José Estella - his music and his life

 

José Estella (1870 - 6 April 1943) was a Filipino composer and conductor. He was the composer of the first Philippine symphony.

Biography

José Estella (1870 - 6 April 1943) was a Filipino composer and conductor. A graduate of the Madrid Conservatory, he returned to the Philippines and there spent his time collecting folksongs and other music. In Manila and Cebu he conducted several orchestras, and was director of the Rizal Orchestra, founded in 1898. He wrote more than 100 waltzes which gained him the popular title of the ‘Philippine waltz king’, and he was the composer of the first Philippine symphony.