Lucrecia Roces Kasilag

National Artist for Music (1989)

August 31, 1918 – August 16, 2008
She earned many credentials including
▪ B.A. Cum Laude from Philippine Women's University (1936) and Bachelor of
Music (1949)
▪ Music teacher's diploma from St. Scholastica College (1939)
▪ Master's of Music from Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
(1950)
▪ Doctorate of Music from Centro Escolar University (1975)
▪ Doctorate of Law from Philippine Women's University (1980)
▪ Doctor of Fine Arts from St. John's University (1981)
Kasilag pioneers the Filipino roots through their ethnic
music and combining it with Western music. Her works are
from European to Philippine folksongs. She incorporates
the indigenous Filipino instrument in orchestral production,
like the “Toccata for Percussion and Winds, Divertissement
and Concertante,” and the Filiasiana, Misang Pilipino, and
De Profundis. Kasilag also received numerous awards.
Kasilag orchestral music includes Love Songs, Ang Pamana,
Philippine Scenes, Legend of the Sarimanok, Her Son, Jose,
Sisa, and more.
▪National Artist for Music (1999)
▪July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013
▪American politician from 1928 until 2013.
▪Veneracion was inspired by the Indiana University
Madrigal Singers while completing her master's in
voice at Bloomington in 1962
▪Bachelor of Music degrees in Piano and Voice at
the University of the Philippines Diliman
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This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.
▪ National Artist for Music (1991)
▪ 11 February 1913 – 31 March 2002
▪ He succeeded his deceased grandfather as the local church
organist during his teenage years
▪ had advanced composition training with Bernard Wagenaar of
the Netherlands
▪ He taught at the Ateneo de Manila University, College of Music of
the University of the Philippines, Diliman,
▪ San Pedro was known for composing the official march of Makati.
Lucio San Pedro is a great composer, conductor, and
educator whose work echoes traditional Filipino folk
themes. San Pedro, a cousin of "Botong" Francisco,
composed a collection of work that includes band music,
violin and orchestra concertos, choral pieces, cantatas,
chamber music, violin and piano music, and solo voice
songs. He led the 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 dedication
and work with town bands have had a tremendous impact
on the establishment of a civic culture among Filipino
communities, as well as providing a creative outlet for
young Filipinos.
He was born in the barrio of Papaya (now General Tinio) in Penaranda, Nueva
Ecija, on May 1, 1912. Juan de Leon and Natalia Padilla are his parents. He is the
third of four children born to his mother's second marriage. Pedro P. San Diego, his
half-brother, assisted his mother in caring for them. Felipe de Leon was married to
musician Iluminada Mendoza and had six children with her. Two of his offspring
are Bayani and Felipe Jr., the former a well-known composer and the latter a
writer. Felipe Sr.’s father died when he was three years old, and his mother made a
living selling betel nut leaves. When he was old enough, he worked as a shoe
shine boy, a carabao herder, a rig driver, a salesperson of vernacular weeklies,
and other odd jobs.
He earned a music teacher's diploma with a major in conducting in 1939. Later in
life, he studied composition at the Julliard School of Music in New York with
Vittorio Giannini. De Leon won plenty of awards. UP Conservatory of Music,
Composer of the Year (1949), Manila Music Lovers Society, Musician of the Year
(1958), and others are among them. In 1991, the University of the Philippines
awarded him an honorary doctor of philosophy in the humanities.
Felipe P. De Leon composed piano compositions, hymns, marches, art songs,
chamber music, symphonic poems and overtures, band music, school songs,
orchestral works, operas, kundimans, and sarswelas, and symphonic poems and
overtures. He was known as a nationalist composer who used music to reflect the
Philippines' cultural identity.
Two operas which are considered his masterpieces are the "Noli Me Tangere"
(1957) and "El Filibusterismo" (1970). These two operas have been staged in the
Philippines and abroad. He also wrote a march during the Japanese regime
entitled "Tindig, Aking Inang Bayan", and another march "Bagong Pagsilang"
during the martial law. He wrote the popular Christmas carols, "Payapang
Daigdig" (1946), "Noche Buena" and "Pasko Na Naman", both in 1965.

Felipe De Leon died on the 5th of December, 1992.

 ANTONINO BUENAVENTURA
▪ was born on May 4, 1904, and in 1988, he was recognized a National Artist for
Music. "Pandanggo sa Ilaw" was one of his most well-known works, and he
commanded the Philippine Constabulary Band, afterwards the Philippine Army
Band, for 16 years. He also became the director of the University of Sto. Tomas
Conservatory of Music. Tomas. He founded the University of the East's School of
Music and Arts in 1964. Buenaventura passed away on January 25, 1996.
▪ At the age of 19, he enrolled in the University of the Philippines (UP)
Conservatory of Music, where he further honed his musical ability. He directed
the UP ROTC Band and founded the UP Junior Orchestra, the country's first
undergraduate orchestra, during his time at UP. Among his tutors were
renowned Filipino musicians Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago. He went
on to the Institute of International Education in New York after graduating from
UP in 1932 with a teacher's diploma with a major in science and writing.

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▪ Colonel Buenaventura is also a distinguished composer and educator. He
composed the Symphony of C that won him the Cultural Heritage Award in 1966.
He was a pioneer in the research on Philippine Ethnic and Folk Music. He
founded several schools and became Director of the UST Conservatory of Music.
In 1988, he was conferred the title of National Artist by the Cultural Center of the
Philippines.

WORKS:
▪ Minuet
▪ Mindanao Sketches,
▪ Divertimento for Piano
▪ Orchestra,
▪ Variations and Fugue,
▪ Pandanggo sa Ilaw ( One of his most popular compositions)

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

E R N A NI C U E N C O
▪ Ernani Cuenco is a 61 years old Filipino composer from Malolos, Central
Luzon. Ernani Cuenco was born on May 10, 1936 (died on January 01, 1998, he was 61
years old) in Malolos, Central Luzon.
▪ He graduated from University Of Santo Tomas
▪ His Father’s name is Felix Cuenco and his mother’s name is Maria Joson Cuenco.
▪ Ernani Joson Cuenco was a Filipino 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.

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▪ Works
▪ "Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis,"
▪ "Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa,"
▪ "Pilipinas,"
▪ "Inang Bayan,"
▪ "Isang Dalangin,"
▪ "Kalesa,"
▪ "Bato sa Buhangin"
▪ "Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal."

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 A N TO NIO JE SU S N A GUIA T
MO LIN A
▪ was born on December 26, 1894, Quiapo, Manila and died on January 29, 1980.
▪ His Father’s name is Juan Molina and his mother’s name is Simeona Naguiat Molina.
▪ 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. In
1919, he enrolled at the University of the Philippines (UP) Conservatory of Music. His teachers
included Nicanor Abelardo and the Conservatory Director, Robert Schofield. He obtained his
teacher's diploma in 1923. From 1922 to 1924,
▪ a Filipino composer, conductor and music administrator. He was named a National Artist of the
Philippines for his services to music. He was also known as the Claude Debussy of the
Philippines due to his use of impressionism in music.
Works:
–Hatinggabi, Misa Antoniana Grand Festival Mass, Ang Batingaw, Kundiman, Kundangan,
String Quartet, Kung sa Iyong Gunita
RAMÓN PAGAYON SANTOS
▪ born 25 February 1941
▪ a Filipino composer, musicologist and ethnomusicologist. He is a
National Artist of the Philippines for music, and University Professor
Emeritus of the composition and theory department the College of
Music of the University of the Philippines Diliman and educator
known for being the Philippines’ foremost living exponent of
contemporary Filipino classical music, for work that expounds on
“the aesthetic frameworks of Philippine and Southeast Asian artistic
traditions,” and for finding new uses of indigenous Philippine
instruments.
▪ RECOGNITION
▪ Santos was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1987. In 2014 he was named one of
six National Artists of the Philippines, together with five other persons.

▪ Tunugan : four essays on Filipino music

▪ Laon-laon : perspectives in transmission and pedagogy of musical traditions in post-colonial
Southeast Asia
▪ The vocal repertoire of the Ibaloi from Kabayan = Ang repertoryong pantinig ng Ibaloi sa
kabayan
▪ Modernismo sa sining musika
▪ Musika : a video documentary on the American colonial and contemporary traditions in
Philippine music
▪ Musika : an essay on the American colonial and contemporary traditions in Philippine music
 FR A N CISC O F. FE LICIA N O
▪ Feliciano was born on February 19, 1941 in Morong, Rizal, Philippines.
▪ He is the son of Maximiano Feliciano and Julia Espiritu (Francisco) Feliciano.
▪ His wife is Rebecca Dionisio Herrera Feliciano and children Julette-Marie Feliciano and Jan
Joseph Feliciano
▪ Francisco Feliciano quietly passed away at the age of 73 on September 19, 2014 after a long
battle with cancer, which has reached stage 4.

▪ In 1967, Feliciano graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Music in
Composition. He received his Master of Music degree in Music Composition from the same
university five years later.
▪ In 1977, Francisco was given a Diploma in Music Composition from Berlin University of the Arts.
▪ In 1978, he received a Master of Musical Arts degree and a Doctorate in Musical Arts in 1984
from Yale University.
▪ Feliciano began his career as a musical director of the St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary in 1964 and had
held it for thirty seven years.
▪ In 1964, he became a director of Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music, where he worked until 1980.

▪ Also in 1969, Francisco became a professor of composition and music theory at the University of the
Philippines.
▪ In 1981, he became a principal conductor of the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra and had held it for
eight years.
▪ In 1982, Feliciano took a position of a project director of music camp at National Arts Center, where he
worked until 1985.
Major Works
▪ Ashen Wings (1995)
▪ Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam (1993)
▪ La Loba Negra (1983)
▪ Yerma (1982)
▪ Pamugun (1995)
▪ Pokpok Alimako (1981)
Achievements
▪ Francisco F. Feliciano was one of the Philippines' most important composers.
▪ Feliciano went on to compose more than 30 major musical dramas and operatic
works and over hundreds of worship songs. He first exploded into the Manila
spotlight with the opera “La Loba Negra.”
▪ "Pokpok Alimpako" and "Pamugun" are highly acclaimed abroad. These are his
works, which have been chosen as competition pieces and performed by local
and international choirs to this very day.
▪ The composer founded the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music.
▪ Also Francisco was named one of 13 National Artists of the Philippines in 2014.
JO VITA FU E N TE S
▪ Jovita Fuentes was born in the capital town of Capiz (now Roxas City) in Capiz province
on February 15, 1895.
▪ Her parents are Canuto and Dolores Flores
▪ Jovita was exposed to music at age five, when she learned to sing habaneras and
danzas.
▪ She passed away in Manila on August 7, 1978.
▪ 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.
Education
▪ Fuentes attended college at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music
(1917) and pursued her training abroad to hone and polish her skills in opera singing
and acting as well.
▪ After college, she underwent formal voice training with Salvina Fornari, an Italian singer
residing in Manila.

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▪ She became a voice teacher herself from 1919 to 1924 at the University of the Philippines
Conservatory of Music.
▪ In April 1925, Fuentes made her international debut as Cio Cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly,
staged in Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza.
▪ She then went on to perform in the Philippines, the United States, and Europe, where her fame
spread and where she essayed the lead roles in major operas—Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème, Iris in
Mascagni’s Iris, and Salome in Strauss’s Salome.
▪ Her performance in the New York production of Madama Butterfly was also highly acclaimed.
▪ Jovita Fuentes gave her final recital in Manila in 1945.
▪ In 1955, she retired from the concert stage and focused on voice teaching.
▪ She also became an active advocate of music and the arts. She founded various music associations
such as Asociacion Musical de Filipinas, the Bach Society of the Philippines, and the Artists’ Guild of
the Philippines.
▪ One of the greatest Filipino vocal talents
▪ National Artist for Music Jovita Fuentes was also the first Filipino international star in the world of
opera
▪ Fuentes garnered numerous other awards and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Merit in
Music in 1958 and was recognized as National Artist in music in 1976.
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 JOSE M. MACEDA
▪ He was born in Manila on January 31, 1917. He was a piano prodigy
and his ability to play the instrument was outstanding. He grew up
in the elite circle of the music community and studied at the
Conservatory of Music of the University of the Philippines. I should
mention the history of the Philippines here.
▪ Initially active as a pianist, he appeared in France, The Philippines
and the USA from 1935–57, during which time he introduced many
new works, mainly by French composers, and pioneered a French
style of piano playing in The Philippines.
▪ He was a notable composer, professor and performer.
▪ Usually performed as a communal ritual, his compositions
such as Ugma-ugma (1963), Pagsamba (1968) and Udlot-
udlot (1975) are monuments to his unflagging commitment
to Filipino music.
▪ His other major works include Agungan, Kubing,
Pagsamba, Ugnayan, Ading, Aroding, Siasid and Suling-
suling.
A LYA N N A ISR A E L
A U LDE N R O N A LD NIE TE S
C LYPE R VA N N E C HATTE SA R DA
E LLA H SO PHIA C LA U R
E ZE KIEL A R SO LO N
KIR O KIEL MA GA LLO N
MIC HA E L JAY YA ÑE Z