Antonio j.

Molina
Life
Antonio Jesus Naguiat Molina was born on the
26th of December, 1894, in Quiapo, Manila. He
is the son of Juan Molina, a customs inspector
during the final years of the Spanish regime,
and Simeona Naguiat. Antonio Molina was
married to Pilar Siauingco with whom he had
six children - among them are: Rostia, a
pianist; Exequiel, a jazz artist and journalist;
and, Antonio Maria, Jr., a US-based conductor
and composer. He then remarried to Carmen
Serrano, his former student with a bachelor’s
degree in music.

Early Life
Antonio Sr.'s father founded the 22-piece
Orquestra Molina, whose members lived and
rehearsed in the family residence. At 12,
Antonio Sr. could play the violin. The
bandurria, mandolin, guitar, laud, bajo de
unas and octavina, and the cello all followed
later.
Education
He received his Bachelor's degree in 1909 at
the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Prior to
that, he also went to the Escuela de Catolica de
Quiapo, where he began his first formal
schooling. He obtained his teacher's diploma
in 1923 at the University of the Philippines
Conservatory of Music. From 1922 to 1924, he
concertised extensively in Hanoi and other
parts of Indo-China. He also taught at the UP
Conservatory of Music and then at the Centro
Escolar University.
Music
Molina's first composition, "Matinal" (1912), is
preserved in an unpublished volume called
Miniaturas, Vol. I. He then wrote a set of
waltzes, Lamentos de mi Patria (Laments of my
Fatherland) in 1913, and "Hatinggabi", his
most famous violin piece (1915). His hundreds
of compositions include a sarswela entitled
"Ana Maria", done while he was still in school.
His most important orchestral works are Misa
Antoniana Grand Festival Mass (1964) and Ang
Batingaw (1972). Among his chamber music
compositions are Prelude and Romanz for
cello and piano (1928) and Bontok Rhapsody.
Some of his piano works are Malikmata (1939)
and We Were Moonlight (1941). His major
works are composed of chamber music,
choral, piano, violin, theatre, voice and
violoncello music. Many of his works still have
not been published.
Achievements
Antonio Molina received numerous awards
such as the Conductor of the Year Award
(1953) from the Music Lovers' Society, the UP
Conservatory Alumni Award and the Phi
Kappa Beta Award (1972), among others. He
was the first musician to be conferred the
National Artist Award (12th June, 1972).

Death
Antonio Molina, Sr. died on the 29th of January,
1980 at the age of 85. His death was caused by
heart failure.
Rodolfo Cornejo
Life
Rodolfo S. Cornejo, a composer, pianist and
conductor, was born on the 15th of May, 1909,
in Manila. His parents are Miguel Cornejo, Sr.
and Crisanta Soldevilla. In 1949, he married
Nieves Guerrero, a lyric soprano. The couple
had five children.

Early Life
Rodolfo Cornejo started piano lessons with
Gelacio Reyes at age six. At age eight, he had
his first recital, and he became the organist of
the Pasay Catholic Church. He wrote his first
composition, Glissando Waltz, at age 10. He
also wrote and published a military march,
Salute, at age 13. At 16, twenty-six of his works
had been listed by the United Publishing Co. .
Music
While he was finishing his high school, he was He wrote over 300 compositions. These
already enrolled at the University of the ranged from classical to pop. His major works
Philippines Conservatory of Music. include The Season - Song Cycle (1932), A La
Juventud Filipina (1935), Philippine Symphony
Education No. 1 (1939), No.2 (1942), and No. 3 (1947) all
for piano solo; Oriental Fantasy (1944) and
At the UP Conservatory, he studied under Dr.
Philippine Fantasy with Marimba Solo (1962).
Francisco Santiago, Nicanor Abelardo and
He wrote music for the ballets Ibong Adarna
Alexander Lippay. Barely three years after
(1970) and Baile de Ayer (1974). His cantata
completing his high school, he obtained his
Christ the Redeemer for soloists, narrator,
teacher's diplomas in piano, science and
mixed chorus and orchestra, premiered at the
composition. He taught for a year at UP, then
Philamlife Auditorium in 1977. He also wrote a
left for the United States. He acquired a
musical A Glimpse of Philippine Life and
bachelor's degree in piano and theory at the
Culture, which premiered at the Seattle Opera
Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt
House in 1978. He is listed in the International
University in 1932. He won the Wesley Le
Who's Who in Music.
Violette scholarship in composition, went on to
complete his master's degree in 1933. He
studied with Rudolf Ganz and Glenn Dillard
Gunn.
Achievements
In 1934, he returned to the Philippines,
founded and directed the Manila Conservatory
of Music. He again left for the US in 1939 to
pursue doctorate studies in composition. He
earned his doctorate degree in 1947 at the
Neotarian College in Kansas City, USA. In his
US sojourns, Cornejo was a soloist with various
orchestras, such as the New York City
Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra
Association, and many others. During World
War II, he played at concerts for the Allied
Armed Forces. In 1941, he became researcher
and official composer of the Philippine
government-in-exile. In the Philippines, he
became director of the Cosmpolitan Colleges
Conservatory of Music from 1948 to 1949. He
also concertized. He wrote scores for twenty-
seven films during his 10 years as musical
director of Sampaguita Pictures. He is
founding member of the League of Filipino
Composers.

Death
Rodolfo Cornejo died in Manila on the 11th of
August, 1991 at the age of 82.
Lucio san pedro
Life
Lucio was born on February 11, 1913 in
Angono, Rizal, the son of Elpidio San Pedro
and Soledad Diestro. At a young age, he
composed various hymns and became the
local church organist, succeeding his late
grandfather. He was married by Gertrudes
Diaz with 5 children: Rhodora, Bienvenido, Ma.
Conchita, Ma. Cristina and Lucio Jr.

Early Life
Lucio came from a family with musical roots and
he began his career early. When he was still in
his late teens, he became a church organist,
taking over the job after the death of his
grandfather. By then, he had already composed
songs, hymns and two complete masses for
voices and orchestra. Achievements
He received the title Professor Emeritus from
the University in 1979. He also became a
Education faculty member of the Centro Escolar
University Conservatory of Music in Manila.
After studying with several prominent On May 9, 1991, President Corazon C. Aquino
musicians in the Philippines, he took advanced proclaimed Lucio D. San Pedro a National
composition training with Bernard Wagenaar Artist of the Philippines for Music.National
of the Netherlands. He also studied harmony Commission for Culture and the Arts.
and orchestration under Vittorio Giannini and
took classes at Juilliard in 1947. Death
His other vocation was teaching. He has taught He died of cardiac arrest on March 31, 2002 at
at the Ateneo de Manila University, virtually all the age of 89. A number of national artists
the major music conservatories in Manila, and attended his tribute at the Tanghalang
at the College of Music of the University of the Pambansa, including: Napoleon Abueva, Daisy
Philippines, Diliman, where he retired as a full Avellana, Leonor Gokingco, Nick Joaquin,
professor in 1978. Arturo Luz, Jose Maceda, and Andrea
Veneracion. He is buried in his hometown of
Music Angono, Rizal.
He is known in the Philippines as the
composer of the popular lullaby Sa Ugoy ng
Duyan (in collaboration with Levi Celerio) and
the symphonic poem Lahing Kayumanggi. He
taught composition at a number of colleges
and universities, including the University of
the Philippines College of Music, where he
served as chairman of its Composition and
Conducting Department from 1970 to 1973.
 Filipino Composers’
Biographies

Ariana Mae Daquiz

Drexcel Lanz Quinia
10 – Parviflora