ANTONIO J.

MOLINA

National Artist for Music (1973)

(26 December 1894 – 29 January 1980)
BIOGRAPHY

Antonio J. Molina was 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.

Molina was born in Quiapo, Manila, the son of Juan Molina, a government official,
who founded the Molina Orchestra. He attended the Escuela Catolica de Nuestra
Padre Jesus Nazareno in Quiapo, Manila, and college at San Juan De Letranwhere
he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1909. Complying with his father's
wishes he pursued a Bachelor of Laws initially at the UST. He transferred in his
second year of law studies to the Escuela de Derecho de Manila, where he finished
his studies. He attained a teacher's diploma in violincello at the UP Conservatory of
Music in 1923.

A musical great, he was considered the peer of two other great Filipino musicians
Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago. His talent was prodigious: he was the
first violincellist of pre-war times, a composer, conductor, pedagogue, and music
administrator.
WORKS

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

AWARDS

 Choral Conductor of the Year Award mula sa Music Lover's Society, 1949
 Honorary doctorate in law mula sa CEU, 1953
 Civic Assembly of Women of the Philippines Citation of Merit, 1962
 Republic Cultural Heritage Award, 1965 at 1972
 Dean Emeritus, CEU, 1970
 UP Conservatory Alumni Award
 Phi Kappa Beta Award, 1972
 Pambansang Alagad ng Sining, 1973
 Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, 1979
 JOVITA FUENTES

National Artist for Music(1976)

(February 15, 1895- August 7, 1978)
BIOGRAPHY

Jovita Fuentes, the great diva, is the first female National Artist for Music in 1976.
Her significant contributions are the publication of the song of Filipino compositions
and the organization of the Boys Town Band Concert.

A theater artist, she made a name in European operas portraying the role of Cio-cio-
san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza.
She was given the unprecedented award of "La Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre
Patria" by Spain. Also responsible for producing operas in the Philippines. She
became the chairperson of the Music Promotion Foundation of the Philippines. An
internally acclaimed artist, she also made performances in Manila, Japan,, United
States. She was the first Filipina who had sung all over the world.

She also sang for charitable organizations to raise funds with San Lazaro Hospital,
Abiertas House of Friendship, La Liga de Damas Catolicas, Convento de Monjas
Carmelitas, and the Casa de Buen Pastor.

WORKS
 Cio-cio-san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly
 Liu Yu in Giacomo Puccini’s Turnadot
 Mimi in Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme
 Iris in Pietro Mascagni’s Iris
 Salome in Richard Strauss’ Salome

AWARDS

 National Artist Award for music in 1976

 Diwa ng Lahi awardee in 1975
 on of the "outstanding Women of the Philippines" in 1967
 Voice Teacher of the Year in 1952
 Presidential Merit in 1958 for her achievements in music
 LAMBERTO AVELLANA

National Artist for Theater (1976)

(February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991)
BIOGRAPHY

Lamberto Avellana y Vera was born in Bontoc in the Mountain Province on 12

February 1915. He studied at Ateneo de Manila, where he learned about his passion
and talent for the theater arts. He became a teacher at Ateneo, and aspired to promote
Filipino theater.He met Daisy Hontiveros who acted in plays staged by the
University of the Philippines. Hontiveros and Avellana formed a theater arts group
called the Barangay Theater Guild, which has had members such as Leon Ma.
Guerrero III and Raul Manglapus.Upon watching one of Avellana's theater
productions, President Carlos P. Garcia suggested that he look into filmmaking.In
1939, Avellana made his directorial debut with Sakay, which depicted the life story
of the Filipino hero Macario Sakay.As a filmmaker, Avellana proved that he was an
innovator. He developed a style wherein the camera was used to represent a point-of-
view.Avellana worked in the Philippine movie industry for 60 years, completing
over 70 movies. His two most noted films are Badjao, which portrayed the
indigenous seafaring people of Mindanao, and Anak Dalita (Child of Indigence),
about the struggles of life after World War II. The movie won Avellana the award
for Best Film at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival in 1956.Avellana was also the first
Filipino director to have his film screened at the Cannes film festival. The movie
was entitled Kandelerong Pilak (Silver Candlesticks), starring Miniong Alvarez,
Teody Belarmino, Alfonso Carvajal, Joseph de Cordova, Lilia Dizon, and Joseph
Estrada.Avellana was proclaimed National Artist for Theater and Film in 1976 by
President Ferdinand Marcos. He married Daisy Hontiveros, whom Avellana has
known since they were teenagers, and who was also a National Artist.Avellana
passed away on 25 April 1991.

WORKS

Sakay, 1939
Inday, 1940
Alitaptap, 1940
Lihim, 1941
Ikaw Pala, 1941
Tia Juana, 1943
Tandang Sora, 1947
Haciendera, 1947
In Despair, 1950
Hantik, 1950
Ang Bombero, 1950
 Satur, 1951
Prinsipe Amante sa Rubitanya, 1951
Pag-asa, 1951
Sa Paanan ng Nazareno, 1952
Haring Solomon at Reyna Sheba, 1952
Amor Mio, 1952
Ronquillo, 1952
Korea, 1952
Huk sa Bagong Pamumuhay, 1953
Hiyasmin. 1953
Kandelerong Pilak, 1954
Damong Ligaw, 1954
Saydwok Vendor, 1955
Sarjan Hassan, 1955
No Money...No Honey, 1955
Lapu-Lapu, 1955
Kumander 13, 1956
Anak Dalita, 1956
Walang Sugat, 1957
Badjao, 1957
Rosalina, 1958
Faithful, 1958
Kundiman ng Lahi, 1959
El Legado, 1959
Cry Freedom, 1959
La Campana de Baler, 1961
Scout Rangers, 1964
Tagumpay ng Mahirap, 1965
Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, 1965
Claudia, 1966
Kumander Dimas, 1968
Destination Vietnam, 1968
The Evil Within, 1970
Fe, Esperanza, Caridad, 1974
Kapitan Kulas, 1975
Waywaya, 1982

AWARDS
• Grand Prix at the Asian Film Festival in Hong Kong for Anak Dalita (1956)
• Best Director of Asia award in Tokyo for Badjao
• Asia-Pacific Film Festival
• Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Films
• Gawad Urian Awards
• Metro Manila Film Festival
 Jose M. Maceda

National Artist for Music (1997)

(January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004)
Biography
Jose M. Maceda, was a great Filipino composer of a traditional music, a pianist,
ethnomusicologist, 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. 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 Agunga. As an ethnomusicologist, Maceda investigated various forms of music
in Southeast Asia, producing numerous papers and even composing his own pieces for
Southeast Asian instruments.
His major compositions
:(1955) Hanuoo Music from the Philippines, (1956)Philippine Music and Contemporary
Aesthetics, (1956)Music of Southeast Asia: A Report of a Brief Field Trip, (1981)A
Manual of a Music Field Research with Special Reference to Southeast Asia,
(1998)Gongs and Bamboos: A Panorama of Philippine Music Instruments. Among his
awards are: (1956)Rockefeller Grant in Southeast Asia, (1961-1964)Rockefeller Grant
in the United, States, (1968) Rockefeller Grant in Brazil, (1978) l’Ordre des Palmes
Académiques, from France, (1985) Composer’s Award, (1986)John D. Rockefeller III
Award, from the Asian Cultural Council in New York, (1987)Philippine National
Science Award for Outstanding Researcher in the Humanities, (1988) UP University
Professor Award, (1989) Gawad CCP para sa Sining, from the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, (1992) Fumio Koizumi Award for Ethnomusicology in Japan,
(1993)National Research Council Award, (1996) Araw ng Maynila Award, (1997)
Nikkei Award in Tokyo, (1997) Award of the Fondazione Civitella Ranieri in Italy,
(1997)Officier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite, from France, (2001)Chevalier de la
Légion d’Honneur, from France.
 Ernani Joson Cuenco

National Artist for Music (1999)

(May 10, 1936 – June 11, 1988)
Biography

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.

Songs:

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.

Awards

 FAMAS Awards
 FAP Awards, Philippines
 Gawad Urian Awards
 Metro Manila Film Festival
 Francisco Feliciano

National Artist for Music (2014)

(19 February 1941 – 19 September 2014)
Biography
Feliciano was born on 19 February 1942 in Morong, Rizal. His father Maximiano
Feliciano exposed him to their band “Morriz Band” and their genre of music.

He started his music career when he joined a band in high school and played cymbals
and the clarinet. He studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) and attained a
Master’s degree in Music Composition.

He was the choir conductor and instructor in music fundamentals at St. Andrews
Seminary. He obtained a diploma in Music Composition from Hochschule der Kuenste
in Berlin, Germany. He graduated in Yale University School of Music with Master of
Musical Arts and gained a doctorate in Musical Arts Composition. His teachers in
conducting were Arthur Weisberg and Martin Behrmann. He also studied composition
under Jacob Druckman, Isang Yun, H.W. Zimmerman, and Krzysztof Penderecki.

Works
He first exploded into the Manila spotlight with the opera “La Loba Negra.” Other
prize-winning works include “Pokpok Alimpako,” the ballet “Yerma,” “Sikhay Sa
Kabila ng Paalam (Beyond the Farewell),” “Jose Abad Santos,” and “Ashen
Wings.”

Awards
Feliciano was given the following awards: Music Promotion Foundation Scholarship
in Composition, 1958 to 1962; First Prize, Composition Contest, University of the
Philippines, 1962; Purita Ponce-Enrile scholarship in Composition, 1962-64; and First
Prize Winner, Hymn Writing Contest, Archdiocese of Manila, 1970.
 Levi Celerio

National Artist for Music (1997)

(April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)
Biography

Levi Celerio was born on April 30, 1910, in Tondo, Manila to parents that hailed from
Baliuag, Bulacan. He received a scholarship to the Academy of Music in Manila and
became the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. He wrote several
number of songs for local movies, which earned for him the Lifetime Achievement
Award of the Film Academy of the Philippines. Celerio has written lyrics for more
than 4,000 Filipino folk, Christmas, and love songs, including many that became
movie titles.

Known for being a good lyricist, his songs cherish life, convey 'nationalistic
sentiments and utter grand philosophies. Celerio wrote more than 4,000 songs, among
them are popular pieces, which many consider to be immortal. At one time or another,
no Filipino could miss the tune or lyrics of Levi's Christmas songs: Pasko na Naman,
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon (Ang Pasko ay Sumapit), and Misa de
Gallo.

Celerio, for a time, was also recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as
the only man who could play music with a leaf. Because of his talent, Celerio was
invited to The Merv Griffin Show, where he played "All the Things You Are" with 39
musicians. Using his leaf, Levi wowed the crowd and got the attention of the Guinness
Book of World Records. The Book later listed the entry: "The only leaf player in the
world is in the Philippines".
Works

Saan Ka Man Naroroon?, Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal, Kapag
Puso'y Sinugatan, and Ikaw, O Maliwanag na Buwan, Dahil Sa Isang Bulaklak, Sa
Ugoy ng Duyan, and Sapagkat Kami'y Tao Lamang, while his folk songs include Ang
Pipit, Tinikling, Tunay na Tunay, Itik-Itik, Waray-Waray, Pitong Gatang, Ako ay May
Singsing, Alibangbang, Alembong, Galawgaw, Caprichosa, Ang Tapis ni Inday,
Dungawin Mo Hirang, Umaga na Neneng, Ikaw Kasi, and Basta't Mahal Kita. Celerio
also wrote nationalistic songs such as Bagong Pagsilang, Lupang Pangarap, and Tinig
ng Bayan.

Awards
FAMAS AWARD in year 1985 for famas lifetime achievement award
FAMAS AWARD in year 1980 for Lou Salvador Sr. Memorial Award
GAWAD URIAN AWARDS in year 1993 for Lifetime Achievement Award
 Ramon P. Santos

National Artist for Music (2014)

February 25, 1941
Biography

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.

Works

• Ding Ding Nga Diwaya

• Nabasag ang Banga at Iba't Iba Pang Pinag-ugpongug-pong na Pananalita para
sa Labing-anim na Tinig
• Ang Hardin ni Ligaya
• Ang Puting Waling-Waling

Awards
• 2nd prize, Bonifacio Centennial Composition Contest, 1963
• Award of Recognition for Outstanding Achievement in Music, Minerva
Association, 1963
• 2nd prize, National Composition Contest, 1963
 Felipe Padilla de Leon

National Artist for Music (1997)

(May 1, 1912 – December 5, 1992)
Biography
composer, conductor, and scholar, Filipinized western music forms, a feat aspired
for by Filipino composers who preceded him.The prodigious body of De Leon’s
musical compositions, notably the sonatas, marches and concertos have become the
full expression of the sentiments and aspirations of the Filipino in times of strife and
of peace, making him the epitome of a people’s musician. He is the recipient of
various awards and distinctions: Republic Cultural Heritage Award, Doctor of
Humanities from UP, Rizal Pro-Patria Award, Presidential Award of Merit,
Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award, among others.

Works
Mariang Makiling Overture (1939), Roca Encantada, symphonic legend (1950),
Maynila Overture (1976), Orchesterstuk(1981); choral music like Payapang
Daigdig, Ako’y Pilipino, Lupang Tinubuan, Ama Namin; and songs Bulaklak,
Alitaptap, and Mutya ng Lahi.

Awards
Republic Cultural Heritage Award
Doctor of Humanities from UP
Rizal Pro-Patria Award
Presidential Award of Merit
Patnubay ng Sining
Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila
 Andrea Veneracion

National Artist for Music (1999)

July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013
Biography

She was raised in Manila, Philippines.She earned her Bachelor of Music degrees in
Piano and Voice at the University of the Philippines Diliman, graduating cum laude.
She was a lyric soprano soloist in various Oratorio works and in the Opera Stage. She
was also a very accomplished pianist and accompanist and was the accompanist of
National Artist for Music, Jovita Fuentes for a number of years. Apart from being an
extraordinary musician, she was also an exceptional athlete as a competitive swimmer.
She was part of the Philippine swimming team who first competed internationally in
Hong Kong

Awards

1997 - TOFIL (The Outstanding Filipino) award

1999 – National Artist of the Philippines for Music – currently the only awardee for
choral music.

2001 – Distinguished Alumni Service award – awarded by Indiana University.

 Antonino R. Buenaventura

National Artist for Music (1988)

(May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)
BIOGRAPHY
Antonio Buenaventura also known as Colonel Antonio Buenaventura, was born on 4
May 1904 in Baliuag, Bulacan. He inherited his interest in music and military from his
father, Lucino Buenaventura. He was born to a family of musicians and actively
involved in the band.

He had formal music lessons in Solfeggio when he was in grade IV. He learned how
the band instruments sounded through observation and experimentation. He organized
a seven piece school orchestra, a children's group in his school

COMPOSITION
In 1922, he composed two pieces, a march and a foxtrot entitled "Only You".

ACHIEVEMENTS

He was admitted as clarinetist to the University of the Philippines Symphony

Orchestra. He was a student in composition and conducting and the captain of cadet
corps of the university when he organized the first student orchestra, the UP Junior
Orchestra.

After he completed his Teacher's Diploma in Composition and Conducting in the

University of the Philippines (UP), he was appointed faculty member of the
Conservatory of Music. He was the UP President's Committee on Folksongs and
Dances when he composed the "Pandanggo sa Ilaw", a dance accompaniment.

In 1937, he was commissioned to the military service where he became a music

instructor and band conductor at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City in
1939. He was also appointed as the assistant conductor of the Manila Symphony
Orchestra. He was designated the 'Municipal Symphony Orchestra's co-conductor and
toured in Hongkong, Japan, Guam, and Hawaii in 1948. He also organized the
University of the East Student Orchestra.

OTHER INFORMATIONS
His orchestral music compositions include Concert Overture, Prelude and Fugue in G
Minor, Philippines Triumphant, Mindanao Sketches, Symphony in C Major, among
others.

In his compositions, he tries to capture the Filipino spirit as a whole. He also composed
short piano pieces to full-length ballets.
 Honorata de la Rama-Hernandez

National Artist for Theater and Music (1987)

(January 11, 1902 – July 11, 1991)
BIOGRAPHY

Honorata de la Rama-Hernandez commonly known as Atang de la Rama, was a

singer and bodabil performer who became the first Filipina film actress.

Atang de la Rama was born in Tondo, Manila on January 11, 1905. By the age of 7,
she was already starring in Spanish zarzuelas such as Mascota, Sueño de un Vals, and
Marina. At the age of 15, she starred in the sarsuela Dalagang Bukid, where she
became known for singing the song, Nabasag na Banga.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Honorata “Atang” Dela Rama was formally honored as the Queen of Kundiman in
1979, then already 74 years old singing the same song (“Nabasag na Banga”) that she
sang as a 15-year old girl in the sarsuela Dalagang Bukid. Atang became the very first
actress in the very first locally produced Filipino film when she essayed the same role
in the sarsuela’s film version. As early as age seven, Atang was already being cast in
Spanish zarzuelas such as Mascota, Sueño de un Vals, and Marina. She counts the role
though of an orphan in Pangarap ni Rosaas her most rewarding and satisfying role that
she played with realism, the stage sparkling with silver coins tossed by a teary-eyed
audience. Atang firmly believes that the sarswela and the kundiman expresses best the
Filipino soul, and has even performed kundiman and other Filipino songs for the Aetas
or Negritos of Zambales and the Sierra Madre, the Bagobos of Davao and other
Lumad of Mindanao.

Atang firmly believes that the sarswela and the kundiman expresses best the Filipino
soul, and had even performed kundiman and other Filipino songs for the Aetas or
Negritos of Zambales and the Sierra Madre, the Bagobos of Davao and other Lumad
of Mindanao.

WORKS
Among the kundiman and the other songs she premiered or popularized were
Pakiusap, Ay, Ay Kalisud, Kung Iibig Ka and Madaling Araw by Jose Corazon de
Jesus, and Mutya ng Pasig by Deogracias Rosario and Nicanor Abelardo. She also
wrote her own sarswelas: Anak ni Eba, Aking Ina, and Puri at Buhay.
 Lucrecia R. Kasilag

National Artist for Music (1989)

(August 31, 1918 – August 16, 2008)
Compositions:
Kasilag wrote more than 200 compositions which include folksongs, opera, and orchestral
works. Her orchestral body of work includes “Love Songs,” “Legend of the Sarimanok,”
“Ang Pamana,” “Philippine Scenes,” “Her Son,” “Jose,” “Sisa,” “Awit ng mga Awit
Psalms,” “Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme,” and “East Meets Jazz Ethnika.”
 Lucio D. San Pedro

National Artist for Music (1991)

(February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002)
Composition

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.