TALAGAD
(Merciful)

This piece evolved from the motifs of a dirge called "Talagad" by the Tiruray, a traditional hill people of southwestern Mindanao in the Philippines. In common with many similarly styled chants in the region, this funeral song abounds with melismas, shakes, and slides, and executed with much rhythmic freedom. The composer sought to capture the chant's melodic style and exploited to a large degree its scale and arpeggio patterns, but also created a counterpoint to its slow, heavy floridness by imposing thoughtful restriction on tempo and tilting towards a more energetic mood where deemed appropriate.