Rodolfo S.

Cornejo
Life as a composer
Presented by: Bryant Castañeda
Rodolfo S. Cornejo, a composer,
pianist and conductor, was born on
the 15th of May, 1909, in Manila.
His parents are Miguel Cornejo, Sr.
and Crisanta Soldevilla. In 1949, he
married Nieves Guerrero, a lyric
soprano. The couple had five
children. Rodolfo Cornejo started
piano lessons with Gelacio Reyes at Fact
age six. At age eight, he had his s abo
ut
him
first recital, and he became the
organist of the Pasay Catholic • While he studied in ( UP )
conservatory of music, he studied
Church. At 16, twenty-six of his under Dr. Francisco Santiago, Nicanor
works had been listed by the United Abelardo and Alexander Lippay.
Publishing Co.. • Barely Barely three years after
completing his high school, he
obtained his teacher’s diplomas in
piano, science and composition.
• He received his Bachelor of
Music degree major in piano and
theory from the Chicago Musical
College of Roosevelt University,
USA in 1932.
• He received Master of Music
degree major in composition and
conducting at the Chicago
Musical Collegeof Roosevelt
University, USA in 1933.
• He was conferred a Doctor of
Music degree honoris causa
in1954. Sigmund Freud

poser
His life as a com
 • He served as pianist-director of a USO concert
unit that entertained the Allied forces at the Later on,
E.T.O., the Marianas, and the Hawaiian Islands

f
during World War II.

Ti tl e o • Cornejo was the soloist of the

Manila Symphony Orchestra,
Filipinas Youth Symphony
topic Orchestra, and UP Symphony
Orchestra.
• He became the musical director of
the Sampaguita and Vera-Perez

i t le
T aught at theo f •
Movie Companies.
Since 1978, he held concerts in the
j o pt ic t o r y o f United States.
• C o r n
C
e
t
o
on s e rva
m e t he • He appeared as composer-
U P d cabe conductor at the Seattle Opera
a n
Music her and House and the Seattle Playhouse.
s e a rc o s e r of
r e c omp
i a l He is listed in
offic l i p p ine “The Internatio
nal Who’s
e P h i n - e x ile Cornejo was
t h i
nt- oned to Who in Music.”
r n m e also known for
his
gove s commissi and an extemporaneou
s thematic
He w
a p hony based on the
•
i t e a s y m
p o s e the improvisations
wr m ’s
r a a nd co letters of people
ope the names
c f o r l m on
m u s i y f i
ar
 Bailes de
Cello
Ayer
A la Juventud
Filipina
Sonata
Paalam na sinta
Ibong
Adarna

Kandingan
Malakas
At Cello
Maganda Sonata

Cornejo's musical style range from classical to

pop music. It is characterized by its consistent t a b y C ornejo
a s in
rhythm, light texture, purify of sound and Paalam n
complete notation. His music is predominantly
e so n g fo r h is love one (
influenced by late 19-century European A goo db y
ved in
classical music known to have existed in farewell my belo
Romantic period. He wrote over 300 translation )
compositions.
 r y
Summa

Rodolfo S. Cornejo is the first

i c i s the
Filipino composer who received an “Mus a n g uage
honory degree from a government sa l l
recognized music school in the United univer n k i n d.”
of m a
States. He is also remarkable for his
pianistic and compositional know-how
by improvising a piano composition at
the spur of the moment.

Let us continue create

music and share it to the
world!
fin.