Wendel S.

Pastoral
1st Year BSCS

National Artist in the Field of Dance and Music

NATIONAL ARTIST IN THE FIELD OF DANCE

1. RAMON A. OBUSAN
The promotion of Philippine traditional dance and artistic endeavors was made possible by Obusan. He
established the folk dancing troupe Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group. He added to it the large amount of
data artifacts he had gathered over the years of studying Philippine folkdance.

2. FRANCISCA REYES-AQUINO
Aquino is praised for her exhaustive research on folkdance and traditional games in the Philippines,
which is unmatched. Because of Aquino, Philippine folkdance and traditional games are conserved and
immortalized in school curricula across the country as part of Physical Education. She diligently detailed,
drew, and recorded these in her 1926 thesis titled "Philippine Folk Dances and Games."

3. LEONOR OROSA-GOQUINGCO
Goquingco was regarded as one of the world's top choreographers, both in the Philippines and
internationally. The Elements was the first ballet she choreographed as a Filipino (1940). She founded
the Philippine Ballet (not to be confused with Ballet Philippines) during World War II and created Noli
Me Tangere, which became known as the Noli Dance Suite.

4. ALICE REYES
Ballet Philippines was started by dancer and choreographer Reyes. With pieces like "Romeo and Juliet,"
"Bungkos Suite," "Carmen," "Carmina Burana," and "Rama Hari," she introduced Filipino culture to the
ballet world.

5. LUCRECIA REYES ÚRTULA

The introduction of Filipino traditional dance to theater is credited to Urtula. She was instrumental in
bringing Filipino traditional dance to the theater stage by converting it from a dull, monotonous routine
into a lively, vibrant, and dynamic dance. She and the Bayanihan Dance Company traveled the world
while promoting Filipino culture thanks to her innovative choreography.
NATIONAL ARTIST IN THE FIELD OF MUSIC

1. JOSE MACEDA
The musicality of the Filipino people was thoroughly investigated by Jose Maceda, a composer,
musicologist, teacher, and performer. Maceda began a lifetime commitment to promoting and
understanding traditional music from the Philippines. As a result of his research and travel, Maceda has
amassed a vast archive of recorded music from the most distant island communities and mountain
villages. He published articles that clarified the characteristics of Philippine traditional and ethnic music
for academics from the Philippines and beyond. Maceda's experiments also liberated Filipino music from
a purely Eurocentric framework.

2. LUCRESIA R. KASILAG
As a teacher, composer, performer, administrator, and cultural entrepreneur of renown on a national
and international scale, Lucresia R. Kasilag dedicated her entire career to enhancing the musical taste of
the Filipino populace. Many Filipino composers have experimented with this method as a result of
Kasilag's pioneering work in retracing the roots of the Filipino people through traditional music and
blending it with Western influences. In orchestral works like the award-winning "Toccata for Percussions
and Winds, Divertissement and Concertante" and the scores of the Filiasiana, Misang Pilipino, and De
Profundis, she dared to use indigenous Filipino instruments. As the Bayanihan Philippine Dance
Company's music director, "Tita King," as she was affectionately known, collaborated closely with
colleagues Lucresia Reyes-Urtula, Isabel Santos, Jose Lardizabal, and Dr. Leticia P. de Guzman.

3. ANTONIO R. BUENAVENTURA
Throughout his seven decades-long musical career, Antonino R. Buenaventura relentlessly pursued his
goal of expanding the boundaries of Philippine music. Francisca Reyes-Aquino and Buenaventura
conducted research on the folk songs and dances that contributed to its popularization in 1935.
Buenaventura adapted the traditional tunes of several Philippine ethnic groups for his songs,
compositions for solo instruments, and symphonic and orchestral works. As a conductor, he brought
back the Philippine Army Band's reputation as one of the best military bands in the world, making it "the
only band that can sound like a symphony orchestra."

4. LUCIO SAN PEDRO

Master conductor, composer, and educator Lucio San Pedro's music captures the folk characteristics of
the Filipino heritage. San Pedro, who was "Botong" Francisco's cousin, created a diverse range of works,
such as concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, chamber music, music for violin and
piano, and songs for solo voice, in addition to band music and other genres. He led the highly regarded
Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert Band, the Banda Angono Numero Uno, and his father's previous band,
the San Pedro Band of Angono. His civic involvement and work with town bands have greatly aided in
the emergence of a civic culture among Filipino towns and provided young Filipinos with a creative
outlet.
5. ERNANI J. CUENCO
Experienced pianist Ernani J. Cuenco was born in Malolos, Bulacan, on May 10, 1936. He was a
composer, film scorer, musical director, and music educator who produced a body of work that is
remarkable and memorable, resonates with Filipino musicality, and elevates the aesthetic elements of
contemporary Filipino music. From 1960 to 1968, Cuenco performed with the Manila Chamber Soloists
from 1966 to 1970, as well as the Filipino Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Manila Symphony
Orchestra. He earned music degrees in cello and piano from the University of Santo Tomas, where he
also worked as a professor for many years before passing away in 1988.

6. ANTONIO J. MOLINA
The final member of the musical triumvirate—which also included Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco
Santiago—and a proficient performer, composer, and music educator, Antonio J. Molina was
responsible for advancing music beyond folk music. He started playing the violoncello at a young age,
and because he was so good at it, it wasn't long before he was performing as an orchestra soloist at the
Manila Grand Opera House. The whole tone scale, pentatonic scale, exuberance of dominant ninth and
eleventh cords, and linear counterpoints are among the inventions attributed to Molina. He had
mentored several of the top musical figures and educators in the nation, including Lucresia Kasilag and
Felipe de Leon, while serving on the faculty of the UP Conservatory.

7. LEVI CELERIO
For many years, Levi Celerio has been a prolific composer and songwriter. He skillfully rewrote or
translated the words to a number of traditional melodies, including "O Maliwanag Na Buwan" (Iloko),
"Ako ay May Singsing" (Pampango), and "Alibangbang" (Visaya). Celerio, a Tondo native, joined the
Manila Symphony Orchestra as its newest member thanks to a scholarship he won at the Academy of
Music in Manila. Since he was the only person who could create music with only a leaf, he entered the
Guinness Book of World Records. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy
of the Philippines as a result of writing numerous songs for Filipino films.

8. FRANCISCO FELICIANO
The body of work of Francisco Feliciano demonstrates the extraordinary talent of Filipino artists. His
lifelong dedication to highlighting the "Asianness" of his music—whether as a composer, conductor, or
educator—helped raise awareness of Asian culture as a rich source of inspiration and a celebration of
our ethnicity among people all over the world, especially in the Philippines. He incorporated the
distinctive tones of our traditional music into pieces with high technical demands comparable to those
of masters from the western world. Through his countless artistic endeavors, he has improved Filipino
art to the point where it is now widely regarded by people all over the world.
9. RAMON P. SANTOS
The leading representative of contemporary Filipino music in the nation at the moment is composer,
conductor, and musicologist Ramon Pagayon Santos. Santos, a leading player in the second generation
of contemporary Filipino composers, has made significant contributions to the search for new musical
paths that draw inspiration from non-Western traditions in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
He earned a Teacher's Diploma and Bachelor of Music degrees in composition and conducting from the
UP College of Music in 1965.

10. JOVITA FUENTES

Jovita Fuentes played Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly in Italy's Teatro Municipale di
Piacenza long before Lea Salonga had her Broadway debut. Her portrayal of the part was praised as
being "absolutely magnificent." Due to the fact that it occurred while the Philippines and its inhabitants
were hardly known in Europe, this is all the more noteworthy. Prior to leaving for Milan in 1924 for
additional voice studies, she was a professor at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music
from 1917 to 1924.