Triumvirate of Filipino Composers
Do you know the song “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan?” How about “Da Coconut Nut?” Chances are you know the latter more. Your parents may have sung it when you were younger, or you may have heard it in school. Nonetheless, you might recall hearing it and wondering where it came from.During Christmas time, you may have heard multiple renditions of “Kumukutikutitap” the tune gets stuck in your head and never fails to give you that “Christmas feeling.”
You may have also been to the Cultural Center of the Philippines and watched a show in the Abelardo theater. Who are the people behind all these? Why are they considered so important?
The Philippines had come a long way by the time the 20th century arrived, being occupied by Spain and the United States. The country has since then experienced significant changes in culture and was opened up to many new trends in literature, art, politics, and especially music. We can, therefore, conclude that the occupations of the Spaniards and the Americans made it possible for Western musical styles and techniques to be incorporated into the works of Philippine composers during that time. Let’s talk about three very important composers who made their mark on Philippine music and were considered as the “Triumvirate of Filipino Composers,” a group of major Filipino composers all active at around the same period.
Nicanor Abelardo
At 13, he was already playing in cabarets and saloons in Manila. During this time, he was also under the guidance of Francisco Buencamino , the piano player of Cinematografo Filipino. Buencamino first heard about Abelardo’s talents and eventually employed him as a substitute to play piano accompaniment to silent films.
Although he was known to write symphonies and concertos, Abelardo is more famous for writing kundiman and other nationalistic songs such as “Ang Aking Bayan” . He also wrote music for several Tagalog sarswelas such as “Sumilang” and “Bituing Marikit” (from Dakilang Punglo ).
Abelardo was also called the “Father of Filipino Sonatas” for his works “Sonata in G Major” (1921) and “Sonata for String Quartet” (1932). He entered the conservatory in the University of the Philippines in 1916 where he also wrote the music for a march called “UP Naming Mahal” . He eventually became a teacher of theory and composition at the same university. “Nasaan Ka Irog?”
This song is one of the examples of Abelardo’s kundiman songs. Like a typical kundiman , the song is in triple time and contains a modulation that gives the song a triumphant second half by modulating from the minor key to the parallel major key. In the case of this song, it begins in F minor and eventually ends up in F major. This key change gives the song a “lift” and a sense of yearning. Coincidentally, the lyrics also speak about someone who is looking for their lover. The melody also contains a lot of chromatic notes and leaps trademarks of the genre as well.
Francisco Santiago
In 1916, when the Conservatory of Music was founded in the University of the Philippines, he was hired as a piano instructor. In 1924, he got his masters in music from the University of Chicago and then his doctorate from the Chicago Music School . There, he presented his Concerto in Bb Minor for pianoforte and orchestra a piece now regarded as his masterpiece. He returned to the Philippines in 1925 and went back to teaching at UP and became the conservatory’s director from 1930 to 1946.
As a renowned pianist and composer, he was able to turn the kundiman into an art form. Because of this, Santiago is often called the Father of Kundiman Art Song , and has also written music for films such as “Pakiusap”, and “Madaling Araw.”
“Pilipinas Kong Mahal” This song is one of the most popular patriotic songs of the Philippines. Santiago wrote the music while Ildefonso Santos wrote the text in 1931. It was first popular during the American Colonial Period, where a sense of nationalism was slowly rising from Filipinos. Nowadays, the song’s message still rings true as it has been sung in multiple protests, political rallies, and demonstrations. The song is based on the kundiman , and is written in the Key of C Major. The lyrics express the nationalist sentiments of the Filipino people. Below is a copy of the text:
Ang bayan ko’y tanging ikaw,
Pilipinas kong mahal.
Ang puso ko at buhay man,
sa iyo’y ibibigay.
Tungkulin ko’y gagampanan,
na lagi kang paglingkuran.
Ang laya mo’y babantayan,
Pilipinas kong hirang.
Antonio Molina
As a composer, he wrote over 300 pieces for orchestra, choir, chamber music, and solo and instrumental ensembles. He wrote his first composition in 1913 entitled “Lamentos de mi Patria,” but his most famous is “Hatinggabi,” a harana (serenade). This serenade portrays a man whose despair grows stronger as the night deepens because of his longing for his beloved. Written originally for violin and piano, "Hating-gabi (At midnight) is a nationally-known serenade based on the danza. He looked up to Claude Debussy and the impressionist style. In UP, he taught harmony, composition, music history, and cello and eventually became the dean of the Centro Escolar Conservatory of Music, where he founded the CEU String Quartet .
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