Dumbele

Memory Served: Sometime between 1983 and 1987, Pasay City and Las Pinas

When my sister got into the all-female high school St. Mary's Academy Glee Club in her sophomore year, I can proudly claim that I was her biggest fan - amazed at the Club's collective talent of combining voices into one harmonious sweet sound, empathized with the occasional terror from the discipline brought down by one masterful conductor named Rodolfo "Boy" Delarmente. But the members and the academe loved him for the honor the Club brought the school (e.g. NAMCYA). And one of the showcase pieces of the Glee Club and Mr. Delarmente was "Dumbele" (turns out, his own composition).

The Cordilleran piece was supposed to be derived from the indigenous people's community prayer for rain (I think in relation to ensuring a bountiful harvest). There was superstition then that performing this piece actually brought rain afterwards. When it did, I think there was this one time, I remember that I couldn't stop myself from exclaiming the authenticity of the power of the prayer. Ah, the innocence... I have but lost it all.

(Couldn't find a good quality YouTube upload of the SMA Glee Club performing this; but  this from Coro San Benildo's performance in the 27th Seghizzi Choral Competition in Italy was impressive.)