National Artist for Music in
the Philippines
ANTONIO J. MOLINA
National Artist for Music (1973)
(December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980)
Antonio J. Molina, versatile musician, composer, music
educator was the last of the musical triumvirate, two of whom
were Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, who elevated
music beyond the realm of folk music. At an early age, he took
to playing the violoncello and played it so well it did not take
long before he was playing as orchestra soloist for the Manila
Grand Opera House. Molina is credited with introducing such
innovations as the whole tone scale, pentatonic scale,
exuberance of dominant ninths and eleventh cords, and linear
counterpoints. As a member of the faculty of the UP
Conservatory, he had taught many of the country’s leading
musical personalities and educators like Lucresia Kasilag and
Felipe de Leon.
JOVITA FUENTES
National Artist for Music (1976)
(February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978)
Long before Lea Salonga’s break into Broadway, there was
already Jovita Fuentes‘ portrayal of Cio-cio san in Giacomo
Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro Municipale di
Piacenza. Her performance was hailed as the “most sublime
interpretation of the part”. This is all the more significant
because it happened at a time when the Philippines and its
people were scarcely heard of in Europe. Prior to that, she was
teaching at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of
Music (1917) before leaving for Milan in 1924 for further voice
studies. After eight months of arduous training, she made her
stage debut at the Piacenza. She later embarked on a string of
music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu
Yu in Puccini’s Turnadot, Mimi in Puccini’s La
Boheme, Iris in Pietro Mascagni’s Iris, the title role
of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss personally offered
to her including the special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li
Tai Pe). In recognition of these achievements, she was given
the unprecedented award of “Embahadora de Filipinas a su
Madre Patria” by Spain.
Her dream to develop the love for opera among her
countrymen led her to found the Artists’ Guild of the
Philippines, which was responsible for the periodic “Tour of
Operaland” productions. Her life story has been documented
in the biography Jovita Fuentes: A Lifetime of Music (1978)
written by Lilia H. Chung, and later translated into Filipino by
Virgilio Almario.
ANTONIO R. BUENAVENTURA
National Artist for Music (1988)
(May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)
Antonio R. Buenaventura vigorously pursued a musical
career that spanned seven decades of unwavering commitment
to advancing the frontiers of Philippine music. In 1935,
Buenaventura joined Francisca Reyes-Aquino to conduct
research on folksongs and dances that led to its
popularization. Buenaventura composed songs, compositions,
for solo instruments as well as symphonic and orchestral
works based on the folksongs of various Philippine ethnic
groups. He was also a conductor and restored the Philippine
Army Band to its former prestige as one of the finest military
bands in the world making it “the only band that can sound
like a symphony orchestra”.
This once sickly boy who played the clarinet proficiently has
written several marches such as the “Triumphal March,”
“Echoes of the Past,” “History Fantasy,” Second Symphony in
E-flat, “Echoes from the Philippines,” “Ode to Freedom.” His
orchestral music compositions include Concert Overture,
Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, Philippines Triumphant,
Mindanao Sketches, Symphony in C Major, among others.
LUCRESIA R. KASILAG
National Artist for Music (1989)
(August 31, 1918 – August 16, 2008)
Lucresia R. Kasilag, as educator, composer, performing
artist, administrator and cultural entrepreneur of national and
international caliber, had involved herself wholly in sharpening
the Filipino audience’s appreciation of music. Kasilag’s
pioneering task to discover the Filipino roots through ethnic
music and fusing it with Western influences has led many
Filipino composers to experiment with such an approach. She
dared to incorporate indigenous Filipino instruments in
orchestral productions, such as the prize-winning “Toccata for
Percussions and Winds, Divertissement and Concertante,” and
the scores of the Filiasiana, Misang Pilipino and De Profundis.
“Tita King”, as she was fondly called, worked closely as music
director with colleagues Lucresia Reyes-Urtula, Isabel Santos,
Jose Lardizabal and Dr. Leticia P. de Guzman and made
Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company one of the premier
artistic and cultural groups in the country.
Her orchestral music include Love Songs, Legend of the
Sarimanok, Ang Pamana, Philippine Scenes, Her
Son, Jose, Sisa and chamber music like Awit ng mga Awit
Psalms, Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme, and East Meets Jazz
Ethnika.
Usually performed as a communal ritual, his compositions
like Ugma-ugma(1963), Pagsamba (1968), and Udlot-
udlot (1975), are monuments to his unflagging commitment to
Philippine music. Other major works include Agungan, Kubing,
Pagsamba, Ugnayan, Ading, Aroding, Siasid, Suling-suling.
LUCIO SAN PEDRO
National Artist for Music (1991)
(February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002)
Lucio San Pedro is a master composer, conductor, and
teacher whose music evokes the folk elements of the Filipino
heritage. Cousin to “Botong” Francisco, San Pedro produced a
wide-ranging body of works that includes band music,
concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas,
chamber music, music for violin and piano, and songs for solo
voice. He was the conductor of the much acclaimed Peng Kong
Grand Mason Concert Band, the San Pedro Band of Angono,
his father’s former band, and the Banda Angono Numero Uno.
His civic commitment and work with town bands have
significantly contributed to the development of a civic culture
among Filipino communities and opened a creative outlet for
young Filipinos.
His orchestral music include The Devil’s Bridge, Malakas at
Maganda Overture,Prelude and Fugue in D minor, Hope and
Ambition; choral music Easter Cantata, Sa Mahal Kong
Bayan, Rizal’s Valedictory Poem; vocal music Lulay,Sa Ugoy
ng Duyan, In the Silence of the Night; and band music Dance
of the Fairies, Triumphal March, Lahing
Kayumanggi, Angononian March among others.
His songs and ballads include “Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis,” and
“Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa,” “Pilipinas,”
“Inang Bayan,” “Isang Dalangin,” “Kalesa,” “Bato sa
Buhangin” and “Gaano Kita Kamahal.” The latter song shows
how Cuenco has enriched the Filipino love ballad by adding
the elements of kundiman to it.
Felipe P. de Leon 1997
- Felipe Padilla de León was a Filipino classical music composer, conductor, and
scholar.
-De Leon was credited for being the "CrisisComposer" of the Philippines
“May Bagong Silang”
-“Ang Bayan Ko'y May Dangal, Puri't Kagitingan,”
“Inday sa Balitaw,”
During Marcos Time
LEVI CELERIO
National Artist for Literature / Music (1997)
(April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)
Levi Celerio is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He
effortlessly translated/wrote anew the lyrics to traditional
melodies: “O Maliwanag Na Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May
Singsing” (Pampango), “Alibangbang” (Visaya) among others.
Born in Tondo, Celerio received his scholarship at the
Academy of Music in Manila that made it possible for him to
join the Manila Symphony Orchestra, becoming its youngest
member. He made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as
the only person able to make music using just a leaf.
A great number of his songs have been written for the local
movies, which earned for him the Lifetime Achievement Award
from the Film Academy of the Philippines. Levi Celerio, more
importantly, has enriched the Philippine music for no less than
two generations with a treasury of more than 4,000 songs in
an idiom that has proven to appeal to all social classes.
JOSE MACEDA
National Artist for Music (1997)
(January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004)
Jose Maceda, composer, musicologist, teacher and performer,
explored the musicality of the Filipino deeply. Maceda
embarked on a life-long dedication to the understanding and
popularization of Filipino traditional music. Maceda’s
researches and fieldwork have resulted in the collection of an
immense number of recorded music taken from the remotest
mountain villages and farthest island communities. He wrote
papers that enlightened scholars, both Filipino and foreign,
about the nature of Philippine traditional and ethnic music.
Maceda’s experimentation also freed Filipino musical
expression from a strictly Eurocentric mold.
Andrea Veneracion 1999
- Andrea Ofilada Veneracion was a Filipinochoral conductor and a recipient of the
1999 National Artist for Music award. She founded the Philippine Madrigal Singers in
1963.
ERNANI J. CUENCO
National Artist for Music (1999)
(May 10, 1936 – June 11, 1988)
Ernani J. Cuenco is a seasoned musician born in May 10,
1936 in Malolos, Bulacan. A composer, film scorer, musical
director and music teacher, he wrote an outstanding and
memorable body of works that resonate with the Filipino sense
of musicality and which embody an ingenious voice that raises
the aesthetic dimensions of contemporary Filipino music.
Cuenco played with the Filipino Youth Symphony Orchestra
and the Manila Symphony Orchestra from 1960 to 1968, and
the Manila Chamber Soloists from 1966 to 1970. He completed
a music degree in piano and cello from the University of Santo
Tomas where he also taught for decades until his death in
1988.
FRANCISCO FELICIANO
National Artist for Music (2014)
Francisco Feliciano’s corpus of creative work attests to the
exceptional talent of the Filipino as an artist. His lifetime
conscientiousness in bringing out the “Asianness” in his music,
whether as a composer, conductor, or educator, contributed
to bringing the awareness of people all over the world to view
the Asian culture as a rich source of inspiration and a
celebration of our ethnicity, particularly the Philippines. He
brought out the unique sounds of our indigenous music in
compositions that have high technical demands equal to the
compositions of masters in the western world. By his
numerous creative outputs, he has elevated the Filipino
artistry into one that is highly esteemed by the people all over
the world.
Many of his choral compositions have been performed by the
best choirs in the country, such as the world-renowned
Philippines Madrigal Singers, UST Singers, and the Novo
Concertante Manila, and have won for them numerous awards
in international choral competitions. The technical
requirement of his choral pieces is almost at the tip of the
scale that many who listen to their rendition are awed,
especially because he incorporates the many subtleties of
rhythmic vitality and intricate interweaving of lines inspired
from the songs of our indigenous tribes. He not only borrows
these musical lines, albeit he quotes them and transforms
them into completely energetic fusions of sound and culture
that does nothing less than celebrate our various ethnicities.
His operas and orchestral works also showcase the masterful
treatment of a musical language that is unique and carries
with it a contemporary style that allows for the use of modal
scales, Feliciano’s preferred tonality. The influence of bringing
out the indigenous culture, particularly in sound, is strongly
evident in La Loba Negra, Ashen Wings, and Yerma. In his
modest hymns, Feliciano was able to bring out the Filipino
mysticism in the simple harmonies that is able to captivate and
charm his audiences. It is his matchless genius in choosing to
state his ideas in their simplest state but producing a haunting
and long-lasting impact on the listening soul that makes his
music extraordinarily sublime.
Major Works: Ashen Wings (1995), Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam
(1993), La Loba Negra (1983), Yerma (1982), Pamugun (1995),
Pokpok Alimako (1981)
Molina’s most familiar composition is Hatinggabi, a serenade
for solo violin and piano accompaniment. Other works are
(orchestral music) Misa Antoniana Grand Festival Mass, Ang
Batingaw, Kundiman- Kundangan; (chamber music) Hating
Gabi, String Quartet, Kung sa Iyong Gunita, Pandangguhan;
(vocal music) Amihan, Awit ni Maria Clara, Larawan Nitong
Pilipinas, among others.
RAMON P. SANTOS
National Artist for Music (2014)
Ramon Pagayon Santos, composer, conductor and
musicologist, is currently the country’s foremost exponent of
contemporary Filipino music. A prime figure in the second
generation of Filipino composers in the modern idiom, Santos
has contributed greatly to the quest for new directions in
music, taking as basis non-Western traditions in the
Philippines and Southeast Asia.
He graduated in 1965 from the UP College of Music with a
Teacher’s Diploma and a Bachelor of Music degree in both
Composition and Conducting. Higher studies in the United
States under a Fulbright Scholarship at Indiana University (for
a Master’s degree, 1968) and at the State University of New
York at Buffalo (for a Doctorate, 1972) exposed him to the
world of contemporary and avant-garde musical idioms: the
rigorous processes of serialism, electronic and contemporary
music, indeterminacy, and new vocal and improvisational
techniques. He received further training in New Music in
Darmstadt, Germany and in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His
initial interest in Mahler and Debussy while still a student at
UP waned as his compositional style shifted to Neo Classicism
and finally to a distinct merging of the varied influences that
he had assimilated abroad.
His return to the Philippines marked a new path in his style.
After immersing himself in indigenous Philippine and Asian
(Javanese music and dance, Chinese nan kuan music), he
became more interested in open-ended structures of time and
space, function as a compositional concept, environmental
works, non-conventional instruments, the dialectics of control
and non-control, and the incorporation of natural forces in the
execution of sound-creating tasks. All these would lead to the
forging of a new alternative musical language founded on a
profound understanding and a thriving and sensitive
awareness of Asian music aesthetics and culture.
Simultaneous with this was a reverting back to more orthodox
performance modes: chamber works and multimedia works for
dance and theatre. Panaghoy (1984), for reader, voices, gongs
and bass drum, on the poetry of Benigno Aquino, Jr. was a
powerful musical discourse on the fallen leader’s assassination
in 1983, which subsequently brought on the victorious People
Power uprising in 1986.
An active musicologist, Santos’ interest in traditional music
cultures was heretofore realized in 1976 by embarking on
fieldwork to collect and document music from folk religious
groups in Quezon. He has also done research and fieldwork
among the Ibaloi of Northern Luzon. His ethnomusicological
orientation has but richly enhanced his compositional outlook.
Embedded in the works of this period are the people-specific
concepts central to the ethnomusicological discipline, the
translation of indigenous musical systems into modern musical
discourse, and the marriage of Western and non-Western
sound.
An intense and avid pedagogue, Santos, as Chair of the
Department of Composition and Theory (and formerly, as
Dean) of the College of Music, UP, has remained instrumental
in espousing a modern Philippine music rooted in old Asian
practices and life concepts. With generation upon generation
of students and teachers that have come under his wing, he
continues to shape a legacy of modernity anchored on the
values of traditional Asian music.
Ryan Cayabyab 2018
- Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab is a Filipino musician, composer and
conductor. Regarded as one of the pillars and icons of Original Pilipino
Music (OPM).
- His works range from commissioned full-length ballets, theater musicals, choral
pieces, a Mass set to the unaccompanied chorus, and orchestral pieces, to
commercial recordings of popular music, film scores and television specials.
- He is the executive director of the PhilPop MusicFest Foundation Inc., the
organization behind the Philippine Popular Music Festival.
- Famous for composing the Da Coconut Nut Song performed by his Smokey
Mountain band.
- Other names: Mr. C
Fides Cuyugan- Asensio 2022
- Fides Belza Cuyugan-Asensio is a Filipino coloratura soprano, actress,
director, librettist, translator, and teacher.
- Asensio is among the people listed in the 1999 book Outstanding Woman of the
Philippines by Victoria Paz, She was also awarded the PAMA-AS Gintong Award
for the Musical Arts by the NCCA in 2005 and the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining
Award in 2015.[1]
- She was also recognized as a National Artist for Music in 2022.
