Nicanor Abelardo - his music and his life

 

NASAAN KA IROG (Nicanor Abelardo) | Kung Hindi Man

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Nicanor Santa Ana Abelardo was born on the 7th of February, 1893 in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan. He was a composer, pianist and teacher. He was the eldest of eight children born to Valentin Abelardo, a photographer, and Placida Santa Ana, a church singer. His father taught him solfeggio and bandurria when he was five. At six, he could already play the William Tell Overture on the guitar. He composed and dedicated a waltz, "Ang Unang Buko" (First Bud) to his grandmother, at age eight. In 1902, his uncle, Juan Abelardo, a painter, brought him to Manila where he studied in several primary schools. While working for his uncle, he learned to play the piano, and later studied voice under the Italian maestro Enrico Capozzi who refused to be paid for teaching such a talented boy.1 Upon the recommendation of composer, Francisco Buencamino, he was hired to play at saloons and cabarets at age 13. At barely 15, Abelardo took on a teaching job in barrio schools in San Ildefonso and San Miguel, Bulacan. 

In 1916, he studied at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music. While there, he composed the "U.P. Beloved", a school hymn which won first prize in an open musical contest in 1917. In 1918, he was appointed as an assistant instructor in solfeggio and harmony. He became a full-pledged instructor in 1919. He received his teacher's certificate in science and composition in 1923. He then became the head of the composition department the following year. 

MUSICAL STYLE Abelardo's musical style is a hybrid of Western classical music and indigenous Filipino music. He was noted for his ability to express the essence of Filipino culture and passion in his songs through the use of melody.

Abelardo was a prolific composer of kundiman (art song). He redefined this genre and elevated it to artistic heights through his compositions like "Nasaan Ka Irog?" (1923); "Kundiman ng Luha" (1924), and "Paghanga" (1939). Abelardo also composed music for the sarswela - such as "Kawanggawa" (1918); "Dakilang Punglo" (1926); "Tayo'y Pakasal Na" (1930); "Kapabayaan o Bunga ng Masamang Hilig" (1918); "Sumilang", "Ang Tala ng Unibersidad", "Lucila" (1911); the operetta "Akibat" (1913); "Ang Likha ni Pierrot o Batik ng Kabihasnan" (1931); "Ang Mestiza" (1922); "Makabagong Dalaga" and "Batang Tulisan" (1934).  He also wrote in different musical forms such as the "Kung Hindi Man" (transcribed from a love song originally for voice, violin, cello and piano), "Ang Aking Bayan" (patriotic song), "Bonifacio Song", and "Naku...Kenkoy!" He also has works in the classical genre which include "Sonata for violin and piano", "Salve Regina Mater" (1932), and many others. 

After more than 140 works, Abelardo began to ail. He died in 1934 leaving behind several unfinished works.

NASAAN KA IROG (Nicanor Abelardo) | Kung Hindi Man

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Pinoys listen to music 126 minutes a day, longest globally

 

Paul Icamina - The Philippine Star

 

The time spent by Filipinos listening to music, at an average of 126 minutes or a little over two hours a day, is the longest in the world. Iqbal Nuwir Anwar via Canva

Paul Icamina - The Philippine Star 

January 30, 2025 | 12:02am

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos not only spend the most time on the internet and on social media, they listen to music the longest anywhere on the planet.

The time spent by Filipinos listening to music, at an average of 126 minutes or a little over two hours a day, is the longest in the world, according to a study conducted by the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP).

“Music is more than a means of entertainment – it is the people’s way to communicate feelings, resonate their stories and build on their emotions,” says Dr. Maria Alexandra Chua, a professor at the University of Sto. Tomas Conservatory of Music who leads NRCP’s Musika Pilipinas project.

And yet, as important as music is in these islands, more than half of Filipinos in the industry earn less than P20,000 a month, the NRCP study found.

The meager earnings are a little over the minimum wage in Metro Manila, says Chua, who is also with the UST Research Center for Culture, Arts and the Humanities.

This is reflected in the small share of music in creative revenues.

The gross value added of the country’s creative industry expanded from P1.61 trillion in 2022 to P1.72 trillion in 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Music’s contribution is only P18.1 billion or 8.8 percent of the creative total.

The NRCP Musika Pilipinas project is designed to remedy this, defining the scope of the music ecosystem from publishing, recording and live music to the industry value chain. It will identify and assess market capital of music goods, particularly in the pivotal transformation to digital platforms, and determine growth prospects.

The NRCP study covered 700 industry players, and data was gathered from focus group discussions with artists, music company executives and organizations.

The study found that 61.1 percent of Filipinos involved in music creation, production, distribution and consumption were college degree holders; majority of them were freelance artists.

Most of the respondents said that to support their living expenses, they earned income not related to the music industry.

“Local artists would always have to go through what we normally identify as sariling sikap, that is, without any government intervention and support in music training, marketing and promotion,” says Chua.

Despite having the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act which promotes the development of Philippine creative industries, music is not a stand-alone sector in the creative industries council.

The music industry is subsumed under performing arts and audiovisuals, says Chua, who graduated at UST, magna cum laude, with a major in Piano.

There are problems of representation for music industry members in policy discussions, as well as in identifying music’s economic contribution as an important part of the Philippine creative economy, she points out.

A music coordinating council responsible for handling the dynamics, concerns, development and challenges faced by the industry is about time, recommends the NRCP study.

A centralized music coordinating council will handle the dynamics, concerns, strategic development plan and challenges faced by the industry, Chua says.

“The lack of effective protection of intellectual property rights of local artists is another crucial issue that needs to be addressed,” she says.

“The Philippine music industry should be understood as individuals, groups, institutions, companies and stakeholders who engage in the entire process of the creation, production, distribution and consumption of music within the Philippines,” Chua explains.

“To put it simply, they are creating, producing, reproducing, distributing or consuming music within the Philippines or producing music while representing the Philippines and from whose activities the Philippine economy benefits, including overseas Filipino musicians who send remittances,” Chua says.