Jose Maceda Biography

Filipino Composers

• Composers Ramon Santos, Lucrecia Kasilag, Jose Maceda, and Chino Toledo are notable figures in Philippine music.
• Chino Toledo's music is characterized by great energy and often bears a relationship to traditional Southeast Asian music.

Chino Toledo

• Born on March 6, 1959
• A composer, conductor, and recognized figure in Asian contemporary art music
• Premiered works of Filipino composers and other Asian composers
• Conducted concerts in Japan, Indonesia, Australia, and China

Ramon Santos

• Born on February 25, 1941
• Composer, conductor, and musicologist
• Exposed to music at a young age, studying formal music lessons with grandmother and violin lessons with another teacher
• Influenced by avant-garde music of Varese and Jose Maceda's composition, Ugma-Ugma
• Holds degrees from University of the Philippines, Indiana University, and State University of New York at Buffalo
• Considered the country's foremost exponent of contemporary Filipino music
• Works include Ding Ding Nga Diwaya, Nabasag ang Banga, "Ang Hardin ni Ligaya," and "Ang Puting Waling-Waling"

Lucrecia Kasilag

• Born on August 31, 1917, died on August 16, 2008
• Composer, educator, cultural and arts administrator, and performing artist
• Considered the "First Lady of Philippine Music"
• Music was introduced to her by her mother, Asuncion Roces, a music teacher
• Fused Filipino ethnic music with Western music, using indigenous instruments in orchestral productions
• Wrote 250 compositions for orchestra and is famous for writing Love Songs, Legend of the...

Jose Maceda

• Born on January 31, 1917, died on May 5, 2004
• Ethnomusicologist, educator, composer, conductor, and pianist
• Specialized in Indonesian and Filipino music
• Studied piano under Victorina Lobregat and Alfred Cortot, and musicology at Columbia University, anthropology at Northwestern University, and ethnomusicology at University of California
• Explored Filipino musicality and dedicated his life to popularizing traditional music
• Wrote papers about the nature of ethnic Philippine tribes and studied it intensively
• Professor of Piano and Musicology at the University of the Philippines College of Music
• Major compositions include Ugma-ugma, Pagsamba, and Udlot-udlot