- Jose Maceda's musical style shifted after encountering indigenous tribes in Mindoro in 1953, leading him to dedicate his life's work to researching and preserving Filipino traditional music. His fieldwork resulted in an immense collection of recorded music from remote villages. - Fr. Manuel Maramba is best known as a liturgical composer whose works focus on religious figures and events. He was a versatile musician, composer, arranger, theorist, and teacher. - Ernani Cuenco was a National Artist for Music who composed film scores and embodied a Filipino sense of musicality through classical kundiman-style works. He was mentored from a young age in music.

1. Let us RECALL…
Jose Maceda’s musical style shifted
when he encountered the music of
the indigenous
tribes of Mindoro in 1953. He then
embarked on his life’s work, dedicated to
the understanding and preservation of
Filipino traditional music. His extensive
research and fieldwork resulted in an
immense collection of recorded music
taken from the remote mountain villages
and far-flung inland communities in the
Philippines.

2. Ramon Santos’ compositional
style features chromaticism,
music seria, and electronic
components, combined with
indigenous Philippine music
elements.

3. Fr. Manuel Maramba OSB, one
of the most accomplished
musicians in the Philippines,
is best known as a liturgical
composer whose body of works
lean towards religious
figures and events. His versatility
as a pianist, composer, arranger,
theorist, and teacher
is widely recognized in the local
musical scene

4. Lucrecia Kasilag’s compositional style
demonstrated a fusion of Eastern and
Western styles in using instruments,
melody, harmony, and rhythm. She is
particularly known for incorporating
indigenous Filipino instruments into
orchestral productions.

5. Jerry Dadap, the first Filipino
composer to conduct his own works
at the Carnegie Recital Hall in New
York.

6. Francisco Feliciano is one of Asia’s
leading figures in liturgical music,
having composed hundreds of liturgical
pieces, mass settings, hymns, and songs for
worship. At the Asian Institute for Liturgy
and Music, a school for church musicians
which he founded, he supervised the
publication of a new Asian hymnal
containing mostly works of Asian
composers.

7. Josefino Toledo is the founding music
director of the Metro Manila Community
Orchestra, the UP Festival Orchestra, and
the Crosswave Symphony Orchestra. He is
noted for conducting the premiere
performances of the works of Filipino
composers as well as other Asian composers.
His own music has been performed by well-
known international artists and ensembles.

8. Jonas Baes, Associate Professor in
Composition and Theory,
ethnomusicologist, cultural
activist, and writer, has explored innovative
territories and unusual musical treatments in
his works.

9. SONG COMPOSERS
By: ANDREW GABIONZA
LNHS

10. Prolific lyricist and
composer Levi
Celerio was named
National Artist for
Music and Literature
in 1997.
Also a violinist, he had
written the lyrics for
over 4,000 songs in
his lifetime, including
many for film.
LEVI CELERIO
(1910 – 2002)
National Artist for Literature and Music
A great number of
kundimans and
Filipino love songs
have lyrics written by
him, most notable of
which are Dahil sa
Iyo, Buhat, and
Ang Pasko ay
Sumapit.

11. Celerio was born in Tondo on April 30, 1910. He
studied at the Academy of Music in Manila under a
scholarship.
Later, he went on to join the Manila Symphony
Orchestra.
Aside from writing his own lyrics, he also translated
and re-wrote the lyrics of folksongs
to traditional melodies like Maliwanag Na Buwan from
Ilocos, Ako ay May Singsing
from Pampanga, and Alibangbang from the Visayas.
Guinness
Book of
World
Records for
being the
only person
to make
music with
a mouth-
blown leaf

12. CONSTANCIO DE GUZMAN
(1903 – 1982)
Born on
November 11,
1903 in Guiguinto,
Bulacan. He grew
up in Manila where
he studied piano
and composition
under Nicanor
Abelardo.
He went to law school
but switched to pursue
and finish a BS
Commerce degree at
Jose Rizal College in
1928.
He passed the certified
public accountants (CPA)
board examinations in
1932. After he took the
CPA board exam, he
started working for the
movies.

13. “Dean of Filipino Movie Composers and Musical
Directors,”
Music director of movie production companies like
Sampaguita, LVN, Royal,
Excelsior, Lea, and Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions.
His “unexpected” hit music, Panaginip, paved the
way for him to record hundreds of songs, principally
under Villar and Columbia Records
“Dean of Filipino Movie Composers and
Musical Directors,” De Guzman became the music
director of movie production companies like
Sampaguita, LVN, Royal, Excelsior, Lea, and Tagalog
Ilang-Ilang Productions. His “unexpected” hit music,
Panaginip, paved the way for him to record hundreds
of songs, principally under Villar
and Columbia Records

14. In 1948, his song Ang Bayan Ko and Kung Kita’y
Kapiling won the gold medal at the Paris International
Fair. Bayan Ko was later adopted as the symbolic song
of the People Power Movement of 1986.
The same song won for him the Awit Award for Best
Filipino Lyricist.
Some of De Guzman’s notable compositions include
Babalik Ka Rin, Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig, Birheng
Walang Dambana, Maalaala Mo Kaya, and Sa Piling Mo.
De Guzman passed away on August 16, 1982.

16. MIGUEL “MIKE” VELARDE JR.
(1913 – 1986)
Composer, conductor, movie actor, and musical
director was born in Manila on October 23, 1913
His exposure to the unaffected and unpretentious environment of
Basilan and Zamboanga had influenced his creative imagination,
mainly nurtured by his mother who became his first music teacher
in piano and violin when he was six years old.
School
Zamboanga Normal School and graduated as valedictorian.
He pursue medicine University of the Philippines. He learned the
basics of harmony and composition from Antonio Molina and
Ariston Avelino as he further deepened his musical knowledge
through self-study.

17. Velarde created his own style as he composed highly
melodious and romantic songs such as
Ikaw, Lahat ng Araw, Habang Buhay,Minamahal Kita , Ikaw ay
Akin, andDahil Sa Iyo. In 1970, he won the Best Conductor
award at the First International
Popular Song Contest in Japan with his composition As Long as
Forever.
He received the Cultural Achievement Award in Popular Music
from the Philippine Government
Cultural Association in 1975 and the Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining
in 1986.
His other compositions include Buhat, Ikaw, Bituing Marikit,
Minamahal Kita, Dating Sumpaan,
Dalisay, Eternally Yours, and

18. SANTIAGO SUAREZ
(1901 – 1964)
born in Sampaloc, Manila. He learned how to play the piano from
his grandmother who was also a competent harpist, while his
grandfather played the flute.
He attended the Conservatory of Music, University of the Philippines
and the Ateneo de Manila in Intramuros. He took private music
lessons from Caetano Jacobe, Pedro
Floriaga, and Nicanor Abelardo.

19. Suarez’s compositions are a mixture of the soulful
kundiman style and the lively strains of the countryside.
The melodies are tonal and catchy, while the rhythms follow the
regular meter with minimal tempo changes.
His harmonies follow the traditional classical progression, making
his compositions easy to understand without the complexities of
form and structure.
Some of his works are quite popular and heard even with today’s
classical singers, pop singers, and choral groups. They include the
following: Ligaya Ko, Pandanggo ni Neneng, Dungawin mo
Hirang, Bakya Mo Neneng, Caprichosa, Sa Libis ng Nayon,
Harana, Kataka-taka, Labandera Ko, Lakambini, Kamia, Ikaw ang
BuhayKo!, Kay Lungkot nitong Hating-Gabi, and Mutya Niyaring
Puso. Suarez passed away
in 1964

20. RESTITUTO “RESTIE” UMALI
(1916 – 1998)
Restituto Aquino Umali was born in Paco, Manila on June
16, 1916. His early exposure to music was due to the influence
of his father who taught him violin as well as his exposure to the
regular family rondalla.
He also taught solfeggio and score reading at the Mapa High
School where he became an active member of the school glee
club and
orchestra.

21. He can play the E-flat horn, trombone, and tuba (University of
Santo Tomas) Band. He also taught choral arranging and
orchestration at the UST Conservatory of Music. He majored in
Composition and Conducting at the Conservatory of Music,
University of the Philippines (UP) and Commerce at the Jose
Rizal College.
He even passed an electrician’s course at the Philippine School
of Arts and Trades before embarking on a rewarding career as
musical scorer for movies.
Among Umali’s most popular songs are Saan Ka Man Naroroon, Alaala
ng Lumipas, Ang Pangarap Ko’y Ikaw, Sa Libis ng Barrio, Di Ka Nag-iisa,
and Paano Kita Lilimutin.
He had arranged the performance of Maestro Federico Elizalde’s Manila
Little Symphony aired on radio stations DZRH and DZPI, apart from his
stint as musical director for Sampaguita Pictures.

22. ANGEL PEÑA
(1921 – 2014)
classical and jazz
composer, arranger,
and bass player. He
is widely considered
by modern Filipino
jazz musicians as
“one of the founders
of traditional jazz in
the Philippines.”
born on April 22, 1921 to
a musical family.
Peña learned solfeggio
from his mother Rosario
Velarde Matias.

23. Peña auditioned for the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. He was
immediately accepted as bassist and later as arranger in 1969. He
would spend the next 28 years in Hawaii, where he continued to
write his own music. As farewell homage, the Manila Symphony
Orchestra performed hisConcerto for Double Bass and Orchestra. In
1981 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Filipino presence in
Hawaii, the Honolulu Symphony premiered his Concerto for Jazz
Quartet and Orchestra with an all-star Filipino jazz quartet.

24. In 1998, a House Resolution from the State of Hawaii’s House of
Representatives was passed to honor Peña for his contributions in
the field of music as a world renowned jazz
musician, musical arranger, and Hawaii’s own living classical
composer.
The Jazz Society of the Philippines-USA further gave him a
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Third
Annual Fil-Am Jazz Festival in Hollywood. Pena passed away on
December 22, 2014.

25. ERNANI CUENCO
(1936 – 1988)
National Artist for Music
composer, film
scorer, musical
director and music
teacher, was
conferred the
National Artist
Award for Music in
1999.
His works embody a
Filipino sense
of musicality that
contain the classical
sound of the kundiman.
Cuenco was born on
May 10, 1936 in
Malolos, Bulacan. As a
boy, he was
encouraged to learn
the violin

26. He was mentored by his mother, his godmother Doña Belen
Aldaba Bautista, and his first teacher, Jovita Tantoco.
He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music, major in Piano at
the UST Conservatory of Music in 1956. A UST scholarship
grant in the same year enabled him to study the cello under
Professor Modesto Marquiz, which he finished in
His career as a musical director began in 1960 when he was
discovered by then actor Joseph Estrada while he was playing
as part of a band he had formed with friends at an exclusive
restaurant in Makati.
In 1963, Cuenco was sent as a delegate to the International
Music Conference in Tokyo, Japan. Aside from being a composer
and musical director,
he was also a faculty member at the UST Conservatory of Music
until his death on July
11, 1988.

27. GEORGE CANSECO
(1934 – 2004)
George Masangkay Canseco was born on
April 23, 1934 in Naic, Cavite.
He graduated with a Liberal Arts degree at the
University of the East. After graduation, he
worked for the Philippines Herald and the
Associated Press as a journalist. He
also worked as a “free-lance scriptwriter for
hire” in Manila.
“a nationally acclaimed composer
of numerous popular classics.”

28. One of his best-known compositions was Child, the English-
language version of Freddie Aguilar’s signature song Anák.
He wrote songs for the country’s top popular singers
such as Sharon Cuneta, Basil Valdez, Regine Velasquez, Zsa Zsa
Padilla, Pilita Corrales, Martin Nievera, and Kuh Ledesma.
His legacy as a composer include approximately 120 song titles
including Ikaw, Kailangan Kita, Dito Ba, Hiram, Tubig at Langis,
Hanggang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan, Sinasamba Kita, Kastilyong
Buhangin, Minsan Pa Nating Hagkan ang Nakaraan, Ngayon at
Kailanman, Saan Darating ang Umaga, Sana Bukas Pa ang Kahapon,
Dear Heart, Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan, Paano kita
Mapapasalamatan, and Kahapon Lamang.
He passed away on November 19, 2004 in Manila.

29. LEOPOLDO SILOS Sr.
(1925 – 2015)
Leopoldo Silos Sr.was born on March 6,
1925.
He was a composer, singer, and arranger. He
composed and recorded a number of
romantic songs, the most famous of which
were two of his well known hits, Dahil Sa
Isang Bulaklak (Because Of One Flower) and
Hindi Kita Malimot (I Can’t Forget You). He
was also the award-winning musical director
of the longrunning television musical
program, Aawitan Kita, which starred Armida
Siguion-Reyna.

30. Accordingly, the music of Silos touches the sentiment quite
deeply.
His lyrical melodies are complemented by exotic harmonies. His
melodies were made more appealing through
their extended chords, diminished intervals, and secondary
dominants
Thus, that enriched the otherwise basic chordal patterns
accompanying a tonal melody.