Contemporary

Philippine Arts from

the Regions
Lesson 3.1:
National Artists and their
Contributions to
Particular Areas
National Artist For
Music
 Antonino R. Buenaventura

- Birthday : May 4, 1904

- Death: January 25, 1996
- Year Awarded: 1988
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Baliuag, Bulacan
 Antonino R. Buenaventura

- with Francisca Reyes-Aquino, made ethic tribe songs popular.

Through research and studies, he made compositions that
were inspired by these ethic songs for the orchestra,
symphony, and solo instruments. He is credited for making the
Philippine Army Band one of the best in the world, whose
performance under his tutelage sound like a symphony
orchestra. He became a National Artist for Music in 1988
 Antonino R. Buenaventura

Major works:
- ❖ Triumphal March
- ❖ Echoes of the Past
- ❖ History Fantasy
- ❖ Second Symphony in E-flat
- ❖ Echoes from the Philippines
- ❖ Ode to Freedom
 Antonio J. Molina

- Birthday : December 26, 1894

- Death: January 29, 1980
- Year Awarded: 1973
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Quiapo, Manila
 Antonio J. Molina

- was a teacher, composer, and conductor. He is known

for his impressionist style in music and as part of the
musical triumvirate of the Philippines which includes
Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago.
 Antonio J. Molina
- He is acknowledged as a visionary in Philippine music
bringing it to the modern times. His innovation includes
the pentatonic scale, linear counterpoints, and the lively
ninth and eleventh cords, among others. His talent in
music can be seen at an early age, performing at the
former Manila Grand Opera House as orchestra soloist.
He wrote his first composition when 18 in 1912. It was
titled Miniaturas Vol. 1
 Antonio J. Molina

- He was a professor at the University of the Philippines

Conservatory of Music, molding and influencing musical
icons such as Lucresia Kasilag and Felipe de Leon
 Antonio J. Molina

Major works:
Orchestral Music Vocal Music
❖ Ang Batingaw ❖ Awit ni Maria Clara
❖ Kundiman ❖ Larawan Nitong Pilipinas

Kundangan Chamber Music

❖ Hating Gabi ❖ Kung sa Inyong Gunita
 Jovita Fuentes

- Birthday : February 15, 1895

- Death: August 7, 1978
- Year Awarded: 1976
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Roxas City, Capiz
 Jovita Fuentes
- was an acclaimed theater actress, performing in various
theater productions in Europe, a feat that was unheard
of back then. Fuentes’ theater performances include
the portrayal of Cio-Cio-san in Madame Butterfly, Liu Yu
in Turandot, and Mimi in La Bohème
 Jovita Fuentes

- She was recognized by Spain and given the

title “La Embahadora de Filipinas a Su Madre
Patria,” the first and only of record.
 Jovita Fuentes
- Her success in Europe Afforded her to produce
operas in the Philippines and she became the
chairperson of the Music Promotion
Foundation of the Philippines. Her talent and
stature brought her all over the world to
promote Philippine Music.
 Jovita Fuentes

Major Performances:
❖ Cio-Cio-San in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly
❖ Liu Yu in Puccini’s Turandot
❖ Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème
❖ Iris in Pietro Mascangni’s Iris
❖ The title role of Salome
❖ Princess Yang Guifei in Li Tai Pe
Honorata “Atang” Dela
Rama
- Birthday : January 11, 1902
- Death: July 11, 1991
- Year Awarded: 1987
- Category: Music and Theater
- Place of Birth: Tondo, Manila
Honorata “Atang” Dela
Rama
- The Queen of Kundiman, Honorata “Atang”
Dela Rama began her acting career at a very
young age. At the age of 7, she starred in many
Spanish zarzuelas or sarswelas.
Honorata “Atang” Dela
Rama
- At the age of 15, she starred in the sarswela
Dalagang Bukid which was later adapted into a
film that featured her as a female lead as well.
Honorata “Atang” Dela
Rama
- She believed that the Filipino soul can be best
expressed through the kundiman and sarswela
alive by performing these art forms for the
Aetas or Negritos of Zambales and the Sierra
Madre, the Bagobos of Davao, and the Lumad
of Mindanao
Honorata “Atang” Dela
Rama
- She was named as the National Artist for
Theater and Music in 1987.
 Jovita Fuentes
Major Performances and Works:

❖ Dalagang Bukid Original Sarswelas:

❖ Ay, Ay Kalisud ❖ Anak ni Eba
❖ Kung Iibig ka ❖ Aking Ina
❖ Madaling Araw ❖ Puri at Buhay
❖ Mutya ng Pasig
Lucrecia R. Kasilag

- Birthday : August 31, 1918

- Death: August 16, 2008
- Year Awarded: 1989
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: San Fernando
City, La Union
Lucrecia R. Kasilag
- Lucrecia R. Kasilag was the National Artist for
Music in 1989. She graduated cum laude in 1936
with a Bachelor of arts in English at the Philippine
Women’s University. She later studied music at St.
Scholastica Manila and performed her musical
compositions at her alma mater.
Lucrecia R. Kasilag
- As a teacher and artist, she dedicated herself in
developing and refining the Filipino’s taste in
music. She combined traditional tribal music with
Western music. She used Filipino indigenous
musical instruments in orchestral performances.
Her success led to many other composers to follow
suit
Lucrecia R. Kasilag
- She worked and collaborated with other
distinguished artist such as Isabel Santos, Jose
Lardizabal, Dr. Leticia P. de Guzman, and fellow
National Artist Lucresia Reyes-Urtula to mold the
Bayanihan Philippines Dance Company as one of
the best performing groups in the country.
Lucrecia R. Kasilag
Major Works:
Instrumental ❖ Toccata for Percussion and Winds ❖ Divertissement and
Concertante ❖ Filiasiana ❖ Masing Pilipino ❖ De Profundis Orchestral Music ❖
Love songs ❖ Legend of the Sarmanok ❖ Ang Pamana Chamber music ❖ Awit ng
mga Psalms ❖ Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme ❖ East Meet Jazz Ethnika
Lucio D. San Pedro

- Birthday : February 11, 1913

- Death: March 31, 2002
- Year Awarded: 1991
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Angono Rizal
Lucio D. San Pedro
- Lucio D. San Pedro’s body of woks consists of great
variety of musical forms. His compositions include
band music, concertos for violin and orchestra,
choral works, cantatas, chamber music, music for
violin and piano, and songs for solo voice
Lucio D. San Pedro
- He was also a conductor of many respected bands of
the time such as Peng Kong Grand mason Angono
Numero Uno. His unwavering commitment to the
development of local bands in the Philippines, created
local interest and pride in the development of regional
band music, as well as creating a way for the local
youths to express and practice their talents.
Lucio D. San Pedro
Major Works:
Orchestral music
❖ The Devil’s Bridge
❖ Malakas at Maganda Overture
❖ Prelude and Fugue in D minor
❖ Hope and Ambition
Lucio D. San Pedro
Major Works:
Choral music
❖ Easter Cantata
❖ Sa Mahal Kong Bayan
❖ Rizal’s Valedictory Poem
Lucio D. San Pedro
Major Works:
Vocal music
❖ Lulay
❖ Sa Ugoy ng Duyan
❖ In the Silence of the Night
Lucio D. San Pedro
Major Works:
Band music
❖ Dance of the Fairies
❖ Triumphal March
❖ Lahing Kayumanggi
❖ Angononian March
Felipe Padilla De Leon

- Birthday : May 1, 1912

- Death: December 5, 1992
- Year Awarded: 1992
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Peñaranda
City, Nueva Ecija
Felipe Padilla De Leon
- Felipe Padilla de Leon succeeded where his predecessors
did not. He was able to Filipinize the different Western
Musical. De Leon as a composer and conductor was able to
create sonatas, marches, and concertos that reflect the
aspirations and ideals of the Filipinos, through peaceful and
tumultuous times, his works are timeless and perfectly
capture the nation’s vein. He was posthumously inducted to
the Order of National artists five years after his death
 Levi Celerio
- Birthday : April 30, 1910
- Death: April 2, 2002
- Year Awarded: 1997
- Category: Music and
Literature
- Place of Birth: Tondo,
Manila
 Levi Celerio
- Levi Celerio is one of the most prolific composers and
lyricists in the history of Philippine Music, having
authored more than 4,000 songs. His natural talent
earned him a scholarship at the Academy of Music in
Manila, which made it possible for him to be part of
the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the youngest
member at the time.
 Jose Maceda
- Birthday : January 31, 1917
- Death: May 5, 2004
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Manila
 Jose Maceda
- Although an accomplished composer, performer
and teacher, Jose Maceda’s greatest contribution
to the Philippine Music is his passion to
understand and study the various forms and
examples of traditional music found all over the
archipelago.
 Jose Maceda
- Throughout his career, Maceda traveled all over the
country and conducted research and recorded
samples of traditional Filipino Music. This endeavor
resulted in an invaluable resource and collection of
traditional music His written studies are an
authoritative resource used by many scholars here
and abroad to study Filipino ethnic music
 Andrea Veneracion

- Birthday : July 11, 1928

- Death: July 9, 2013
- Year Awarded: 1999
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Manila
Andrea Veneracion
- Andrea Ofilada Veneracion was an accomplished
choirmaster and arranger, but her invaluable contributions
to Philippine Music were the establishment of the world-
renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers and the leading the
advancement of Philippine choral music. She was also
passionate in bringing music education closer to the people
by organizing and spearheading cultural outreach programs
to numerous provinces in the country.
Dr. Ramon Pagayon
Santos
- Birthday : February 25, 1941
- Year Awarded: 2014
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Pasig, Metro
Manila
Dr. Ramon Pagayon
Santos
- For Ramon Pagayon Santos, music can be
described as avantgarde. He is one of the
foremost figures in contemporary music in the
Philippines, experimenting with compositions
that are inspired by Philippine and Southeast
Asian Music.
Dr. Ramon Pagayon
Santos
- He experimented with different styles and forms such
as serialism, electronic and contemporary,
indeterminacy, and new vocal and improvisational
techniques. He combined these in compositions that
have openended structures of time and space,
nonconventional works and nontraditional musical
languages. This resulted with music thatdemanded
reflective understanding and keen awareness of Asian
Musical Aesthetics.
Francisco Feliciano

- Birthday : February 19, 1941

- Death: September 19, 2014
- Year Awarded: 2014
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Morong, Rizal
Francisco Feliciano
- Francisco Feliciano was a musician composer,
conductor, and educator, he has proven to people all
over the world the richness and the quality of Asian
culture, especially that of the ethnic traditions of the
Philippines. His composition elevates indigenous
music comparable to the masterpieces of the
Western world through its high technical
requirements.
Francisco Feliciano
- His works have been sung and have won the
greatest choirs of the country, like that of the
UPMadrigal Singers, UST Singers, and the
Novo Concertante Manila, with multiple
awards. His works can only be given justice
by the best performers due to the complete
mastery of the skills required.
Ryan Cayabyab

- Birthday : May 4,1954

- Year Awarded: 2018
- Category: Music
- Place of Birth: Santa Cruz,
Manila
Ryan Cayabyab
- Ryan Cayabyab (Raymundo Cipriano Pujante
Cayabyab), also known as Mr. C, is a Filipino
musician, composer and conductor. He was the
Executive and Artistic Director for several years
for the defunct San Miguel Foundation for the
Performing Arts. He was named as National
Artist of the Philippines for Music in 2018
Ryan Cayabyab

- Cayabyab's current project includes the Ryan

Cayabyab Singers (RCS), a group of seven young
adult singers comparable to his group Smokey
Mountain in the early 1990s.
Ryan Cayabyab
- After Freemantle Media decided not to renew
the Philippine Idol franchise, Cayabyab
transferred to rival show Pinoy Dream Academy
(season 2), replacing Jim Paredes as the show's
headmaster. PDA 2 started on June 14, 2008. He
also became the chairman of the board of judges
for GMA Network's musical-reality show To The
Top
Ryan Cayabyab
- He is the executive director of the Philpop Music
Fest Foundation Inc., the organization behind the
Philippine Popular Music Festival. This
songwriting competition for amateurs and
professionals puts the spotlight on songwriters
and encourages Filipinos to preserve their
unique musical identity.
THANK YOU!