technical aspects. Use full voice on the sustained high notes of the final part. Be more exaggerated with the expressions. To justify O-layra as the legendary character, it is suggested that singer be dressed up into a beautiful fairy. O-layra should project a character of a strong woman who demands that her story be heard. When we speak of music performance interpretation, we often look at the aesthetic aspect of it. Singers have their own individual way of interpreting and expressing the song [18]. In looking at the expressive way, there are factors that affect the accomplishment of performance. Each singer of performer brings life to music in variety of perspectives, either through conceptual interpretation, periodic styles, or actions [19]. These perspectives or aspects of performance may or may not contribute to the expressive interpretation of the performer. Clarke’s 1988 theory of generative expression states that, it is the performer’s interpretation of musical structure that generates expressive variations; expression serves to highlight musical structure. It can be observed that musicians can perform a piece of music in a highly similar way without rehearsing the piece even after a number of years have passed [20]. This suggests that expression of music is closely related to the performer’s mental representation of the musical piece because the performer has memorized all details of the performance [17]. A complication in the analysis of expressive variations with respect to musical structure is the composition of expressive patterns and the variety of musical structural descriptions that could be the source of it. To analyses the structure of expressive timing pattern, Desain and Honing suggested the Structural Expression Component Theory (SECT). This theory is based on the observation that generative models of expressive timing formalize a relationship between expression and one specific kind of structure, while human performance may express an interpretation of several structural aspects at the same time [19]. This theory suggests to integrate existing generative models and optimize the parameters of the generalized model to fit the timing pattern of human performances [20]. The result will reveal the extent to which the components are present in human performance, as such dissecting the expressive signal into its most strongly communicative structural information components [14]. In addition, expressing the language of music not only through musical elements but also through the texts is another form of communicating the song [16].

4. CONCLUSION

Kinaray- an art song of Beny Castillon had been performed by Ilonggo singers in local concerts and competitions. Being the composer who is famous for his choral piece “KRUHAY”, Castillon’s original Kinaray-an art songs are of excellent level with this. These are the first art songs ever composed in Kinaray- a language therefore, an IPA diction guide as to how these songs are pronounced is presented in this paper. These performances are observed to be mere and simple singing and what Castillon desires to hear and achieve in his works are not evident. This is the main reason why there is a need for analysis of his five Kinaray-an art song. Through performance perspective analysis of each song, a deeper understanding of how each piece will be interpreted, how the story of each piece is told and how to create contrasting characterization for a credible performance will be achieved. Together in achieving this artistic performance, the composer’s performance suggestion for each piece will be the supreme priority. This study will seek to answer the following questions: What are the proper ways of articulating inflections in Kinaray- a syllables and words in songs to sound more authentic? How has the habitus of Castillon shaped his life as a musician? What are the cultural or musical traditions and practices of Bugasong Antique? How these did play a role on Castillon as a musician? What common compositional styles and trends exist in Castillon’s art songs? How will this study through analysis of the Kinaray-a art songs help in improving the performance of the singers as a result, each piece presents a thoroughly analyzed work in performance perspective, translations of the texts for understanding, with IPA diction and the composer’s performance suggestion guide. These will be helpful tools for singers to give justice to Castillon’s art songs. This study is a first research project conducted on Beny Castillon’s original Kinaray-a art songs. It included direct information from the composer himself based on his testimony of personal stories and experiences which inspired these works. The composer’s guide and suggestions for performance will greatly help singers in the interpretation of these art songs. In addition, IPA diction guide and English translations of these Kinaray-a art songs will be a useful tool for singers to present an authentic and credible performance. For every singer, challenge remains in interpreting an art song much especially art songs with languages that are not too familiar and common. The challenge on performing accurately and effectively in order to communicate the composer’s desired message in the interpretation is evident for every singer. Castillon’s simple and beautiful melodies should not be interpreted in a simple way. The delivery and proper enunciation of the text, the vocal drama, the emotional character and underlying meaning of each piece should be the top concern of the performer.As a well-known composer in Western Visayas, his active career as a music educator, choir director, and composer will continue. His works deserve to be heard and performed not only locally but outside Iloilo as well. These original Kinaray-a art songs of Beny Castillon is a reflection of his personal story, his Karay- a identity and his true artistry.

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