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SPU Manila INTER-OFFICE BULLETIN

Vol. XII No. 35 25 February 2019

SPECIAL REPORT

AN EVENING OF SONATAS, KUNDIMANS, SERENADE IN A MAJOR, ETC.

FROM THE LATE FILIPINO COMPOSER, NICANOR STA. ANA ABELARDO,

A LOVELY 'PAGPUPUGAY' TREAT FROM ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY'S

CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NCCA

Belinda Olivares-Cunanan

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sr. Evangeline Anastacio, SPC, President of St. Paul University,

Manila, writing a message for the "Pagpupugay" concert last Sunday

honoring Filipino composer/artist Nicanor Sta. Ana Abelardo on his

125th birth anniversary, quoted the passage in that by-now-immortal

essay, titled "Jewels of the Pauper" that the great Jesuit historian, Fr.

Horacio de la Costa, wrote during the Japanese occupation—doubtless

to boost his own morale as well as that of our hapless people at that

time.

Wrote Fr. de la Costa: "...poor as we are, we yet have something.

This pauper among the nations of the earth hides two jewels in her

rags." One, he said, is our music. "We are sundered one from another by 87 dialects; we

are one people when we sing. The kundimans of Bulacan awaken an answering chord in the

lutes of Leyte. Somewhere in the rugged north, a peasant woman croons her child to sleep;

and the Visayan listening remembers the cane fields of his childhood, and his mother

singing the selfsame song."

Our other jewel, asserted the great Jesuit historian, is our Faith.

How true about us Filipinos and our legendary love for music that unites our various islands.

Last Sunday night, February 17, 2019, St. Paul University Manila's College of Music and the

Performing Arts held a beautiful concert in the Fleur-de-lis Theater to honor the 125th birth

anniversary of composer Nicanor Sta. Ana Abelardo. As Sr. Maria Anunciata Sta. Ana, the

music college dean, wrote, Abelardo is one of the "Triumvirate of Filipino composers who, in

his short life of 41 years, has contributed to Philippine Music a prolific output of 140 works

covering different genres of music."

It's interesting to note that despite his very short life, Nicanor Sta. Ana Abelardo (happily a

relation of the indefatigable Sr. Anunciata Sta. Ana), is today memorialized by two

significant institutions in our national life: the Cultural Center of the Philippines which has

named its main theater the "Tanghalan Nicanor Abelardo" and the University of the

Philippines, whose music department is housed in "Abelardo Hall." But such recognition

counts for naught if the composer's music is not recognized and kept alive and vibrant—

which is what St Paul's Music College sought to do last Sunday evening before an overflow

crowd.

Sr. Anunciata stressed that the musical heritage of Nicanor Abelardo and his contemporaries

is "regrettably relegated to conservatories and music schools in our present-day society, or

worse, just in archives and libraries." But as the great Filipino composer has challenged us,

"The nationalism of our music is so important that it merits more than just a passing

notice...what about our Kundiman, Awit and Kumintang? Let us dig them up and from them

fashion a music that is truly Philippines."

Heard once again at last night's concert were Abelardo's famous "Cavatina for Violin and

Piano, Op. 7," with Dino Akira Decena, violin, and George Ong, piano; the "First Nocturne"

with Dr. Raul M. Sunico interpreting it on the piano. Then ten immortal Abelardo kundimans

were rendered, such as "Mutya ng Pasig" (to me this is among our greatest kundimans,

powerfully interpreted by soprano Nenen Espina), "Bituing Marikit," and "Nasaan ka Irog."

Six of these kundimans, rendered by various sopranos and tenors, were skillfully

accompanied on the piano by Mary Anne Espina. On the other hand, four kundimans were

arranged by Herminigildo Ranera into a medley for three sopranos, two tenors and a

baritone, with Dr. Raul Sunico, chair of St. Paul University's Doctor of Musical Arts Program,

on the piano.

Dr. Sunico also rendered Abelardo's "First Nocturne" on the piano, while cellist Renato Lucas

rendered "Serenade in A Major" as accompanied by Sunico on the piano. Concert notes said

that this cello piece was composed in 1922 by Abelardo and dedicated to his friend, the

great Filipino cellist Felipe Marin.

One added attraction was the composer's "Violin Sonata," which was last played in full in

1932 in Chicago, described by a critic then as "like a long-overdue eruption of a searching

musical volcano" with its "soaring melodic lines and highly ambiguous and unpredictable

harmonic progressions like the furies unchained from their imprisonment in the realm of the

classical romantic idiom." The "Violin Sonata" in three movements was expertly rendered by

violinist Melchora Regina Medina-Perez, with Mary Anne Espina on the piano.

The various compositions were arranged and conducted by Herminigildo Ranera, assistant

conductor of the CCP.

What was beautiful was that Abelardo and Sta. Ana relatives of the composer attended the

concert and were introduced to the guest crowds afterwards. Sr. Anunciata, possibly

because she is related to Nicanor Abelardo, waxed poetic in her message, citing Robbie

Robertson, who said, "You don't stumble upon your heritage. It's there, just waiting to be

explored and shared." And the good Sister closed her message by quoting the great Roman

orator Cicero, "To know nothing of what happened before you is to forever remain a child."

Amen.

Fr. de la Costa would have been happy with last Sunday's concert, for one of the two jewels

of our people—music—shone bright as a diamond that evening.

PROGRAMME

PART I

Cavatina for Violin and Piano, Op. 7 Dino Akira Decena, violin

George Ong, piano

First Nocturne Dr. Raul M. Sunico, piano

Sonata for Violin and Piano Melchora Regina Medina-Perez, violin

Allegro, Andante, Allegro con moto Mary Anne Espina, piano

Intermission

Part II

Tertulla Elisanta Cortes

Paraluman

Magbalik Ka Hirang Eugene de los Santos

Mutya ng Pasig Nenen Espina

Kung Hindi Man Jonathan Velasco

Nasaan ang Aking Puso? Thea Perez-Prosia

Kundiman ng Luha Ronan Ferrer

Mary Ann Espina, piano

Serenade in A Major Renato Lucas, cello

Raul M. Sunico, piano

Mga Awiting Abelardo Elisanta Cortes, soprano

Nasaan Ka Irog, Thea Perez – Prosia, soprano

Bituing Marikit Nenen Espina, soprano

Himutok Ronan Ferrer, tenor

Ang Aking Bayan Eugene de los Santos, tenor

Jonathan Velasco, baritone

Raul M. Sunico, piano

Dino Akira Decena, violin 1

Proceso Yusi, violin 2

Joy Allan Dela Cruz, viola

Felicitas Ronquillo, cello

Arranged and conducted by Herminigildo Ranera

4

George Ong, piano, and Dino Akira Decena, violin,

playing “Cavatina for Violin and Piano, Op. 7”

Dr. Raul M. Sunico on the piano playing “First Nocturne”

5

Mary Anne Espina, piano, and Gina Medina-Perez, violin,

as they perform “Sonata for Violin and Piano”

Dr. Ramon Santos, National Artist for Music, receives an award of recognition for his invaluable contribution

to the music of Nicanor Abelardo by unearthing the depth of the treasure hidden in the music of Abelardo in his book

TUNUGAN, thus uncovering its richness and its unique contribution not only to Philippine Music but to the world.

6

Part II: “Tertulla” performed by Elisanta Cortes (“Paraluman”), Eugene de los Santos (“Magbalik Ka Hirang”),

Nenen Espina (“Mutya ng Pasig”), Jonathan Velasco (“Kung Hindi Man”), Thea Perez-Prosia

(“Nasaan ang Aking Puso?”), Ronan Ferrer “(Kundiman ng Luha”) and on the piano, Ms. Mary Anne Espina.

Elisanta Cortes

(“Paraluman”)

Eugene de los Santos

(“Magbalik Ka Hirang”)

Nenen Espina

(“Mutya ng Pasig”)

7

Jonathan Velasco

(“Kung Hindi Man”)

Ronan Ferrer

(“Kundiman ng Luha”)

Thea Perez-Prosia

(“Nasaan ang Aking Puso?”)

“Serenade in A Major” performed by

Renato Lucas, cello and Raul M. Sunico,

piano

8

String Quartet: Dino Akira Decena, violin 1; Proceso Yusi, violin 2, Joy Allan Dela Cruz, viola

and Felicitas Ronquillo, cello perform “Mga Awiting Abelardo,” arranged and conducted by

Dr. Herminigildo Ranera, together with Elisanta Cortes, Thea Perez-Prosia, Nenen Espina,

Jonathan Velasco, Eugene de los Santos and Ronan Ferrer with Dr. Raul Sunico on the piano