Filipino Composers and Their Biographies

Nicanor Abelardo Born: 1893-02-07 Birthplace: San Miguel, Bulacan Died: 1934-03-21 Race: Asian Field: Composer Famous for: Kundiman songs

Nicanor Abelardo is a Filipino composer who composed over a hundred of Kundiman Songs especially before and during the t he World War II. Born in San Miguel de Mayumo (now is San Miguel, Bulacan in February 7, 1893, Nicanor Sta. Ana Abelardo was introduced to music when he was five years old, o ld, when his father taught him the solfeggio and the banduria. ba nduria. At the age of 8, he was able to compose co mpose his first work, a waltz entitled "Ang Unang Buko," which was dedicated to his grandmother. At the age of 13, he was already playing at saloons and cabarets in Manila. At age 15, 1 5, he was already teaching in barrio schools in San Ildefonso and San Miguel Bulacan. All of these happened even before young Abelardo finally took up co urses under Guy F. Harrison and Robert Scho field field at the UP Conservatory of Music in 1916. By B y 1924, following a teacher s certificate in science and composition received in 1921, he was appointed head of the composition department at the Conservatory. Years later, he ran a boarding bo arding school for young musicians, and a mong his students were National Artist Antonino Buenaventura, Alfredo Lozano and Lucino Sacramento. In the field of composition he is known for his redefinition redefinition of o f the kundiman, bringing the genre g enre to artsong status. Among his works were "Nasaan Ka Irog," "Magbalik Ka Hirang," and "Himutok." He died in 1934 at the age of 41, leaving a prolific collection of more than 140 works. As a composition major at the University of o f the Philippines, he also composed the melody melody for the university's official anthem, U.P. Naming Mahal. The building housing the Co llege of Music in UP Diliman (Abelardo Hall) is named in his honor.

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Levi Celerio

Born: April 30, 1910 Birthplace: Tondo, Manila Died: April 2, 2002

Race: Asian Field: Composer

Levi Celerio is a Filipino composer and lyricist, lyricist, born on o n April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Tondo , Manila, Philippines. He received a free education to the Academy of Music in Manila and became the youngest affiliate of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. He was a creative songwriter, with more than 4,000 songs to his acclaim including Filipino folk, Christmas, and love songs that are popular pieces, which many co nsider to be immortal. Famous for being a lyricist, lyricist, his songs treasure life; express nationalistic nationalistic sentiments and complete co mplete grand philosophies. At one instance or o r another, no Filipino can miss the song o r lyrics of Levi's Christmas songs namely Pasko namely Pasko na Naman, Naman, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit , and Misa and Misa de Gallo. Gallo. He is probably best recognized for being a leaf-player, an achievement where he was place into the Guinness Book of World Records. He wrote a huge number of songs for local movies, which gained h im the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Film Academy of o f the Philippines. He was awarded as National Artist of the Philippines for Music in 1997. He died o n April 2, 2002.



Ryan Cayabyab Born: May 4, 1954 Birthplace: Manila

Race: Asian Field: Composer

Warmly known as Mr. C, born Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab on May 4, 1954 in Manila, Philippines. Ryan's mother was an o pera singer; she died when he was only o nly 6, while his father fight to sustain him and his three siblings. His mother's wish was t hat no one of her children would make music as a line of work; knowing how tough to ugh life is for a musician with insufficient income. Ryan Cayabyab firstly took up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Administration in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. But at the t he same moment, he searched for an e mployment to sustain his studies, and sooner join with then-Senator Salvador Laurel as accompanist for the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) Chorale Ensemble. Noting his incomparable ability on the piano, the t he Senator presented him a scholarship that would allow allow Ryan to t o alter his course and hold learning in music. Cayabyab afterward graduated from the UP College of Music earning a Bache lor of Music, Major in Composition degree. Following that, he became a complete co mplete professor for the Department of Composition and Music Theory in the UP Diliman for about two t wo decades. At the twist of the century, he was about to take his family and transfer abroad, but when presented by Danding Cojuangco, Cojuangco , President of the San Miguel Corporation, Corpo ration, a authority post that would give him full way in producing produ cing and performing new music that would carry out a new wave to the Philippine music scene, he acknowledged the t he proposal. Ryan Cayabyab is a prominent Filipino musician and the existing Execut ive and Artistic Director of the San Miguel Foundat ion for the Performing Arts. His works vary from specially made fulllength ballets, theater musicals, choral pieces, a crowd set to unaccompanied chorus, and orchestral pieces, to salable recordings of popu lar composition, composition, film scores and t elevision elevision specials.



Angel Matias Peña Born: April 22, 1921 Birthplace: Malabon

Race: Asian Field: Classical and Jazz Composer, Arranger, and Bass Player

Peña was born to a musical f amily on April 22, 1921. Hi s mother, Rosario Velarde Matias, a schoolteacher, studied voice at the Univer sity of the Philippin es and it was from her that he learned the solf egg eggio. Hi s f ather, Gr eg egorio Cid Peña, played the violin, and hi s gr andf ather was handy with th e guitar. He gr ew up in M alabon which at that time was f a mous for its musici ans and marching bands. His mother died wh when he was 11 year s old. Althou gh discour age aged by hi s f ather, he studied musical theory and composition. Peña wrote his fir st original jazz composition just befor e the World W ar II erupted. When lif e r eturned to normal after the war, Peña became one of the most sought-after arr anger s in Manila. He had also switched from guitar to bass, leading to writin g orchestr al background music for many musical ensembles and musical scor es es for film companies, most notably LVN Pictur es es. Peña's inter es est in cl assical composition gr ew intense and so in 1956, he formed a big band for the Upsilon Sigma Phi¶s tr aditional concert at the Univer sity of th e Philippin es wher e he composed ³Bagbagtulambing,´ a landmark in Filipino mu sic.

In 1959, th e Univer sity of Santo Tomas launched a national symphonic compo sition contest open to all Filipino compo ser s. Peña¶s entry ³Igorot Rh apsody´ won th e fir st prize the followin g year. Since then, Peña moved effortl essly between the jazz and classical worlds, sometimes, str addling them. In the mid-1960 s, during his 3-year stint in Hong Kong, he earned a Licentiate with the Royal School of Mu sic in London, which i s equivalent to a music degr ee ee. In 1969 Peña audition ed for th e Honolulu Symphony Orch estr a and was immediately accepted as bassist and later as arr anger. He would spend the next 28 year s in Hawaii. As f ar ewell homage, the Manila Symphony Orch estr a performed his ³Conc erto for Doubl e Bass and Orchestr a.´ In Honolulu, Peña continu ed to write his own music. In



Julio Nakpil

Born: 22 May 1867 Birthplace: Quiapo, Manila Died: 2 November 1960 Race: Asian Field: Composer Julio

Nakpil was born as o ne of twelve children from a well-off family in the Quiapo district district of o f Manila. His parents withdrew him from E scuela de Instruccion Primaria after two years and had him take over the family stable, making sure that their coachmen and st able boys were doing their work smoothly. Julio educated himself at home and eventually learned how to play the piano, as was proper for traditional trad itional families during during that time. His H is passion passion for music was largely self-taught. Although he took violin lessons from Ramon Valdes and piano lessons from Manuel Mata, he spent more time t ime practicing alone with these instruments, giving him the ability to interpret the music of classic legends like Johann Strauss, Emile Waldteufel, Philipp Fahrbach, and Josef Kaulich, among others. In his desire to continue learning, he read Spanish books, boo ks, novels, history books, the writings of Jose Rizal, and music discourse. His skill in pla ying the piano earned him an audience among the affluent, becoming a regular pianist p ianist Malacañang social functions. On April 27, 1888 he composed his first short polka piece for the t he piano called "Cefiro," which was followed with ot her pieces such as "Ilang-Ilang," "Recuerdos de Capiz," "Pahimakas," "Pasig Pantayanin," and "Biyak-na-Bato," to name a few. Nakpil later became a piano teacher t eacher and composed regularly. Many of his compositions during this time were d irectly inspired by the Revolution. His composition "Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan" Kataga lugan" was a candidate to become the Philippine National Anthem, and was personally preferred by Bonifacio, but was ultimately rejected by General Emilio Aguinaldo in favor of Julian Felipe's "Lupang Hinirang". He later revised his piece and entitled ent itled it "Salve Patria". After Aguinaldo allegedly ordered Bon ifacio's ifacio's execution, execut ion, Nakpil claimed to have received threats on his own life, as did General Antonio Luna, who ended up being betrayed and executed by Aguinaldo's men. Among his expository works were "Luz Poetica de la Aurora," "Recuerdos de Capiz" and "Exposicion Regional Filipina," all of which were given a diploma of honor hono r from the Exposicion Regional Filipina in 1895. He was also awarded a diploma and bronze medal from the Exposition of Hanoi in 1902, a diploma and silver medal from the St. Louis International Exposition in the U.S. in 1904, and a medal and c itation from the Civic Assembly of Women in 1954.

Filipino Composers and Their Biographies

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