This piano solo version is meant for maybe a quiet meditation. The literal translation of “Bato Balani sa Gugma” is “Magnet of Love.” It made its initial appearance in the novena booklets dedicated to Sto. Niño de Cebu in 1888, but over the centuries, its origins and composer have been forgotten.
For the celebration of the Feast of Sto. Nino de Cebu, playing for the novena masses here in Tampa, this song stuck to my head and I just had to make a piano doodle on it, and I wanted a contrast to the Sinulog noise.
Penned in Old Visayan, the song consistently evokes tears from numerous devotees, particularly when the chorus is sung. The act of waving arms and hands during this rendition serves as a symbolic gesture, signifying total submission to the Child Jesus.
The tradition of waving arms as an expression of worship predates the arrival of the Spanish to the Philippines.
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