When the Spanish arrived in the Philippines in 1521, they introduced European musical influences that marked the beginning of cultivated music in the country. Some examples of Spanish-influenced secular vocal music that developed in the Lowlands of Luzon include harana (serenades), kumintang (war songs), kundiman (art songs), polka, and pandango (dances). These musical forms helped express feelings of love, history, and religion through both lyrics and instrumentation.