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Samaon Sulaiman
Samaon Sulaiman | @nccaofficial


Samaon Sulaiman ± (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) (Born March 3, 1953)

Musician
Maguindanaon
Mamasapano, Maguindanao


In music, the Magindanaon has few peers among Filipino cultural communities. Their masters on the ‘kulintang’ (gong-chime) and ‘kutyapi’ (two-stringed plucked lute) are comparable to any instrumental virtuoso in the East or West. The kutyapi is a favorite solo instrument among both Muslim and non-Muslim Filipinos and is also played in combination with other instruments. It exists in a great variety of designs, shapes, and sizes and is known by such names as ‘kotyapi’ (Subanon), ‘fegereng’ (Tiruray), ‘faglong’ (Blaan), ‘hegelong’ (T’boli), and ‘juglone’ or ‘kudlong’ (Manobo).


Samaon Sulaiman achieved the highest level of excellence in the art of kutyapi playing. His extensive repertoire of dinalayday, linapu, minuna, binalig, and other forms and styles interpreted with refinement and sensitivity fully demonstrate his instruments' creative and expressive possibilities. Aside from kutyapi, Samaon was also proficient in kulintang, ‘agong’ (suspended bossed gong with wide rim), ‘gandingan’ (bossed gong with narrow rim), ‘palendang’ (lip-valley flute), and ‘tambul’.


Read more: https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/national-living-treasures-samaon-sulaiman/