National Artists of the Philippines

The Order of National Artists (Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is

the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have
made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts,
namely: Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast
Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts. The order is jointly administered
by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural
Center of the Philippines and conferred by the President of the
Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions.
National Artists are given a Grand Collar symbolizing their status. Likened
to the US National Medal for the Arts and the Order of Culture of Japan,
the recipients embody the highest ideals of humanities and aesthetics
and ideal expression of Filipinos as exemplified by their outstanding
works and contributions.
Francisco F. Feliciano , DMA
National Artist for Music, 2014
Professor, College of Music (1969-1972, 1980-1986)
Ramon P. Santos, PhD
National Artist for Music, 2014
University Professor Emeritus, College of Music
Bienvenido Lumbera, PhD
National Artist for Literature, 2006
Professor Emeritus, College of Arts and Letters
(+) Ildefonso Santos Jr. (I.P. Santos)
National Artist for Architecture, 2006
Professor, College of Architecture
(+) N.V.M. Gonzalez, PhD
National Artist for Literature, 1997
Professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature
Former College of Arts and Sciences
Founder, “The Diliman Review”
Virgilio S. Almario, PhD (Rio Alma)
National Artist for Literature, 2003
Professor Emeritus and Dean, College of Arts and Letters (2003-2006)
(+) Jose T. Joya
National Artist for Visual Arts, 2003
Dean, College of Fine Arts, 1970-1978
Professor, College of Fine Arts
(+) Andrea O. Veneracion
National Artist for Music, 1999
Professor, College of Music
(+) Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
National Artist for Theater, 1997
Director, UP Dramatic Club, 1947-1963
(+) Jose Maceda, PhD
National Artist for Music, 1997
Professor, College of Music
Founder, UP Center for Ethnomusicology
(+) Lucio D. San Pedro, PhD
National Artist for Music, 1991
Professor Emeritus, College of Music
(+) Antonino R. Buenaventura
National Artist for Music 1988
Conservatory of Music
(+) Jovita Fuentes
National Artist for Music, 1976
Conservatory of Music
(+) Guillermo Tolentino
National Artist for Visual Arts, 1973
Professor Emeritus, College of Fine Arts
Director, School of Fine Arts (1953-1955)
(+) Francisca Reyes Aquino, PhD
National Artist for Dance, 1973
Professor, Physical Education
Physical Director for Women (1930)
(+) Antonio J. Molina
National Artist for Music ,1973
Professor, Conservatory of Music
(+) Fernando C. Amorsolo
National Artist for Visual Arts 1972
Director, School of Fine Arts (1938-1952)
MUSIC
Antonino R. Buenaventura
National Artist for Music (1988)
(May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)
vigorously pursued a musical career that spanned seven decades of unwavering
commitment to advancing the frontiers of Philippine music. In 1935, Buenaventura
joined Francisca Reyes-Aquino to conduct research on folksongs and dances that led
to its popularization. Buenaventura composed songs, compositions, for solo
instruments as well as symphonic and orchestral works based on the folksongs of
various Philippine ethnic groups. He was also a conductor and restored the Philippine
Army Band to its former prestige as one of the finest military bands in the world
making it “the only band that can sound like a symphony orchestra”.

This once sickly boy who played the clarinet proficiently has written several marches
such as the “Triumphal March,” “Echoes of the Past,” “History Fantasy,” Second
Symphony in E-flat, “Echoes from the Philippines,” “Ode to Freedom.” His
orchestral music compositions include Concert Overture, Prelude and Fugue in G
Minor, Philippines Triumphant, Mindanao Sketches, Symphony in C Major, among
others.
Jose Maceda,
National Artist for Music (1997)
(January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004)
composer, musicologist, 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 includeAgungan,
Kubing, Pagsamba, Ugnayan, Ading, Aroding, Siasid, Suling-suling.
Lucrecia R. Kasilag,
National Artist for Music (1989)
(August 31, 1918 – August 16, 2008)
an educator, composer, performing artist, administrator and cultural entrepreneur of
national and international caliber, had involved herself wholly in sharpening the Filipino
audience’s appreciation of music. Kasilag’s pioneering task to discover the Filipino
roots through ethnic music and fusing it with Western influences has led many Filipino
composers to experiment with such an approach. She dared to incorporate indigenous
Filipino instruments in orchestral productions, such as the prize-winning “Toccata for
Percussions and Winds,Divertissement and Concertante,” and the scores of
the Filiasiana, Misang Pilipino, and De Profundis. “Tita King”, as she was fondly
called, worked closely as music director with colleagues Lucresia Reyes-Urtula, Isabel
Santos, Jose Lardizabal and Dr. Leticia P. de Guzman and made Bayanihan Philippine
Dance Company one of the premier artistic and cultural groups in the country.
Her orchestral music includes Love Songs, Legend of the Sarimanok, Ang
Pamana, Philippine Scenes, Her Son, Jose, Sisa and chamber music like Awit ng
mga Awit Psalms, Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme, and East Meets Jazz Ethnika.
Ernani J. Cuenco
National Artist for Music (1999)
(May 10, 1936 – June 11, 1988)
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.
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.
Lucio San Pedro
National Artist for Music (1991)
(February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002)
is a master composer, conductor, and teacher whose music evokes the folk elements
of the Filipino heritage. Cousin to “Botong” Francisco, San Pedro produced a wide-
ranging body of works that includes band music, concertos for violin and orchestra,
choral works, cantatas, chamber music, music for violin and piano, and songs for solo
voice. He was the conductor of the much acclaimed Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert
Band, the San Pedro Band of Angono, his father’s former band, and the Banda Angono
Numero Uno. His civic commitment and work with town bands have significantly
contributed to the development of a civic culture among Filipino communities and
opened a creative outlet for young Filipinos.
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.
Antonio J. Molina,
National Artist for Music (1973)
(December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980)
versatile musician, composer, music educator was the last of the musical triumvirate,
two of whom were Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, who elevated music
beyond the realm of folk music. At an early age, he took to playing the violoncello and
played it so well it did not take long before he was playing as orchestra soloist for the
Manila Grand Opera House. Molina is credited with introducing such innovations as
the whole tone scale, pentatonic scale, exuberance of dominant ninths and eleventh
cords, and linear counterpoints. As a member of the faculty of the UP Conservatory, he
had taught many of the country’s leading musical personalities and educators like
Lucresia Kasilag and Felipe de Leon.
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, among others.
Francisco Feliciano
February 19, 1941 – September 19, 2014
National Artist for Music (2014)
Francisco Feliciano’s corpus of creative work attests to the exceptional talent of the
Filipino as an artist. His lifetime conscientiousness in bringing out the “Asianness” in
his music, whether as a composer, conductor, or educator, contributed to bringing the
awareness of people all over the world to view the Asian culture as a rich source of
inspiration and a celebration of our ethnicity, particularly the Philippines. He brought
out the unique sounds of our indigenous music in compositions that have high
technical demands equal to the compositions of masters in the western world. By his
numerous creative outputs, he has elevated the Filipino artistry into one that is highly
esteemed by the people all over the world. Many of his choral compositions have been
performed by the best choirs in the country, such as the world-renowned Philippines
Madrigal Singers, UST Singers, and the Novo Concertante Manila, and have won for
them numerous awards in international choral competitions.
The technical requirement of his choral pieces is almost at the tip of the scale that
many who listen to their rendition are awed, especially because he incorporates the
many subtleties of rhythmic vitality and intricate interweaving of lines inspired from the
songs of our indigenous tribes. He not only borrows these musical lines, albeit he
quotes them and transforms them into completely energetic fusions of sound and
culture that does nothing less than celebrate our various ethnicities.
His operas and orchestral works also showcase the masterful treatment of a musical
language that is unique and carries with it a contemporary style that allows for the use
of modal scales, Feliciano’s preferred tonality. The influence of bringing out the
indigenous culture, particularly in sound, is strongly evident in La Loba Negra, Ashen
Wings, and Yerma. In his modest hymns, Feliciano was able to bring out the Filipino
mysticism in the simple harmonies that is able to captivate and charm his audiences.
It is his matchless genius in choosing to state his ideas in their simplest state but
producing a haunting and long-lasting impact on the listening soul that makes his
music extraordinarily sublime.
Major Works: Ashen Wings (1995), Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam (1993), La Loba
Negra (1983), Yerma (1982), Pamugun (1995), Pokpok Alimako (1981)
Levi Celerio
National Artist for Literature / Music (1997)
(April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)
is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He effortlessly translated/wrote anew
the lyrics to traditional melodies: “O Maliwanag Na Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May
Singsing” (Pampango), “Alibangbang” (Visaya) among others.
Born in Tondo, Celerio received his scholarship at the Academy of Music in Manila
that made it possible for him to join the Manila Symphony Orchestra, becoming its
youngest member. He made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the only
person able to make music using just a leaf.
A great number of his songs have been written for the local movies, which earned for
him the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines. Levi
Celerio, more importantly, has enriched the Philippine music for no less than two
generations with a treasury of more than 4,000 songs in an idiom that has proven to
appeal to all social classes.
Ramon Pagayon Santos,
National Artist for Music (2014)

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.
Simultaneous with this was a reverting back to more orthodox performance modes:
chamber works and multimedia works for dance and theatre. Panaghoy (1984), for
reader, voices, gongs and bass drum, on the poetry of Benigno Aquino, Jr. was a
powerful musical discourse on the fallen leader’s assassination in 1983, which
subsequently brought on the victorious People Power uprising in 1986.
An active musicologist, Santos’ interest in traditional music cultures was heretofore
realized in 1976 by embarking on fieldwork to collect and document music from folk
religious groups in Quezon. He has also done research and fieldwork among the Ibaloi
of Northern Luzon. His ethnomusicological orientation has but richly enhanced his
compositional outlook. Embedded in the works of this period are the people-specific
concepts central to the ethnomusicological discipline, the translation of indigenous
musical systems into modern musical discourse, and the marriage of Western and
non-Western sound.
An intense and avid pedagogue, Santos, as Chair of the Department of Compositiion
and Theory (and formerly, as Dean) of the College of Music, UP, has remained
instrumental in espousing a modern Philippine music rooted in old Asian practices and
life concepts. With generation upon generation of students and teachers that have
come under his wing, he continues to shape a legacy of modernity anchored on the
values of traditional Asian music.
National Artist for Music (1976)
(February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978)
Long before Lea Salonga’s break into Broadway, there was already Jovita Fuentes‘ portrayal
of Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza.
Her performance was hailed as the “most sublime interpretation of the part”. This is all the
more significant because it happened at a time when the Philippines and its people were
scarcely heard of in Europe. Prior to that, she was teaching at the University of the
Philippines Conservatory of Music (1917) before leaving for Milan in 1924 for further voice
studies. After eight months of arduous training, she made her stage debut at the Piacenza.
She later embarked on a string of music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu
Yu in Puccini’s Turandot, Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, Iris inPietro Mascagni’s Iris, the title
role of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss personally offered to her including the
special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai Pe). In recognition of these achievements, she
was given the unprecedented award of “Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria” by Spain.
Her dream to develop the love for opera among her countrymen led her to found the Artists’
Guild of the Philippines, which was responsible for the periodic “Tour of Operaland”
productions. Her life story has been documented in the biography Jovita Fuentes: A Lifetime
of Music (1978) written by Lilia H. Chung, and later translated into Filipino by Virgilio
Almario.
Felipe Padilla de Leon,
National Artist for Music (1997)
(May 1, 1912 – December 5, 1992)
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.
De Leon’s orchestral music include 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.
Andrea Veneracion,
National Artist for Music (1999)
(July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013)
is highly esteemed for her achievements as choirmaster and choral arranger. Two of
her indispensable contributions in culture and the arts include the founding of the
Philippine Madrigal Singers and the spearheading of the development of Philippine
choral music. A former faculty member of the UP College of Music and honorary
chair of the Philippine Federation of Choral Music, she also organized a cultural
outreach program to provide music education and exposure in several provinces.
Born in Manila on July 11, 1928, she is recognized as an authority on choral music
and performance and has served as adjudicator in international music competitions.