MUSIC

- Traditional Music Composers

 Francisco Buencamino Sr.

 He created the Buencamino Music Academy in 1930 where Nicanor Abelardo was one of his students.
 Francisco Santiago
 Known as the “Father of the Kundiman.”
 Santiago’s music was Romantic in style, incorporating Western forms and techniques with folk materials.
 He became the first Filipino Director of the UP Conservatory of Music.
 Nicanor Abelardo
 He developed a style that combined European romanticism with chromaticism.
 His compositions contain hazy tones, dissonance and unusual chordal combinations found in such works as
Cinderella Overture, Panoramas, and a violin sonata.
 Antonio J. Molina
 He is the first National Artist for Music.
 Triumvirate of Filipino Composers
 Francisco Santiago
 Nicanor Abelardo
 Antonio J. Molina
 Hilarion Rubio Y Francisco
 His first music lessons in music theory and clarinet were with Fr. Amando Buencamino who taught him
solfeggio and some musical instruments.
 Col. Antonino Buenaventura
 He restored the Philippine Constabulary Band in 1945, which was reputedly likened to a symphony orchestra.
It was considered as “one of the best military bands in the world.”
 Rodolfo S. Cornejo
 He was known for his extemporaneous thematic improvisations based on the letters of people’s names.
 Felipe Padilla De Leon Sr.
 He was known as a nationalist composer who expressed the Philippines' cultural identity through his
compositions.
 Lucio San Pedro
 He is known as a “romantic nationalist.”
 His chords have a rich expressive tonality, as represented in his well-loved ‘Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,’ a lullaby
melody sung by his mother.
 Rosendo E. Santos Jr.
 He was awarded the “Philippine Composer of the Century” after receiving the “Composer of the Year Award”
in Manila in 1956 and 1957.
 Alfredo Buenaventura
 He was twice an awardee of the Republic Cultural Heritage Award and the ‘The Outstanding Filipino Award’
(TOFIL) for Music in 1995.
 Cipriano ‘Ryan’ Cayabyab
 His compositional style makes much use of syncopation, extended chords, and chromatic harmony.
 Among his numerous compositions are the award-winning Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika (1978), as well as the
modern zarzuela Alikabok (2003), the opera Spoliarium with libretto by Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, and a
variety of choral pieces and song cycles.

- New Music Composers

 Jose Maceda
 His musical style changed when he encountered the music of the indigenous tribes of Mindoro in 1953.
  He then embarked on his life’s work, dedicated to the understanding and preservation of Filipino traditional
music.
 Considered as the first Filipino avant garde composer.
 Lucrecia R. Kasilag
 Her compositions demonstrated a fusion of Eastern and Western styles in using instruments, melody,
harmony, and rhythm.
 She is particularly known for incorporating indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions.
 Ramon P. Santos
 His compositional style features chromaticism, music seria, and electronic components, combined with
indigenous Philippine music elements.
 Fr. Manuel Maramba, OSB
 He is best known as a liturgical composer whose body of works lean towards religious figures and events.
 He was the youngest finalist to participate in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA)
piano competition in 1978.
 Jerry Dadap
 He is the first Filipino composer to conduct his own works at the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City.
 His major works as composer-conductor were performed at the concert “LAHI” that featured works by local
major composers.
 Francisco F. Feliciano
 He started his music career in the high school band where he had played the cymbals and the clarinet.
 He supervised the publication of a new Asian hymnal containing mostly works of Asian composers.
 Josefino Toledo
 He is recognized figure in the Asian contemporary art music scene.
 He is the founding music director of the Metro Manila Community Orchestra, the UP Festival Orchestra, and
the Crosswave Symphony Orchestra.
 His own music, including works for chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, solo instrument, and music theater
have been performed by well-known international artists and ensembles.
 Jonas Baes
 He researched on the music of the Iraya-Mangyan people of Mindoro, which later became the inspiration for
his compositions.
 Baes received the Gawad Chancellor para sa Pinakamakusay na Mananaliksik (Hall of Fame, 2003) from the
University of the Philippines.

- Song Composers

 Levi Celerio
 Celerio was known for creating music with a mouth-blown leaf.
 His achievements include a citation in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the only person to
make music with a mouth-blown leaf.
 Constancio De Guzman
  Acknowledged as the “Dean of Filipino movie composers and musical directors.”
 He is the composer of the nationalistic song Bayan Ko.
 Miguel “Mike” Velarde Jr.
 He composed the popular song Dahil Sa Iyo in 1938. In 1975 the Philippine Government Cultural
Association awarded him the Cultural Achievement Award in Popular Music.
 Santiago Suarez
 An accomplished composer of traditional Filipino love songs.
 Restituto “Restie” Umali
 He composed more than 250 scores for movies which was capped by a Universal Pictures production of No
Man Is An Island starred by Jeffrey Hunter and Barbara Perez.
 Angel Pena
 He is widely considered by modern Filipino jazz musicians as “one of the founders of traditional jazz in the
Philippines.
 The Jazz Society of the Philippines-USA further gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Third
Annual Fil-Am Jazz Festival in Hollywood.
 Ernani Cuenco
 His works embody the Filipino sense of musicality.
 The classical sound of the kundiman is evident in some of his ballads.
 George Canseco
 Considered “a nationally acclaimed composer of numerous popular Filipino classics.”
 One of his best-known compositions was Child, the English-language version of Freddie Aguilar’s signature
song Anák.
 Leopoldo Silor Sr.
 He composed and recorded romantically soulful songs.
 He was the award winning musical director of the television musical Aawitan Kita.