Identify the following instruments according to their classifications (Hornbostel-Sachs). Choose the answer from the box and write it in the space provided. Chordophone, Membranophone, Idiophone, Aerophone 11. Tongali 12. Gitgit 13. Basal j44 Bcjo De Arco Is Kalutang Checked by
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Here are the correct classifications of the listed instruments according to the Hornbostel-Sachs system:
11. Tongali – Aerophone
12. Gitgit – Chordophone
13. Basal – Membranophone
14. Bajo de Arco – Chordophone
15. Kalutang – Idiophone
Explanation
The Hornbostel-Sachs system is a method of classifying musical instruments based on how they produce sound. It divides instruments into five main categories: aerophones, chordophones, membranophones, idiophones, and electrophones (the last of which is modern and often excluded in traditional classification).
- Tongali is a nose flute traditionally played by the Kalinga people of the Philippines. Since it produces sound through the vibration of air inside a tube without using strings or membranes, it is classified as an aerophone.
- Gitgit is a three-stringed fiddle played by the Mangyan of Mindoro. It uses a bow and produces sound by vibrating strings stretched across a resonating body, which fits the definition of a chordophone.
- Basal is a set of drums used by the Palawan people during rituals and celebrations. Since the sound is produced by striking a stretched membrane (typically animal skin), it falls under the category of membranophones.
- Bajo de Arco (translated as “arched bass”) is a string instrument similar to a double bass, used in traditional Mexican and Filipino ensembles. Like the gitgit, its sound is produced by vibrating strings, thus it is a chordophone.
- Kalutang refers to wooden sticks struck together to create rhythmic patterns, traditionally played by the people of Marinduque. The sound comes from the material of the instrument itself vibrating—making it an idiophone.
Understanding these classifications helps in ethnomusicology and organology by systematically grouping instruments based on how they generate sound, rather than by region or culture alone.
