LESSON 4: MUSIC OF THE 2OTH CENTURY (1900 -

Present)
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of this learning experiences, student must be able to:
1. determine the distinct musical characteristics of Contemporary music
2. Describe traditional and new music
3. Create a music video featuring selected Filipino Contemporary
composers.

20th-century music is defined by the sudden emergence of advanced

technology for recording and distributing music as well as dramatic
innovations in musical forms and styles. Because music was no longer limited
to concerts, opera-houses, clubs, and domestic music-making, it became
possible for music artists to quickly gain global recognition and influence.
Twentieth-century music brought new freedom and wide experimentation
with new musical styles and forms that challenged the accepted rules of
music of earlier periods. Faster modes of transportation allowed musicians
and fans to travel more widely to perform or listen. Amplification permitted
giant concerts to be heard by those with the least expensive tickets, and the
inexpensive reproduction and transmission or broadcast of music gave rich
and poor alike nearly equal access to high-quality music performances.

We are fortunate today that we can just access music anywhere. This is
because of the fast development of the music industry. Many people in all
walks of life could hear different music in rural areas, concert halls, opera
houses, restaurants, malls, and even in parks. Music can be heard almost
everywhere.

The Music Industry

The music industry or music business includes the singers,

songwriters, composers, publishers, record industries, band managers, tour
promoters, bookers, and roadies.

They sell compositions, recordings, and performances of music. The music

industry was dominated by sheet music publishers in the late 19 th century and
early 20th century. At that time, people would talk about the importance of live
music instead of recordings. In the early 20th century, recording of sound
became less important in music markets. With the invention of the
phonograph by Thomas Edison in 1877, there came a big change with the
way music is heard. Concert halls, opera houses, to perform live music. Even
radio stations became an important venue for bands to perform and become
popular nationwide.

Music and the Community

Every community needs music. Music can bring communities together

and can enrich lives of every individual as they enjoy and learn music
together. Different colleges, universities, parks in different communities and
even malls play vital roles in our musical culture. Music today is very well
appreciated by everyone because of free concerts in malls, parks, and music
halls. There are classical compositions rearranged, revived and adapted to fit
the music preferences of the modern society. An example of this is the
Triumphal March taken from the famous opera written by Giuseppe Verdi,
Aida, who is very popular in our present time during graduation ceremonies.
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy was used in Whoopi Goldberg’s film, Sister Act 2 in a
modern arrangement entitled Joyful, Joyful.

Music and the Media

Popular or pop music belongs to any of the number of contemporary

musical styles accessible to the public that are commercially distributed.
Popular music can be described in two ways. First, it is music that does not
fall into other convenient style such as jazz or hiphop. In a broader meaning,
popular music is any sort of music intended for mass consumption and
propagated over the radio and similar media. It is the product of the modern
business enterprise and is disseminated for the purpose of earning a profit.
Listening to music through a recorded form such as tapes and compact discs
(CD’s) or watching a music video became more common than experiencing
live performances.

Popular Musical styles

It is music that appealing and is enjoyed by the majority of the population.
Some people feel that popular music is simple and entertaining. “Pop” is the
term used to describe the music enjoyed mostly by the youth since 1950. It is
also describing the changing youthful culture where music is in expression.
Pop music includes styles such as rhythm and blues, rock and roll, punk,
heavy metal, disco, soul, hiphop, jazz, mainstream, crossover, fusion, house
music, world music and new age. Most pop music has simple melodies and
suitable words or lyrics. One of the major purposes of pop is to entertain
people.

Majority of the pop artist consider popular music as a serious art form. Some
composers even wrote popular music for movie soundtracks.
 During the early fifties, rock music was initially referred to as rock ‘n’ roll.
It includes elements of several black and white American musical styles.
From the late 1950s to the mid-1990s, rock was perhaps the most
popular form of music in Western world. The instruments used in the rock
‘n’ roll are an electric guitar, a drum set, and often, a piano or keyboard.
Elvis Presley reigned as “The King of Rock and Roll” in the 1950s. The
term rock ‘n’ roll was the first used in 1951 by Allan Freed, a Cleveland
disc jockey, who took it from the song My Baby Rocks Me with a Steady
Roll. Years after that, it was simply called rock music. The change in
terminology indicates both a continuity with a break from the earlier; rock
music was no longer just for dancing. The music was influenced then by
British groups such as the Beatles. The Beatles was considered as the
most famous and successful band in the world.

 Jazz music originated from the city of New Orleans, Louisiana in the
19th century.
White settlers, black slaves and mixed races meet together in a place
called “Congo Square”. This is where black music was expressed, and
New Orleans was considered to be the birthplace of Jazz. An
improvisation is the most important element of Jazz. It is played in
syncopated patterns. Early jazz players are Buddy Bolden, who used a
cornet, Louis Armstrong, the first jazz soloist who used a trumpet, and
James Johnson, the first virtuoso jazz pianist.
 Folk music is described as traditional songs being handed down from
generation to generation. It is ordinary people’s music played in homes
and for family or community gatherings. It also expresses the values,
traditions, and daily life experiences of the people.

 Country music had its beginnings in the music style brought by the first
European settlers. In medieval times, storytelling was a tradition that
allowed history to be recorded since only a few were able to read and
write. When the first British settlers came to America, they brought this
tradition with them, along with songs they have learned in Europe. The
people who settled in the Appalachian Mountains and the West did not
have an easy life. Their music gave them an outlet to express their
hardships. One of the best-known country singers was Johnny Cash
who made numerous protest recordings such as Johnny Cash in
Folsom Prison. However, he shifted to gospel music in the 1970s.
Another country singer is Celina Gonzales, who performed Cuba’s
country music (Musica campesina in Spanish) with her husband
Reutilio Dominguez on Guitar or bongos.

 The fiddle (violin) was the most common instrument because it was
easy and inexpensive to make. It is also not a major burden to carry
around. At first, it was the sole lead instrument, but later, the fiddle
became one of the most popular accompanying instruments. The banjo
brought by slaves became popular in the mid-1800s. The guitar came
in the early 1900s when they became massproduced and affordable for
most people. At first, it was only a rhythm instrument but later, picking
and plucking of strings to play the melody became popular.
Contemporary country music often uses the electric guitar. Other
stringed instruments include the dobro, dulcimer, steel guitar, the
mandolin, zither, bass guitar and the autoharp.
 Different Styles of Music of the 20th and 21th Centuries

The 20th century music is the symbol of changes and modernization of the
music of the past centuries. Modern technology in the field of music and arts
played a vital and important role in music history.

Vaudeville is one of the most popular forms of mass entertainment and is

called the heart of the American showbusiness in North America from the
early 1880s until the early 1930s. It was a variety show where performers are
skilled in comedy, singing, dancing, juggling, acrobatics, and animal arts.
They travel from one place to another throughout the year to perform.

Broadway musical is a popular musical style appreciated by the ordinary

people. It has the same characteristics of the opera except for the recitativo,
because of the spoken dialogue used in Broadway. It is also America’s
contribution in musical drama. Some of the most popular Broadway musical
are: The Sound of Music. Miss Saigon, Fiddler on the Roof, The king and I,
Lѐs Miserables and Phantom of the Opera.

Electronic music is an electro- acoustic music that consists of tones

originating in electronic sound. The pure electronic sound is produced with the
use of sound synthesizers and computers. A synthesizer has different devices
that can change the pitch, tone and quality of sound. It can imitate different
sounds of traditional musical instruments, sounds from nature, and even
human voice, but is often used to create unique new sounds.
Some of the composers of electronic music are George Crumb, Edgard
Varese and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Chance music is also called “aleatory music”. Aleatory came from the Latin
word alea meaning “dice”. The music is based on chance. The composer’s
creative input which includes the melody, harmony, instrumentation, and even
logical arrangement is either reduced or even removed completely.
Composers choose the pitches, tone colors nd rhythm by random method
such as flipping a coin or giving the performers the privilege of choosing the
ordering of musical material or the material itself. One of the composers of
Aleatory music is John Cage. He is considered as the father of indeterminism
or aleatory music.
Minimalist music’s main idea is a short musical composition with a small
amount of musical material which is being repeated over and over again.
These patterns are heard over a long stretch of time so that the listeners
cannot readily perceive changes.

Neoclassicism. A dominant trend in music composed from 1923 to 1950

was neoclassicism, a reaction against the exaggerated gestures and
formlessness of late Romanticism which revived the balanced forms and
clearly perceptible thematic processes of earlier styles. There were three
distinct "schools" of neoclassicism, associated with Igor Stravinsky, Paul
Hindemith, and Arnold Schoenberg. Similar sympathies in the second half of
the century are generally subsumed under the heading "postmodernism".

It is a musical style known for its clarity of form and balance. This style was
inspired by the stylistic forms and concept of the 18 th century music.
Neoclassicism combined musical elements from the Classical period with new
trends of musical styles in the early 20th century that include tonal center,
melodic shape, quirky rhythms and large amount of chromaticism.

Impressionism originated as an art movement that represents an immediate

impression of an object or event. Impressionist painters try to show what the
eye sees at a glance., rather than what they know or feel about the object or
incident. In a similar way, impressionist music may be described generally as
having refinement, delicacy, vagueness, and an overall luminous fog
atmosphere. There are descriptive devices to suggest sounds like waves,
wind, sea, waterfalls, and images of moonlight. These descriptive musical
elements can be heard from the works of French composers Claude Debussy
and Maurice Ravel. Most of the time, their subject is nature. They also use
dissonances, uncommon scales, like whole tone scale, as a descriptive
device in some of their works.

Expressionism. The term expressionism was invented by art critics to

describe a style of painting which developed as a reaction to the art
movement called impressionism. Impressionism painters were mainly
concerned with how the surface of objects appeared to the eye at a particular
moment. In contrast, some of the expressionist painters used striking colors
and distorted shapes made it a social protest. Applied in music,
expressionism is generally described as music that expresses true emotions
with exaggeration. Expressionist music was very atonal(no relationship to a
key) and dissonant. These are manifested in the music of Arnold Schoenberg,
who is considered as one of the famous expressionists of his time.

THE PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

According to National Artist Dr. Ramon

Santos, “contemporary music in the
Philippines refers to compositions that
have adopted ideas and elements from
20th century art music in the west, as
well as the latest trends and musical
styles in the entertainment industry.”

The modern Filipino repertoire consists

of musical pieces that have been written
in 20th century idioms that have evolved
out of such stylistic movements as
impressionism, expressionism,
neo-classicism, as well as avant-garde
and new music.

New music are compositions which are

improvisational works such as the early
compositions of Dr. Ramon Santos,
Radyasyon and Quadrasyon; Josefino
“Chino” Toledo’s Samut-Sari, Pintigan and
Terminal Lamentations, and Jonathan Baes’ Wala and Banwa.

With the European and American influences brought by our country’s

colonizers, it ws inevitable that the musical style of 20th century Western
composers found their way into Philippine compositions. The works many
notable Filipino composers are evidence of this.

An entire group of 20th Filipino song composers became popular for their
musical compositions used as background music or theme songs in movies
and films.
 TRADITIONAL COMPOSERS

Filipino composers of the 20th century contributed teir share in introducing

innovative sounds. With Spain and then America having colonized the
Philippines from the early 1500s to the late
1800s, it was unavoidable that Western compositional techniques found their
way into the works of Filipino composers. Yet, even 20th century Filipino
composers have managed to retain some traditional elements in their
assimilation of Western techniques.
In fact, they have become the strongest foundations of what we now know as
Philippine music.

Among the major Philippine contemporary composers are Francisco

Buencamino Sr., Francisco Santiago, Nicanor Abelardo, Antonio Molina,
Hilarion Rubio, Col. Antonino Buenaventura, Rodolfo Cornejo, Lucio
San Pedro, Rosendo Santos Jr., Alfredo Buenaventura, and Ryan
Cayabyab.

NICANOR ABELARDO (1893 – 1934)

Nicanor Abelardo is one of the “Triumvirate of
Filipino Composers” which includes Antonio
Molina and Francisco Santiago. He studied music
at the Chicago Music College and was influenced
by the musical styles of Schoenberg, Hindemith
and Stravinsky.

Abelardo developed a style that combined European romanticism with

chromaticism. His compositions contain hazy tones, dissonance and unusual
chordal combinations. Although a 20th century modern composer in style, he
is also considered
a composer in the Romantic style. His best-known compositions include
Mutya ng Pasig, Nasaan Ka Irog, Cavatina for Violoncello, and Magbalik Ka
Hiran.. As a composition major at the University of the Philippines, he also
composed the melody for the University’s offcil anthem, U.P. Naming Mahal.
The main theater of the Culturl Center of the Philippines (Tanghalang
Nicanor Abelardo) and the building housing the College of Music in UP
Diliman are named in his honor. He died on March 21, 1934.

CIPRIANO “RYAN” CAYABYAB

(1954 – present )

Ryan Cayabyab is a popular contemporary composer also has classical

compositions to his credit, such as Misa, Four Poems for Soprano and Piano,
and Te Deum.

Among his numerous compositions are the award-winning Kay Ganda ng

Ating Musika (1978), as well as the modern zarzuela Alikabok (2003), the
opera Spoliarium with libretto by Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, and a variety of
choral pieces and song cycles.
Cayabyab was born on May 4, 1954, in Manila. He obtained his Bachelor of
Music degree at the University of the Philippines’ College of Music. After
which, he became a faculty member for Composition at the same University.
He also served as the Executive and Artistic Director of the San Miguel
Foundation for the Performing Arts, which oversaw the operations and
programming of the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel
Master Chorale. At present, he continues to be a much sought-after professor,
musical director, composer, arranger, and conductor in the Philippine concert
and recording scenes.

He is a contemporary composer and conductor who spans both popular and

classical worlds with his pop music, ballads, operas, zarzuelas, orchestral
arrangements, masses, psalms, and choral compositions.
 Francisco Santiago (1889 – 1947)
Francisco Santiago is known as the “Father of the
Kundiman” and belongs to the “Triumvirate of
Filipino Composers.” He finished his music
specialization at the American Conservatory of
Music in Chicago, where he obtained his Doctorate
Degree in 1924.
Santiago’s music was Romantic in style,
incorporating Western forms and techniques with
folk materials. He composed several works such as
kundiman, symphonies, piano concertos, and other
music pieces for the piano, violin, and voice.
Among his famous works arePakiusap, Madaling Araw, Sakali Man, Hibik ng
Pilipinas, Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran, and Kundiman (Anak Dalita). This piece
was sung before the Royal Court of Spain upon the request of King Alfonso
II. He was also a musical director for films. Among the films whose music he
supervised are Kundiman, Leron Leron Sinta, Madaling Araw, Manileña, and
the movie inspired by his own composition Pakiusap.

NEW MUSIC COMPOSERS

Composers of experimental New Music in the Philippines include Jose

Maceda,
Lucrecia Kasilag, Ramon Santos, Manuel Maramba, Jerry Dadap,
Francisco Feliciano, Josefino “Chino” Toledo, and Jonas Baes. They
retained the Filipino spirit by incorporating traditional music forms as well as
indigenous rhythms and instruments in their compositions.

LUCRECIA R. KASILAG (1918 – 2008)

National Artist for Music
Lucrecia R. Kasilag was born in San Fernando, La Union on August 31,
1918. She went to Manila to pursue a degree in Music at the Philippine
Women’s University.She thenobtainedherMaster’sdegree from the Eastman
School of Music in New York, USA.

Her compositions were influenced by her professors Irving McHose and

Wayne Barlow. Kasilag’s compositions 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.

Among Kasilag’s many compositions are Toccata for Percussion and Winds
(1959), composed for indigenous Muslim instruments and Western
instruments; The Legend of the Sarimanok(1963), composed for chamber
orchestra and Philippine ethnic instruments;
Divertissement and Concertante (1960), compositions for piano and orchestra
combining Western and Eastern forms, harmonies, and intervals; and
Dularawan (1969), a musical drama combining a dance solo with a chorus
and an ethnic orchestra. Her other works include compositions for piano,
instrumental ensemble, and chorus.

She was equally admired in the academe as a former Dean of the College of
Music and Fine Arts, Philippine Women’s University. In the cultural field, she
was the President of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines. In the dance circles, she was the President
and Music Director of the Bayanihan Dance Company. She also served as
Chairman of the Asian Composers’ League and the League of Filipino
Composers.

She is credited for having written more than 200 musical works, ranging from
folksongs to opera to orchestral works, which she continued to compose for
the rest of her life. For all these outstanding achievements, she was conferred
the title of National Artist for Music in 1989. She passed away in Manila in
August 2008.

RAMON P. SANTOS (1941 – ) National

Artist for Music

Ramon P. Santos was born in Pasig on February 25, 1941. He completed his
Bachelor of Music degree at the College of Music, University of the
Philippines. He finished his Master of Music degree at Indiana University,
USA. He received his
Doctor of Philosophy degree in Composition at the State University of New
York, USA. He had also pursued graduate studies in Ethnomusicology at the
University of Illinois, USA. Santos’ compositional style features chromaticism,
musicseria and electronic components, combined with indigenous Philippine
music elements. His works include Ding Ding Nga Diyawa, Nabasag na
Banga at Iba’t iba pang Pinag-ugpong-ugpong na Pananalita sa Wikang
Pilipino para sa Labing Anim na Tinig, and L’BAD. He had done extensive
research on the gamelan music of Java as well as the traditional music of the
Ibaloi, Maranao, Mansaka, Bontoc, Yakan, and Boholano tribes in the
Philippines. present, he is the headof the UP Center of Ethnomusicologyand
was appointed Professor.
Santos held the position of Dean of the UP College of Music from 1978 to
1988. At Emeritus of the same institution. He was conferred the title of
National Artist for Music in 2014.

FRANCISCO F. FELICIANO (1942 – 2014)

National Artist for Music

Francisco F. Feliciano, avant garde composer and conductor for band and
chorus, was born on February 19, 1942 in Morong, Rizal. His first exposure to
music was with the Morriz Band, a brass ensemble established and owned by
his father, Maximiano Feliciano. He started his music career in the high school
band where he had played the cymbals and the clarinet.
Feliciano obtained his Teacher’s Diploma in Composition and Conducting at
the Conservatory of Music, University of the Philippines (UP) in 1964, and a
Bachelor of Music degree major in Composition in 1967. Subsequent degrees
include a Master in Music Composition from the University of the Philippines,
a Diploma in Music Composition from the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin,
Germany, and a Master of Musical Arts and Doctorate in Music Composition
from Yale University School of Music, USA. He studied composition with
Jacob Druckman, Isang Yun, H.W. Zimmerman and Krystof Penderecki.

Feliciano composed more than 30 major works, including the musical dramas
Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam, Ashen Wings, and the monumental three-act
opera La Loba Negra (1984). He also wrote music for the orchestra such as
Prelude and Toccata(1973), Fragments(1976), Life of Wartime Filipino Hero
Jose Abad Santos, and the ballet Yerma (1982).
Among his other large works are Transfiguration and Missa Mysterium for
orchestra and large chorus. He has composed several prize-winning works
such as Pokpok Alimpako, (a favorite piece of choirs in international choral
competitions), Salimbayan, Umiinog, and Walang Tinag (Perpetuum I mobile)
which was premiered at the ISCM Festival in New York City, USA.

Feliciano composed hundreds of liturgical pieces, mass settings, hymns, and

songs for worship. He founded the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music
(AILM) in Quezon City, a school for church musicians, and supervised the
publication of a new Asian hymnal containing mostly works of Asian
composers. He was conferred the title of National Artist for Music in 2014. He
died on September 19, 2014.

SONG COMPOSERS

The 20th century Filipino song composers/lyricists include Levi

Celerio,Constancio de Guzman, Mike Velarde Jr., Ernani Cuenco, Restie
Umali, George Canseco, Angel Peña, Leopoldo Silos Sr., Santiago Suarez.
Together, they had produced a memorable output of traditional Filipino love songs,
music for the movies, and materials for contemporary arrangements and concert repertoire.

Filipino composers of the 20th century contributed their share in introducing

innovative sounds different from the traditional folk song and kundiman
melodies that we have been accustomed to. Some espoused the
impressionistic style, while others combined ethnic sounds and musical
elements with Western technqiues in their compositions. Some adopted the
kundiman as their form in composing their music.

LEVI CELERIO (1910 – 2002) National Artist for

Literature and Music
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. A great number of
kundimans and Filipino love songs have lyrics written by notable of which are
Dahil sa Iyo,
Buhat, and Ang Pasko ay Sumapit. Celerio was known for creating
music with a mouth-blown leaf.

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.
His achievements include a citation in the Guinness Book of World Records
for being the only person to make music with a mouth-blown leaf. He will
forever be remembered through his lyrics for songs such as Ang Pipit (music
by Lucio D. San Pedro); Bagong Pagsilang (music by Felipe Padilla de Leon);
Sa Ugoy ng Duyan (music by Lucio D. San Pedro); Misa de Gallo (music by J.
Balita); Itik-itik (folk song); Tinikling (folk song), among others. Celerio passed
away on April 2, 2002.

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.

Canseco was considered as “a nationally acclaimed composer of numerous

popular classics.” He was commissioned by Former First Lady Imelda R.
Marcos to compose a national tribute hymn entitled Ako Ay Pilipino (I Am A
Filipino). He is winning motion picture of the same title, sung by Amapola.

He wrote the classic Kapantay Ay Langit, a theme from the award- English
version entitled You’re All I Love containing some Tagalog lyrics was sung by
American singer Vic Dana. The song won the Manila Film Festival “Best Song
of the Year Award” in 1972. He followed it with an English song entitled
Songs exclusively for Songs and Amapola under the Vicor Music Corporation
Pioneer Label.

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.

Canseco credited film producer and Vicor Music Corporation owner Vic del
Rosario for giving him his biggest break in the music industry. He was elected
President of the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc.
(FILSCAP) in 1973. He was also elected as Councilor for the First District of
Quezon City in 1988.

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.

ERNANI CUENCO
(1936 – 1988)
National Artist for Music

Ernani Joson Cuenco, composer, film scorer, musical director

and music teacher, was conferred the National Artist musicality that contain
the classical sound of the kundiman. Award for Music in 1999. His works
embody a Filipino sense Cuenco was born on May 10, 1936, in Malolos,
Bulacan. As a boy, he was encouraged to learn the violin. He was mentored
by his mother, his godmother Doña Belen Aldaba Bautista, and his first
eacher, 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 1965. In 1968, he completed his Master of
Music degree at the Sta. Isabel College.

From 1960 to 1968, Cuenco was a cellist at the Manila Symphony Orchestra
under Dr. Hubert Zipper. Likewise, he played for the Filipino Youth Symphony
Orchestra and the Manila Chamber Soloists from 1966 to 1970.
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.
To this day, Cuneco’s compositions are popular and well-loved, especially
Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal and Bato sa Buhangin which he composed for films
in honor of his wife. Aside from these signature pieces, Cuenco’s other songs
includeNahan, Kahit na Magtiis,
Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa, Pilipinas, Inang Bayan, Isang
Dalangin, and Kalesa

Formative Assessment

Make a journal of what you have learned so far.

References
Contemporary Philippine Music. Grade 10.
https://znnhs.zdnorte.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Music10-Q3-Module-1.pdf

Horizons Grade 10 Learner’s Material, pp. 92 - 138

Music 10. MAPEH 10.

https://www.slideshare.net/ssuser982c6b/music-8-
lesson-3-music-of-cambodia-and-myanmar
Textbooks: Grade 10 Music and Arts Learners Material Unit II
Teachers Guide Music Quarter II
K-12 Grade 10 Curriculum Guide