Sampaguita
“Sampaguita” is one of the best-loved kundiman in the Filipino classical tradition — a 19th-century love song named for the small, fragrant white jasmine that is the national flower of the Philippines, a symbol of purity, humility, and devotion.
The melody was composed by Dolores Paterno (1854–1881), one of the earliest Filipina composers, and it has been sung and arranged for generations as an emblem of Filipino romantic song. Like the flower it names, the piece offers itself as a token of love — tender, unadorned, and quietly enduring.
Angelo Favis’s recording
On Philippine Treasures, Vol. 1, classical guitarist Angelo Favis opens the album with “Sampaguita” performed on solo classical guitar. There are no sung words in this recording — Favis lets the guitar carry the kundiman’s vocal line, drawing out the song’s lyricism through phrasing and tone rather than text.
What the song means
The original kundiman addresses the sampaguita flower as a stand-in for the beloved: its scent and fragile white petals become a language of affection and faithfulness. That sentiment — love expressed through the image of the national flower — is what has kept the song central to the Filipino songbook for over a century, and it is the spirit Favis brings to his interpretation.
“Sampaguita” sits alongside other Filipino classics on the album, including Mutya ng Pasig, Maalaala Mo Kaya, and Hatinggabi — soulful guitar performances of the songs that define Philippine art music.