recoloring indeed! it's such a beautiful song. so much said in just over 5 minutes and different emotions experienced with every chorus. the images you paint with your lyrics and interpretation are so palpable, it's like i'm watching a :)

oops... didn't notice that my comment wasn't complete. that was supposed to be "...like watching a music video."

Paulo, you are a gifted writer indeed! This is such a great piece - very sincere, heartfelt and honest. Can't help but smile. :)

Compilation

STILL WE SING ALLELUIA
Music and lyrics by Paulo K Tiról

Through flowing tears: Alleluia.
Through growing fears: Alleluia.
Through the weariness of now,
we still find the voice somehow
to sing Alleluia.
Still we sing Alleluia.

When joy runs thin: Alleluia.
When hurt sets in: Alleluia. 
When our days are long and rough, 
still, our faith is cause enough
to sing Alleluia.
So we sing Alleluia.

For the Lord has risen and conquered sin,
in him we know:
that light and life and love shall win.
And so,

with one thing sure, Alleluia,
one word endures: Alleluia!
What gives meaning to our days
but to lift our hearts in praise
as we sing Alleluia?
Yes, we sing Alleluia!

In fading light: Alleluia.
In deep’ning night: Alleluia.
At the hour of our death, 
with our last remaining breath,
let us sing, Alleluia! 
Alleluia!
Still we sing Alleluia.

April 5, 2020
COVID-19 quarantine day 25
© 2020 Paulo K Tiról

Still We Sing Alleluia

Getting ready to move from Boston to New York after summer semester finals, I couldn't help but write. Never mind if I had to set aside my eight-page summer reading list for a few days; this, my first full song in months, just HAD to be written -- after all, the most incredible period of my life so far was about to come to an end.

To everyone who made the past 15 months the amazing time it was -- 
- classmates, collaborators, hangout buddies, and professors at Berklee; 
- the MIT Musical Theater Guild;
- the Paulist Center musicians and the rest of the community there;
- the Boston College Mass Filipino choir and community;
- the team behind The Cabaret Series;
- my housemates, including those who moved out before I did;
- family and friends in the US and from around the world, who visited while I was here; 
- and Richard C., Bianca G., Bill C., and most especially Mikee, who don't fall into any of these categories but without whom my Boston experience would have been incomplete: 

I can never thank you enough. As excited as I am about what lies ahead, I'm going to miss you all. Keep in touch, okay? Take care, be good, and -- this song's for you. :)

============================= 

PASSING THROUGH
Words, music, piano & vocals
by Paulo K Tirol  
        
I wonder, is this happening too soon,
Like a sunset in the middle of a summer afternoon?
I almost wish the days would slow their stride,
But then I know I must move on. And besides --

I knew the tides would change,
New winds would blow,
The road would bend,
And the time would come to go.   
This I know:
At each moment in our lives, one thing is true --   
That we’re always only passing through.

But I knew, too:
A drop is all it takes to make a ripple,
A spark is all you need to start a flame,
A moment's all it takes to plant a memory.
So with every passing through,
Though the hours we spend are few,  
We’ll never be the same.

I’ve treasured every grain of hourglass sand,
Cherished every circle of that ceaseless second hand.
I've reveled in each touch, each word, each scene,
And loved the gift this passing through has been.

Though tides have changed,
Though new winds blow,
Though roads diverge,
The memories overflow.
And I grow
Knowing minute after minute, one thing is true:
That we’re always only passing through.

Always only passing...

Passing Through (P. K. Tirol)

Beautiful Surprise
Words and Music by Paulo K Tiról
Sung by Joseph Legaspi

Beautiful Surprise

Everybody Wants To Rule The World (AAC)

Hopeful (w/ vocal obligato)

07 - Silent Night - 30sec

ZvH MAIN THEME 
[ZvH: Zombies vs. Humans] - Nilo Alcala  
Club Six Studios
download:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1158319927

ZvH Main Theme [ZvH: Zombies vs. Humans] - Nilo Alcala

The Beatles' last concert: Candlestick Park 1966
short docu: https://youtu.be/p68DpIdtiDs
Music by Nilo Alcala

Contentment

I had the honor to sing this inspiring song. Melody was composed by Manoling Francisco SJ and lyrics was written by Senen Antonio. This is part of the album "Glory and Praise" released by Hangad in 2016. This was arranged by JC Uy. With permission and coordination from Pagsibol. Halaw sa Aklat ni Isaias 54:10, 6-8; 41:47, 4, 14

Bumagsak man ang mga bundok
Gumuho man ang mga gulod
Kailanma'y 'di Ko ipagdaramot
Pagmamahal Kong di malulugso

Kahit kayo ang siyang lumimot
Akin kayong marahang tatawagin
Kahit kayo ang siyang lumayo
Akin kayong muling tatanggapin

Bumagsak man ang mga bundok
Gumuho man ang mga gulod
Kailanma'y 'di Ko ipagdaramot
Pagmamahal Kong di malulugso

Sa hirap sa gutom at sa uhaw
Ako ang sa inyo'y manunuspos
Ako ang unang sa inyo'y nagmahal
Ako ang sa inyo'y manunubos

At kahit kayo pa ang siyang lumimot
Akin kayong marahang tatawagin
Kahit kayo ang siyang lumayo
Akin kayong muling tatanggapin

Bumagsak man ang mga bundok
Gumuho man ang mga gulod
Kailanma'y 'di Ko ipagdaramot
Pagmamahal Kong di malulugso

Bumagsak man ang mga bundok
Gumuho man ang mga gulod

Glory and Praise

Awit ni Isaias

Sayáo Sa Ilaoán [NILO ALCALA]
commissioned/performed by the Manila Symphony Orchestra
Marlon Chen - guest conductor
Gina Medina-Perez - solo violin: 
Leadership & Creativity: "Guest Experience" concert
Aug. 6, 2017 at Power Mac Center Spotlight, Makati 


Sayáo sa Ilaoán, a castilianized orthography of “sayaw” (dance) and “ilawan” (light/lamp/lantern/candlelight) tips its hat to Spanish-influenced folk dances of the Philippines (ex. Jota, Malagueña, Habanera, Pandanggo, etc.).  Though not a literal depiction of these dance forms, Sayáo sa Ilaoán is the composer’s personal reinterpretation of them.

Sayáo Sa Ilaoán [NILO ALCALA] - Manila Symphony Orchestra

A song I wrote about loss. 

Performed at a house concert on 2/10/18.
Chris Peters, guitar
Gabe Nathans, bass
Shirley Paxton-Fofang and Shyamala Ramakrishna, backup vocals

Recorded by Paul Lisker.

Seasons (Live)

Coming from feedback on my Lyric Writing midterm ("The Words for You"), I was determined to make a shorter, simpler song for my final.

But when our teacher announced that the assignment for the final was a verse/chorus song form that used "recoloring" -- i.e., a songwriting technique in which the chorus takes on new meaning each time, thanks to the development of the verses -- I knew I had the perfect subject. And since this subject just gave me so much I could say -- and so much I HAD to say -- I ended up with a 5-and-a-half minute song. 

I won't say much more about the song, except this: to all those who've been asking me for the past two years, "How can you still be friends?!" -- here's your answer. : )  

Again, thanks to Jett Galindo for making me sound so good that I might actually believe I could be a singer-songwriter. LOL. 

And of course, thanks James for giving me permission to write this song. Finally, old friend, over fifteen years later, a song for you. : )

=======

FIFTEEN TODAY

V 1
There’s a letter in my drawer from fifteen years ago
With a litany of promises so sweet.
So began our life together, so began the dream come true:
Ever after in the making, a tale of me and you, 
Of days and nights we wished would never end,
Of such adventure to be planned,
So much to learn, so much to build,
So much to see, so much to give.
A perfect world that ceased to turn.

CHORUS
We would have turned fifteen today.
Who would’ve thought fifteen would turn out this way?
You wonder at times, but time has its ways.
We would have turned fifteen today.
 
V 2
Dust’s been gathering on this empty wall since thirty months ago,
Though I could have brought that portrait down much earlier.
Cracks had formed across the glass, but we looked the other away;
And though we chose to play with fire, we ignored the spreading flames.
In days and nights that stretched for far too long,
We flirted with the world beyond,
Then mixed a million shades of gray,
And used the words we never thought we’d say.
So the world around came crashing down.
 
CHORUS
We would have turned fifteen today.
Who would’ve thought fifteen would turn out this way?
You wonder at times, but time has its ways.
We would have turned fifteen today.

INTERLUDE

V 3
And now we’re talking on the phone, just like two weeks ago.
Telling one another of our day, me and you.
We find each other laughing; well, isn’t that what old friends do?
Eager stories of new loves and lives, and looking back to
The days and nights we came into our own 
Our journeys through the once unknown. 
One path that’s yours, one path that’s mine,
But each imprinted with our borrowed time.
We turned out okay. With a laugh, you say: 

CHORUS
We would have turned fifteen today.
Who would’ve thought fifteen would turn out this way?
You wonder at times, but time has its ways.
We would have turned fifteen today.


For James. August 2012.

Fifteen Today (P. K. Tirol)

Nope, this isn't something I wrote for Berklee. 

Rather, it's the last song I wrote before leaving for Boston -- in the days before I left, in fact, amidst the flurry of packing up my stuff, fixing last-minute paperwork, and having goodbye lunches and dinners with family and friends. Why did I give myself extra stress? Just listen and you'll know why. ; )

Before this recording, this song had been performed only once, with hardly any practice, in a key that was too low, with the exhaustion of having just come from my last Hangad concert, with the emotional rawness of the eve of my departure, and with an audience of just one person -- but what an irreplaceable audience, and what an unforgettable performance. Stressful as it was, I have no regrets.

Now, with more practice, a better piano arrangement, a correct key, and with the magic of sound engineer extraordinnaire Jett Galindo -- but interestingly, with no other changes since writing it apart from its key -- I'm sharing it with everyone. 

Hope you like it. : )

============================

MEMORIZED
P. K. Tirol

I'm leaving tomorrow
Moving half a world away
Though so much is uncertain,
It's a journey I just have to make

While I hate that I won't be beside you
And we fear what distance can do
I believe you and I can make it
I believe you and I will pull through

'Cause I've memorized the feel of our interlaced fingers,
The sound of your breath in my ear
I've memorized your eyes as they stare into mine,
Your warmth when I'm holding you near
And I've memorized the music that plays in the air
Each time you and I are alone
All these memories will keep my heart beating for you
And they'll lead me back home

Be brave now, no crying
This is far from the end
Not goodbye, but see you later
We've a lifetime ahead

In the meantime we'll have our adventures
We'll have so many stories to tell
And years from now we'll look back at this time
When memory served us so well

When you'd memorized my voice when I'd tell you I love you
As my hand runs through your hear
You'd memorized how tightly my arms wrap around you
To tell you I'd always be there
And you'd memorized the music that plays in the air 
Each time you and I are alone
All these memories will keep my heart beating for you
And they'll lead me back home

I'm coming back home
And till I come home I'm holding on

'Cause I've memorized the feel of our interlaced fingers,
The sound of your breath in my ear
I've memorized your eyes as they stare into mine,
Your warmth when I'm holding you near
And I've memorized the music that plays in the air
Each time you and I are alone
All these memories will keep my heart beating for you
And they'll lead me,
And they'll lead me,
Yes they'll lead me back home

May 2012



 

Memorized (P. K. Tirol)

It is before dawn on November 10, 1938, shortly after the madness of what would come to be known as Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, has died down. 

In coordinated attacks throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria, countless Jewish homes, hospitals, and schools have been attacked with sledgehammers; over 1,000 synagogues have been destroyed; over 7,000 Jewish businesses have been destroyed or damaged; and 91 Jews have been killed, and over 30,000 Jews arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps.

We are in a dark room in shambles in Berlin. From the flickering light of dying fires outside the window, we can see that the floor is littered with overturned furniture, shattered lamps and china, vandalized artworks, torn books and papers -- and countless tiny, twinkling bits of shattered glass.

In the darkest corner of the room, a young Jewish woman trembles, reeling from the shock of the unimaginable ordeal she has just undergone: the destruction of her home, the arrest of her husband, the turning against her of neighbors she once thought to be friends, and the unprovoked, unbridled, all-too-palpable show of hatred towards her and her people.

The young woman shifts in the firelight; and we see that, huddling with her in the shadow, are her two small children.

Thus the stage is set for "Meine Kinder" ("my children"), co-written with David Molho and performed by Caitlin Gjerdrum last October for our first assignment for Musical Theater Writing class: write a song whose lyrics are based on a lie.

==================================

MEINE KINDER
Words by Paulo K Tirol
Music by David Molho & Paulo K Tirol
Performed by Caitlin Gjerdrum (vocals) & Paulo K Tirol (piano) 
Engineered by David Molho 

How does one think,
How does one feel on a night like this?
How does one breathe,
How does one see in this darkness,
This deepening darkness?
Hard as it might be, I must bring myself to see
Through this darkness 
For you.

A million stars are strewn across the floor;
Can you believe it's you they twinkle for?
They glisten in the fire's light,
Take it in, this magic sight!
Sparkling little stars, and nothing more!
The worst is over, meine kinder.

It's not unlike the way we played our games,
With cries and shouts and sometimes cruel names.
With covered eyes, we'd count to ten
And seek out all our friends; and when
We'd fall and scrape our knees, we passed no blame!
The worst is over, meine kinder.

We'll find our way though right and wrong have blurred;
We'll kneel and pray though no one hears the words.
We fear to feel, we dread what's real;
It's all behind us, we will find a way!
Yes, we will find a way.

As building blocks too soon come tumbling down,
As watercolors turn to muddy brown,
What we take many years to build
Takes moments to unmake, and still --
The worst is over, meine kinder.

A million stars are strewn across the floor,
Meine kinder, meine kinder.

 

Meine Kinder feat. Caitlin Gjerdrum (P. K. Tirol & D. Molho)

PIETA (OYAYI SA PAANAN NI HESUS)
Featuring Trin Panganiban-Custodio
Music, choral arrangement, and piano by Paulo K Tirol
Lyrics by Michelle Joy Francia 
Cello arrangement by Jay Gomez, performed by Nino Llorin 

Ave Maria, 
Gratia plena.
Sancta Maria, 
Mater Dei.

Kay lamig na ng hangin, 
Lumalatag ang dilim.  
‘Di maabot ng tingin
Itong lagim. 
Narito ang ‘Yong ina, 
Damhin Mong yakap-yakap Ka.  
Sa kandungan ko, Sinta, 
Mapanatag Ka, Sinta.   

Nais ko’y pagmasdan Ka 
Sa ‘Yong pamamahinga.  
Minsan pa’y iduyan Ka, 
Awitan Ka.  
‘Di ko man nababata, 
Puso ko’y lumuluha.  
Sa Iyong pag-iisa, 
Sasamahan Ka.   

At hihilumin ang brasong sugatan, 
Papawiin mga luha Mong taglay.  
Lilinisin, mukha Mong dinumhan, 
Paagusin ang luha kong alay.  
Madama ko man mga tinik, 
Yayakapin Ka nang mahigpit, Giliw.  
Ihehele’t iduduyan Ka; 
Mahimbing na, tapos na.   

Aking Ama! Ako’y nilisan Mo na ba?  
Bigyang liwanag, alipin Mong aba. 
 Tinalikuran Mo na ba? 
Dinggin ang panalangin ko, Ama!  
Sumasamong pagpalain Mo, 
Nang minsan pa’y masabi ko sa ‘Yo:  
“Ako’y alipin Mo; sundin ang loob Mo, Ama ko.” 

Hihilumin ang brasong sugatan, 
Papawiin ang luha Mong taglay.  
Lilinisin, mukha Mong dinumhan, 
Paagusin ang luha kong alay.  
Madama ko man mga tinik, 
Yayakapin Ka nang mahigpit, Giliw.  
Ihehele’t iibigin Ka; 
Tapos na, tapos na.

=====================================

TRANSLATED:

[from Latin] Hail Mary,
Full of Grace.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God.

[from Filipino] The wind has turned cold,
Darkness spreads over the land.
One cannot see through 
This doom.
Your mother is here,
Feel my embrace.
On my lap, my love,
Feel at ease, my love.

I wish to watch You
In Your slumber.
Once more, to cradle You,
To sing to You.
Though I might not realize it,
My heart is in tears.
In Your solitude,
I will accompany You.

And I will ease Your wounded arms,
Wipe away Your tears.
Clean Your dirt-stained face
And let my offering of tears flow.
Though the thorns might pierce,
I will hold You tight, my Love.
I will sing you a lullaby and cradle You.
Be at peace, it is finished.

Oh my Father! Have You abandoned me?
Shine light on Your humble servant.
Have You turned Your back to me?
Hear my prayer, Father!
I beg You to bless me,
That once more I might say to You:
“I am Your servant; Your will be done, my Father.”

I will ease Your wounded arms,
Wipe away Your tears.
Clean Your dirt-covered face
And let my offering of tears flow.
Though the thorns might pierce,
I will hold You tight, my Love.
I will sing you a lullaby and love You.
It is finished. It is finished.



From Hangad's The Easter Journey, released March 2005
Winner, Best Religious / Inspirational Song, Awit Awards 2006 

Pieta (Oyayi sa Paanan ni Hesus) feat. Trin Panganiban-Custodio & Hangad (P. K. Tirol & M. Francia)

Two weeks ago I looked up the Responsorial Psalm for tomorrow's Mass. I saw that it was Psalm 27, a beautiful psalm. I thought about existing settings that I knew, and found I wasn't too crazy about any; so I told myself: "I guess I'll just compose one."  

And so, this new setting of Psalm 27 will be sung as tomorrow's Responsorial Psalm at the Pinoy Mass at Boston College. : )

Though this quick recording was just meant a study demo for the choir, I thought I might as well upload it. I haven't uploaded any Mass songs since I started at Berklee, and this is a pretty good reminder to myself that it's with music for Mass that my being a musician began.

Pardon the breathing and intonation issues in the recording -- this was put together really quickly, and Ernie, tomorrow's cantor, is going to do a much better job. : )

======================

PSALM 27
Music and adapted lyrics by Paulo K Tirol

RESPONSE: 
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
He shelters me; whom shall I fear?  

(REPEAT RESPONSE)

Turn not Your face away from me in anger,
Keep not Your presence hidden from my sight.
Bestow on me Your mercy, 
O Lord, and bring me 
To Your light, Your saving slight. 

(REPEAT RESPONSE)

I call to You and long to hear Your answer.
I search for You, I yearn to see Your face.
This servant seeks Your pity,
I'm strengthened only 
By Your grace, Your saving grace.

(REPEAT RESPONSE)

For I believe, O Lord, I will see You.
I wait for You with courage.

(REPEAT RESPONSE)

He shelters me; whom shall I fear? 
 
 


 


Psalm 27 (P. K. Tirol)

Musical Theatre + Liturgical Music. 
New York City + Jersey City + Manila.

Fifteen Today (P. K. Tirol)

PAULOPHONIC

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