Jem B.

Talaroc
Final Paper and Analysis on Marcelo Adonay
MuL 247 Works of Filipino Composers
Dr. La Verne de la Peña, Instructor

MARCELO Q. ADONAY
(1848-1928)

About the Composer

Eminent Composer and Conductor Marcelo Adonay, the

oldest of 11 children of Prudencia Quinteria and Mariano

Adonay, was born on February 6, 1848 in Pakil, Laguna.

He lived in an era when Philippine religious music had

reached its pinnacle. Although he lacked a formal

education in music, Adonay was recognized as a master

and gained the respect of his fellow composers, who considered him a genius.

In 1856, Adonay, aged eight, was enrolled by his uncle in the San Agustin Church

Convent. There he learned the basics of piano and organ music as well as harmony. When

he grew older, he joined the orchestra as organist and violinist. In 1870, Adonay who was

22 at the time became the conductor of the church orchestra, which he directed until 1914,

but for a hiatus during the Philippine Revolution.

His great passion was religious music. When not composing or conducting, he performed

chamber music as a member of a trio or a quartet. He influenced the growth and public
appreciation of Philippine music through concerts he often produced. He directed the first

vocal rendition of Beethoven's "Solemn Mass in D Major, Opus 123," in August 1887 at

the San Agustin Church. In 1891, he conducted a performance of the "Solemn Mass of

Reparaz." Two years later, in March 1893, he led his or chestra in a joint presentation of

Eslava's "Miserere"

and a composition of his own, the "Benedictus."

The priests of San Agustin sent Adonay's works to the eminent Spanish composer and

their fellow priest, Fr. Arostegui, who was based in Madrid. The Spaniard was profoundly

impressed by the perfect harmony in Adonay's music. Later, he gave the Filipino

composer a study on fugue and counterpoint. In 1886, during Arostegui's visit to the

country, Adonay graciously proffered to the cleric his place as choir conductor of San

Agustin Church.

In 1869, Adonay composed "Liberame," which he later performed in a requiem mass for

Fr. Arostegui. His other religious compositions are "O, Vita Jesu," "A San Juan Bautista,"

"Resposarium," written in 1894; "Hosana," 1889; and "Nuestra Señora de Antipolo,"

which was written in 1909. Two of his famous masterpieces are Grand Mass and Te

Deum. Another masterpiece is the Pequeña Misa Solemne, composed in 1903.

Unlike other composers who wrote opera-like religious mu sic, Adonay created music

that was inspired by the Gregorian chant. Thus, his compositions are not overly dramatic

or affected; rather, they are solemn, relevant and, more importantly, appropriate. Adonay

also composed non-religious music, such as marches and commemorative pieces. These

include a piece expressing the heroism and martyrdom of Rizal, entitled "Rizal

Glorified," first played on December 10, 1911 at the Grand Opera House. His other
secular compositions are "Himno Pakileño," written for his hometown: "Melodia,"

"Wari-Wari," "Mary Gavotte," and "Ang Quirot ng Reuma," written in 1912.

Aside from being a composer, conductor and performer, Adonay was also a teacher. He

gave private lessons and taught at the Centro de Bellas Artes. Some of his more famous

students were Jose Vallejo and Pedro Navarro. He was an active member of the Union

Artistico Musical and joined the Asosacion Musical de Filipinas in 1912. He was married

to Maria Vasques of Malolos, Bulacan, on January 17, 1879 at the Manila Cathedral.

He died on February 8, 1928. In 1983, on the occasion of his 135th birth anniversary, the

National Historical Institute honored him by installing a marker in his hometown in

Laguna.

List of Works

Sacred

• Liberame (1869)
• Lectio (1885)
• Gazos a Nuestra Señora de la Consolacion (1890)
• O Vita Jesu (1891)
• A San Pascual Bailon en Obando (1894)
• Responsarium (1894)
• Benedictus (1895)
• Hosana (1899)
• Pequeña Misa Solemne (1903)
• A Nuestra Señora de Antipolo (1909)
• A San Juan Bautista (1916)
Secular
• A march dedicated to Antonio Luna, the revolutionary leader.
 • Rizal Glorified – performed for the first time at the Manila Grand Opera House on
30 December 1911.
• La Procesion de Turumba en Pakil
• Ang Querot ng Reuma (1912)
• Tocata en Do Mayor (1921)

Legacy
Considering that Marcelo Adonay was the first Filipino composer in the full sense of the

word, or even in Southeast Asia for that matter, he has left behind a body of work that

would match the gravity of that of the European masters. What was revolutionary about

the works of Adonay should not be mistaken as a radical departure from former esthetic

conventions as we would with Debussy's musical Impressionism, but should rather be

understood as a revelation. An inception that would herald the Philippines' entrance into

the sophisticated world of music composition.

In Mirano's Life and Works analyses of Adonay's Gloria from Pequeña Misa Solemne,

one could evidently find an apparent influence from the techniques of Mozart and

Beethoven, the latter especially.

In 1983, the National Historical Institute recognized Adonay’s great contribution to

Philippine music and culture by installing a marker in Pakil, Laguna, his hometown. The

monument can be found at the center west end of the town plaza. Later on, the town plaza

was named after him.

In July 2009, the first of a two-part series of books about his life and works was launched

at the Vargas Museum. “The Life and Works of Marcelo Adonay” was edited by Elena

Mirano, et.al. and was published by the University of the Philippines Press. It was a

collection of five essays on his life, his existing and missing works, and formal analyses
of his masterpiece Pequeña Misa Solemne somber Motivos dela Missa Regia de Canto

Gregoriano. A concert showcasing the musician’s works followed and was held in

September 2009 at the University of the Philippines.

MUSIC

Analysis on Marcelo Adonay's Gloria, a movement from the large work Pequeña Misa

Solemne , derived from Mirano's book "The Life and Works of Marcelo Adonay", with

additional analysis by Jem Talaroc

Gloria has two large sections of contrasting moods. The first is joyful and triumphant and

is set in the key of B-flat major. The key changes to B-flat minor in the second part in

keeping with the more somber and solemn text. Each part has smaller subsections.

The movement begins with the solo bass intoning "Gloria in excelsis Deo." borrowed

from the first thirteen notes of the Du Mont Gloria.

In a modern standard notation, would look like:

Though the movement bears the B-flat major key signature, the opening Du Mont motif

is sung in B-flat minor keeping the Dorian mode flavor of the borrowed motif. On the last

note of the solo bass intonation, the time signature changes to 3/4 allegro maestoso, and

the orchestra embarks on an eight-measure chromatic upward scale ushering in a

victorious "Gloria in excelsis Deo" sung by the tiples and contraltos punctuated with the

cries of "Gloria" by the Tenors and basses. Tiples, contraltos, and basses then join in

repeating "Gloria in excelsis Deo" with the entire orchestra. The whole sequence is

repeated, but the second time around the orchestra is more saltatory.

This is immediately followed by a change in mood and tempo. The tenor solo sings "et in

terra pax hominibus bone voluntatis" (And on earth, peace to men of goodwill) twice.

The repeat, though sung to a different melodic line, retains the same rhythmic pattern.

The whole choir then enters with the same phrase and continues with "Laudamus te,

Benedicimus te, Adoramus te, Glorificamus te" (We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we adore

Thee, we glorify Thee).

A five-measure orchestral passage leads to the next section. Once again, the tempo slows

down and the tenor embarks on another long andante solo" "Gratias agimus tibi, Propter
magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus rex coelestis, Deus Pater Omnipotens, Domine Fili

unigenite, Jesu Christe" (We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly

King, God the Father almighty, O Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son). It is a quiet

section accompanied by the bassoons and strings in pizzicato. Although the key signature

is still in B-flat major, the section is in B-flat minor and will remain so until the end of

the first half of the movement.

After the quiet tenor solo, the original tempo returns. The new section enters fortissimo

with the entire chorus proclaiming emphatically "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris"

(O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father) accompanied by the full orchestra. A

twelve-measure orchestral ending brings the entire first part of the movement to an end.

A key change (now in B-flat minor) and time signature change (now 3/2) mark the

second part. The solo bass, without any accompaniment, opens with a somber "Qui tollis

peccata mundi, miserere nobis" (Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on

us). The whole choir responds with a mournful "miserere, miserere, miserere nobis"

(have mercy on us) sung twice. The first time, the miserere is sung thrice, each time a

step higher using the same rhythmic pattern set to a descending melodic line. The repeat

at a higher pitch level gives stress to the plea for mercy. In the second set, the three

misereres are again repeated, set to the same rhythmic pattern this time starting at a lower

pitch level. The solo bass continues the dialogue with a repeat of the initial "qui tollis

peccata mundi" phrase, answered by the choir, this time imploring "suscipe, suscipe,

deprecationem nostram" (receive our prayer). Again the solo bass enters with "qui sedes

ad dexteram patris" (who sitteth at the right hand of the Father) sung to the same melodic

motif but this time sung a third higher. Again the choir responds with "miserere, miserere,
miserere nobis" ending pianissimo. In the course of this litany-like exchange, the key

shifts to and ends in D-flat minor.

In addition to Mirano's Book's descriptive analyses on passages, the structure of the entire

Gloria movement emanates from the continuity of the non-recurring text into a through

composed form, as most of the Gloria movement in a typical musical setting of the Mass.

But the entire structure is divisible into two large parts as the book mentioned. What is

left out however is the visible alternation of disparate character of sections; soft-loud,

solo-choir, -major-minor, etc. This style is reminiscent of a Baroque concerto grosso and

it's abrupt changes in every section to loud and soft, solo and tutti. The style and texture

is no doubt in a classical manner, especially in regards to balance of phrasing.

Another thing in Mirano's book's analyses is the emphasis on modulation of thirds, which

it said was technique borrowed from Beethoven.

Although one can say that the technical aspects of this particular work of Marcelo

Adonay could be derivative, it has achieved something which the great works of the

western composers hasn't; the combination of sophistication and simplicity. The western

works , which molded tonality and later permitted dissonance that would eventually

become it's end, are works of intelligent complexity that one is tempted and perhaps

seduced to forget the main essence of of it's purpose, but Adonay's attempts in music

composition has in now way become any of that for it has maintained the firm grip to

human emotion but diversified the intellectual side nonetheless.

References:

1.Mirano, E., and Corazon Dioquino. The Life and Works of Marcelo Adonay. Quezon

City: University of the Philippines Press, 2010.

2. Gwekoh, Sol. “Hall of Fame,” Manila Times, 1965.

3. Mojares, Resil. Encyclopedia of Philippine Art Volume 9. Nicanor G. Tiongson. Ed.

Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994.