Levi Celerio on Stamps

Levi Celerio was a Filipino composer and lyricist, born on April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. He received a free education to the Academy of Music in Manila and became the youngest affiliate of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. He was a creative songwriter, with more than 4,000 songs to his acclaim including Filipino folk, Christmas, and love songs that are popular pieces, which many consider to be immortal. Famous for being a lyricist, his songs treasure life; express nationalistic sentiments and complete grand philosophies. At one instance or another, no Filipino can miss the song or lyrics of Levi's Christmas songs namely Pasko na Naman, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, and Misa de Gallo. He is probably best recognized for being a leaf-player, an achievement where he was place into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The stamp above features the composer Levi Celerio playing the violin. The stamp is one in a set of 4 honoring Filipino National Artists issued on November 11, 2010.

Palma, De Leon and Osias- Philippine Anthem Lyricists

The Philippine National Anthem lyrics has three versions- "Filipinas", the Spanish (original) version, written by Jose Palma, "Lupang Hinirang" the Tagalog version, written by Felipe Padilla de Leon and "Philippine Hymn", the English version, written by Camilo Osias. Presently, only the Tagalog or Filipino version is used.

José Palma (3 June 1876 - 12 February 1903) was a Philippine poet and soldier. He was on the staff of La Independencia at the time he wrote his "Filipinas," a patriotic poem in Spanish. It was published for the first time in the issue of the first anniversary of La Independencia on 3 September 1899. The poem fit the tune of the music of the Marcha Nacional Filipina, and since then became the national anthem of the country.

Palma was born in Tondo, Manila, on 3 June 1876, the youngest child of Don Hermogenes Palma, a clerk at the Intendencia Office, and Hilaria Velasquez. His older brother was Rafael Palma. After finishing his primera enseñanza in Tondo, Palma continued his studies at the Ateneo Municipal. While he was there, he gradually honed his skills by composing verses. One of his earliest works was “La cruz de Sampaguitas” in 1893. In the same year he had a brief romantic relationship with a woman named Florentina Arellano whose parents did not approve of him.

As underground revolutionary activities grew intense, Palma devoted his time to composing more poems. In 1894, he joined the Katipunan but did not join his comrades on the battlefield when the revolution broke out. He eventually joined the revolutionary forces of Colonel Rosendo Simon in 1899 when the Philippine-American War erupted and fought under the command of Colonel Servillano Aquino in the encounters in Angeles and Bambang. Since he could not physically cope with the difficulties of war, he often stayed in camps and entertained the soldiers with kundiman. He eventually joined the staff of the Tagalog section of the revolutionary newspaper, La Independencia, to fight against the Americans as he could not on the battlefield.

Palma and his colleagues in the newspaper often amused themselves with songs and poems while resting in camps or other places during their marches away from the pursuing American forces. It was during one of their breaks in Bautista, Pangasinan when Palma’s poetic spirit produced the poem “Filipinas” that fitted the music of the “Marcha Nacional Filipina” of Julian Felipe. “Filipinas” was published in Spanish in the first anniversary issue of La Independencia on 3 September 1899 as follows:

Felipe Padilla De Leon, Sr. was a major Philippine composer, conductor, and scholar. He was known best for translating the lyrics of the Philippine National Anthem from the original Spanish to Tagalog. A recepient of numerous awards and honors, he was posthumously named National Artist of the Philippines for music in 1997. He was the father of equally gifted and musical children: Bayani, Luningning, Marilag, Tagumpay, and De Leon Jr..

Felipe Padilla de Leon was born in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija on May 1, 1912. He was educated in Manila and the United States. He taught in various schools in the capital city. He became conductor of Banda Malaya No. 1 of Taytay, Rizal.

He was known for Filipinizing western music forms. He was a prodigious composer: for orchestra, Mariang Makiling Overture (1939), Roca Encantada (1950), Maynila Overture (1976), Orchesterstuk (1981); for choral music, Ako'y Pilipino, Lupang Tinubuan, and Ama Namin. De Leon wrote his famous piece "Payapang Daigdig" the morning after he woke up to the destruction of the city of Manila during World War II. He also wrote the classic songs Bulaklak, Alitaptap, Mutya ng Lahi and the kundiman Sarong Banggi. He also composed the first full-length Filipino opera, Noli Me Tangere Opera. Many Martial Law babies recall singing his patriotic song "Bagong Lipunan" immediately after the national anthem.

De Leon not only took Filipino music seriously. He made every effort to keep music traditions alive, even in small towns. Hagonoy.com reported: "Sometime in the 1950's, a stranger named Prof. Felipe Padilla de Leon walked in this barrio and formed the Hagonoy Banda Malaya brass band. 'I am walking the history or re-enacting it,' Padilla claimed. 'Next time around, my eyes are on the brass band.'" Thus began his fruitful and happy relationship with the historic town.

De Leon also wrote and lectured extensively on Philippine music and culture. He wrote as a columnist of the Manila Times, Taliba, and others. He toured Himig ng Lahi, which he founded as a performing group with a lecture-concert format throughout the US and the Philippines. He established the Filipino society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (FILSCAP) and united all the bands of the Philippines with Pambansang Samahan ng mga Bandas sa Pilipinas (PASAMBAP).

Camilo Osias (March 23, 1889 – May 20, 1976) was born in Balaoanan, La Union. He was noted as one of the senate presidents of the Philippines, a nationalist leader who worked for Philippine independence and sovereignty, and is remembered as an educator, politician and writer who produced works such as The Filipino Way of Life, the Philippine Readers, and Jose Rizal, His Life and Times – a biographical work on Rizal. He also wrote a wide variety of articles with themes ranging from the nation to personal life and day to day living in the Philippines.

Osias had Maestro Gabriel Lopez as his mentor for primary education. Eventually, his mother influenced him to take up priesthood in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. His study for priesthood was hindered with the outbreak of the Philippine revolution which served as a period for reflection and introspection for Osias. He later resumed his studies by being one of the government funded students to study in the United States of America. In the United States, he studied teaching and was awarded a diploma by the Illinois State Teacher’s College. He also studied administration in Columbia.

A widely read and scholarly man, Osias eventually pursued further studies in Ohio where he received the degree of doctor of laws. Upon his return to the Philippines, he began his career as a politician. He was voted as a senator for the second district. After acting as a senator, he took part in the 1934 Constitutional Convention as the La Union representative. He also served as a panel for the Independence Mission in the U.S., and held a position as resident commissioner for the US congress from 1921 to 1935 where he worked for the passage of the Philippine Independence law. After his work in the United States, he was elected in the National Assembly and became a senator in congress after the war. The height of his career was his term as the senate president.

The stamps above features Julian Felipe, the anthem composer, with Jose Palma. Below is a stamp of Camilo Osias. No stamp, so far, has honored Julian Padilla de Leon.

Kulintang on Stamps

Kulintang is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally-laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums. As part of the larger gong-chime culture of Southeast Asia, kulintang music ensembles have been playing for many centuries in regions of the Eastern Malay Archipelago — the Southern Philippines, Eastern Indonesia, Eastern Malaysia, Brunei and Timor, although this article has a focus on the Philippine Kulintang traditions of the Maranao and Maguindanao peoples in particular. Kulintang evolved from a simple native signaling tradition, and developed into its present form with the incorporation of knobbed gongs from Sunda. Its importance stems from its association with the indigenous cultures that inhabited these islands prior to the influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity or the West, making Kulintang the most developed tradition of Southeast Asian archaic gong-chime ensembles.

Technically, kulintang is the Maguindanao, Ternate and Timor term for the idiophone of metal gong kettles which are laid horizontally upon a rack to create an entire kulintang set. It is played by striking the bosses of the gongs with two wooden beaters. Due to its use across a wide variety groups and languages, the kulintang is also called kolintang by the Maranao and those in Sulawesi, kulintangan, gulintangan by those in Sabah and the Sulu Archipelago and totobuang by those in central Maluku.

By the twentieth century, the term kulintang had also come to denote an entire Maguindanao ensemble of five to six instruments. Traditionally the Maguindanao term for the entire ensemble is basalen or palabunibunyan, the latter term meaning “an ensemble of loud instruments” or “music-making” or in this case “music-making using a kulintang.”

The stamp was issued on February 16, 2009. "Ani sa Sining", a set of four, depicting Philippine arts and culture.

Design Error on Philippine FDC

A postage stamp design error is a mistake made during the design phase of the postage stamp production process. Design errors most commonly occur as minor mistakes, such as a missing letter in the binomial name of an organism depicted on the stamp, but some have been major gaffes, such as a map appearing to lay claim to another country's territory, or the depiction of the wrong person on the stamp.

A design error caught during the production process may disappear quietly, with copies of the error only getting into the public's hands via unscrupulous employees (these are therefore not considered "real" stamps). Design errors are often caught during the distribution process, when large numbers of postal workers are scrutinizing the new stamp; although officials may elect to withdraw all the stamps at that point, it is very difficult to retrieve every one of them, and in these instances a few may end up being sold and used. The exact circumstance are important, because once the stamp is sold to a customer, whether or not against the postal service's rules, it is considered to be legitimate.

Somewhat rarer is a design error that is first noticed by a member of the public. This usually happens within a few days of the stamp first going on sale, usually ends up as the subject of newspaper articles, and has been known to cause a diplomatic breach. The response of postal officials may include withdrawal of all the stamps, or simply the suspension of printing and distribution, pending revision and reprinting. If the stamps are withdrawn, then the ones already out there become instant rarities, as happened with the PRC's "All China is Red" stamp of 1968. The withdrawn stamps may be destroyed or overprinted if the design can be repaired that way.

Above design error on Philippine first day cover showing the wrong date. The date around the image should have been 1551, not 1951 (400 years of Antipolo). The postmark showed the right dates.

Pedro Paterno on Stamps

Pedro Alejandro Paterno (February 27, 1858 - March 11, 1911) was a Filipino statesman as well as a poet, composer,novelist, historian and negotiator.

His intervention on behalf of the Spanish led to the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato on December 14, 1897, an account of which he published in 1910. Among his other works include the very first novel written by a native Filipino, Ninay (1885), and the first Filipino collection of poems in Spanish, Sampaguitas y poesias (Jasmines and Poems), published in Madrid in 1880.

Paterno had the luxury of in private schools in the Philippines and abroad. He studied law at the Central University in Madrid.

The stamp above was issued on October 25, 1975.

Musical Instruments of Philippine Christmas

Christmas in the Philippines, one of two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia (the other one being East Timor), is one of the biggest holidays on calendar. The country has earned the distinction of celebrating the world's longest Christmas season, with Christmas carols are heard as early as September and the season lasting up until Epiphany.

In the Philippines, children in small groups go from house to house singing Christmas carols, which they called pangangaroling. Makeshift instruments include tambourines made with tansans (aluminum bottle caps) strung on a piece of wire. With the traditional chant of "Namamasko po!", these carolers wait expectantly for the homeowners to reward them with coins. Afterward, the carolers thank the generous homeowners by singing "Thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo (you are so kind), thank you!" But sometimes the homeowners won't give rewards, so the carolers sing, "Thank you, thank you, ang dadamot ninyo (you are so selfish) Thank you! or Thank you, thank you, ang babarat ninyo Thank you!

An example of a traditional Filipino carol is a part of series known as "Maligayang Pasko", which was commonly called as "Sa maybahay ang aming bati". More recently, caroling has become a fund-raising activity. Church choirs or youth groups spend weeks rehearsing Christmas carols then draw up a schedule of visits to wealthy patrons in their homes or even corporate (often coinciding with the office Christmas party). These are, in effect, mini Christmas concerts, with excellent performances amply rewarded with an envelope of cash or checks. The choirs then use the funds for goodwill projects. Unlike the traditional children's caroling, the singers do not partake of the earnings, but rather donate their share to the group's projects.

The stamps features musical instruments used in caroling in the Philippines- the drum, tambourine, maracas and guitar. These were issued in December 1995.

Kulintang- Philippine Bossed Gong and Subing- Philippine Jaw Harp

Instruments that produce sound from the substance of the instrument itself (wood or metal) are classified as idiophones. They are further divided into those that are struck, scraped, plucked, shaken, or rubbed. In the Philippines, there are metal and wooden (principally bamboo) idiophones.

Metal idiophones are of two categories: flat gongs and bossed gongs,. Flat gongs made of bronze, brass, or iron are found principally in the north among the Isneg, Tingguian, Kalinga, Bontok, Ibaloi, Gaddang, Ifugao, and Ilonggot. They are commonly referred to as gangsa. The gongs vary in size, the average are struck with wooden sticks, padded wooden sticks, or slapped with the palm of the hand. Gong playing among the Cordillera highlanders is an integral part of peace pact gatherings, marriages, prestige ceremonies, feasts or rituals.

In Southern Philippines, gongs have a central profusion or knot, hence the term bossed gongs. They are of three types: 1) sets of graduated gongs laid in a row, called kulintang or kulintangan 2) larger, deep-rimmed gongs with sides that are turned in called agong, 3) gongs with narrower rims and less prominent bosses called gandingan. These gongs maybe played alone but are often combined with other instruments to form various types of ensemble.

Bamboo idiophones abound in the Philippines- xylophones. drums, quill-shaped tubes, stamping tube, scrappers, buzzers and clappers. The bamboo xylophone gabbang is found in the Southern Philippines among the Yakan, Sama, Tausug, and Palawan. It consist of bamboo keys of graduated lengths mounted on a trapezoidal box. The number of keys varies among the different tribes, ranging from 3 to 22 cm. In Northern Luzon among the Kalinga, individual xylophone-like blades called patatag are struck with bamboo sticks. The bamboo slit drums such as the Bukidnon bantula is fashioned out of a bamboo tube closed at both ends with anode with a slit cut out of the tube. Found among the different groups of people, its main use is to announce important events.

The struck quilt-shape bamboo tubes with notches etched on the tube, are found only in the southern Philippines such as the Maranao tagutok and the Maguindanao kagul. The player scrapes the notches with a bamboo stick.

Among the Cordillera highlanders, bamboo buzzers are widespread. They are made from a length of bamboo closed with a node at the bottom with its top half shaped so that two tongues face each other. The top half is struck against the palm of the hand. They are known by different names such as, balingbing, pew-pew, pakkung, bilbil, bungkaka by the various groups.

The Ifugao have a bamboo clapper, hanger, fashioned from a tubular section of bamboo, split from one end to approximately half of the tube. Each half of the split portion is shaped to make it narrower in the middle, thus making it more flexible when the halves are made to flap against each other.

Wooden idiophones include sticks, suspended logs and log drums. The Hanunuo kalutang, consist of pair of sticks cut from forest trees. These are struck against each other and played while hiking through forest and mountain trails.

The Ifugao pattung, is a percussion yoke bar made from a tapered piece of wood and struck with a stick. It is used for ceremonies for the sick, at rites which entail the offering of sacrificial pigs, or at death rituals.

Suspended logs are widespread in the Southern Philippines where they are known by different tribes. The Maguindanao luntang, consists of logs of varying lengths hung in order from longest to shortest. The pointed playing ends of each log is struck by one performer creating a melody against which another performer beats drone rhythm on one of the logs.

The Tagakaolo edel is a sounding board with a resonator played during wedding celebrations together with a drum or gong to accompany dancers. The Bagobo and Bilaan have similar drums.

Jaw harp are abound all over the Philippines. They are principally made from bamboo although in the Philippines, some are made of metal. It is a type of mouth resonated instrument consisting of a flexible tongue fixed at one end to a surrounding frame. The player places the free end of the instrument with the hand, or in some other types by pulling a string attached to the blade. The instruments have different names among the various tribes . In the south the most common term is kubing; in Palawan, western Philippines it is called subing, in the north ulibaw.

Above, stamps of kulintagan and subing issued in 1968

Ludag- The Ifugao Drum

Single and double headed drums (membranophones) are found throughout the Philippines. The are variously shaped- conical, cylindrical, goblet-shaped, barrel-shaped. Animal skins (snake, deer or goat) are used as drum heads. They maybe beaten with sticks or by the palm portion of bare hands. Drums are seldom used alone except to announce tidings over long distances. Usually they are played with other instruments particularly gongs, to form different kinds of ensemble.

The Ifugao libbit, ludag (the stamp above), is a conical drum with a deer or goat skin drum head. It is played with a gong during harvest time under the rice granary.

The sulibao and kimbal of the Bontok and Ibaloi are longitudinal slightly barrel-shaped hallowed outlogs with deer skin on one end. The taller drum(80 cm) is called the kimbal, the shorter(75 cm) is called the sulibao. The drumhead is small measuring about 6 cm in diameter. They are played with palms of two hands.

The dabakan is a large goblet-shaped drum used by the Maranao and Maguidanao in their kulintang/kulintangan ensemble.

The Philippine Brass Band Musical Instruments

Philippine culture is a combination of Eastern and Western cultures. The Philippines exhibits aspects found in other Asian countries with a Malay heritage, yet its culture also displays a significant amount of Spanish and American influences. Traditional festivities known as barrio fiestas (district festivals) to commemorate the feast days of patron saints are common.

The Moriones Festival and Sinulog Festival are a couple of the most well-known. These community celebrations are times for feasting, music, and dancing. Some traditions, however, are changing or gradually being forgotten due to modernization. The Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company has been lauded for preserving many of the various traditional folk dances found throughout the Philippines. They are famed for their iconic performances of Philippine dances such as the tinikling and singkil that both feature the use of clashing bamboo poles.

In these fiestas and festivals various bands and ensemble play the Brass Band Instruments- the tuba, xylophone,saxophone, clarinet and oboe. The sheet above issued in 2001 features these instruments.

Rodolfo S.Cornejo on Stamp

Rodolfo S. Cornejo is the first Filipino composer who received an honory degree from a government recognized music school in the United States. He is also remarkable for his pianistic and compositional know-how by extemporizing a piano composition at the spur of the moment.

He was born on 15 May 1909 in Singalong, Manila. At the age of six, he had his formal piano lessons. After 2 years, he played fourteen pieces and six encores for his recital. In that same year, he became the organist of the Pasay Catholic Church when they moved in. When he was ten, he composed a piano piece entitled, "Glissando Waltz". He became so keen and inspired about music by his mother's genuine support. At 13, he composed the "Salute", a military march that was also published. At 14, twenty-six of his compositions were listed by the United Publishing Company Inc.

He graduated with Teacher's Diploma on Pianoforte and a Teacher's Diploma in Science and Composition. He taught in his Alma Mater, the UP Conservatory of Music. He became the researcher and official composer of the Philippine government-in-exile, as appointed by President Quezon he was commissioned him to write a symphony and an opera. He composed the music of the documentary film on the funeral of President Quezon. The Manila Symphony Orchestra, with the Filipinas Youth Symphony Orchestra and the UP Symphony Orchestra made him soloist in their repertoire. The Sampaguita and Vera-Perez studios made him musical director of their movie companies.

The stamp and first day cover above was issued on the Birth Centenary of the composer on May 2009.

Great Achievers in Philippine Art- Honorata "Atang" de la Rama on Stamp

Honorata “Atang” de la Rama (January 11, 1902 – July 11, 1991) was a singer and bodabil performer who became the first Filipina film actress.

Atang de la Rama was born in Tondo, Manila on January 11, 1905. By the age of 7, she was already starring in Spanish zarzuelas such as Mascota, Sueño de un Vals, and Marina. At the age of 15, she starred in the sarsuela Dalagang Bukid, where she became known for the singing the song, Nabasag na Banga.

During the American occupation of the Philippines, Atang de la Rama fought for the dominance of the kundiman, an important Philippine folk song, and the sarsuela, which is a musical play that focused on contemporary Filipino issues such as usury, cockfighting, and colonial mentality. Generations of Filipino artists and audiences consider Atang de la Rama's vocal and acting talents as responsible for much of the success of original Filipino sarsuelas like Dalagang Bukid, and dramas like Veronidia. She has also been a theatrical producer, writer and talent manager. She was the producer and the writer of plays such as Anak ni Eva and Bulaklak ng Kabundukan. For her achievements and contributions to the art form, she was hailed Queen of the Kundiman and of the Sarsuela in 1979, at the age of 74.

Atang believed that art should be for everyone; not only did she perform in major Manila theaters such as the Teatro Libertad and the Teatro Zorilla, but also in cockpits and open plazas in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. She also made an effort to bring the kundiman and sarsuela to the indigenous peoples of the Philippine such as the Igorots, the Itas, and the Mangyans. She was also at the forefront of introducing Filipino culture to foreign audiences. At the height of her career, she sang kundimans and other Filipino songs in concerts in such cities as Hawaii, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

On May 8, 1987, "for her sincere devotion to original Filipino theater and music, her outstanding artistry as singer, and as sarsuela actress-playwright-producer, her tireless efforts to bring her art to all sectors of Filipino society and to the world," President Corazon C. Aquino proclaimed Atang de la Rama a National Artist of the Philippines for Theater and Music.

Atang de la Rama died on July 11, 1991. She was married to National Artist for Literature, Amado V. Hernandez.

The stamp above was issued on November 14, 2002, National stamp collecting month as part of a seiries on Great Achievers in Philippine Art.

The Great Filipino Series- Francisco S. Santiago on Stamp

Francisco S. Santiago was a renowned pianist, composer and teacher. He earned his masters degree and doctorate in music from the Conservatory of Chicago in 1924. He became the Director of the University of the Philippines College of Music from 1930-1946.

He was born in Santa Maria, Bulacan in January 29, 1889. Poverty didn’t stop him from pursuing his studies in piano, supporting him through school. In 1916, he became a piano instructor when the UP Conservatory of Music was established during the same year. The following year, his composition Kundiman, Anak Dalita, the first art song kundiman, was sung Royal Court of Spain upon the request of King Alfonso II. His masterpiece “Concerto in B flat minor” for pianoforte and orchestra was presented at the Chicago Music School, where he received his doctorate degree in 1924.

Upon returning to the Philippines, he became director of the UP Conservatory of Music from 1930 to 1946. He also directed the music for such films as Manileña, Madaling Araw, and Pakiusap. He died in September 28, 1947. Twenty-one years later, he was given a posthumous award as Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan by the City of Manila.

The stamp above is part of a set of five stamps in the Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos I) issued on June May 18,1989.

The Great Filipino Series- Antonio J. Molina on Stamp

Antonio J. Molina was called the "Dean of Filipino Composers". He was a prominent violoncellist, conductor and teacher. He wrote 500 compositions in his lifetime.

He 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 for 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.

Born into a musically inclined family, he raised his own family as music lovers as well, as three of his children pursued careers in music, and succeeded; they are Rostia, a pianist; Exequiel, a jazz musician; and Antonio Maria Jr., conductor and composer based in the US. In 1923, he obtained his teacher’s diploma in violoncello from the UP Conservatory of Music, gaining experience from such teachers as Nicanor Abelardo and Robert Schofield. He was among the Filipino musicians who used pentatonic scales and ethnic instruments such as kulintang, and gabbang in his symphonies.

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.

Molina has the distinction of being the first musician to be conferred the National Artist Award in 1973. He died on January 29, 1980.

The stamp above is part of a set of five stamps in the Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos V) issued on June 1,1994.

Great Filipino Series- Nicanor Abelardo Stamp

A composer, pianist and teacher, Nicanor Abelardo was best known for his compositions. His most popular works include the official song of the University of the Philippines,"U.P. Beloved","Mutya ng Pasig",and "Magbalik Ka Hirang".

Born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan in February 7, 1893, Nicanor Sta. Ana Abelardo was introduced to music when he was five years old, when his father taught him the solfeggio and the banduria. At the age of 8, he was able to compose his first work, a waltz entitled "Ang Unang Buko," which was dedicated to his grandmother. At the age of 13, he was already playing at saloons and cabarets in Manila. At age 15, he was already teaching in barrio schools in San Ildefonso and San Miguel Bulacan. All of these happened even before young Abelardo finally took up courses under Guy F. Harrison and Robert Schofield at the UP Conservatory of Music in 1916. By 1924, following a teacher’s certificate in science and composition received in 1921, he was appointed head of the composition department at the Conservatory. Years later, he ran a boarding school for young musicians, and among his students were National Artist Antonino Buenaventura, Alfredo Lozano and Lucino Sacramento. In the field of composition he is known for his redefinition of the kundiman, bringing the genre to art-song status. Among his works were "Nasaan Ka Irog," "Magbalik Ka Hirang," and "Himutok." He died in 1934 at the age of 41, leaving a prolific collection of more than 140 works.

The stamp above is part of a set of five stamps in the Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos V) issued on June 1,1993.

Great Filipino Series- Jovita Fuentes on Stamp

Jovita Fuentes was the founder of the Asociacion Musical de Filipinas, Bach Society of the Philippines and the Artists Guild of the Philippines. She received numerous awards for her talents as vocalist and dedication as a leader. She was named National Artist in Music 1976.

Jovita Fuentes was born in Capiz on February 15, 1895. At the age of 5, she already learned how to sing the habanseras and the danzas. She took formal lessons from Italian singer Salvina Fornari, who was the residing in Manila. For 5 years until 1924, she taught voice culture at the UP Conservatory of Music. She furthered her skills in opera and acting abroad in Italy under the guidance of Arturo Cadore, Luigi Kucenti, and Maestro Villani. Her performance as Cio Cio San in Puccini's Madame Butterfly in the spring of 1925 in Italy, earned for her international recognition. After that, she traveled to North America, the Philippines, Europe to perform such plum roles as Mimi in La Boheme; Liu Yu in Turandot; Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai Pe; and the lead role in Iris. In 1932, Richard Strauss took notice of her voice and chose her to star in his opera Salome. Her final recital was in 1945 in Manila. She retired from performing in 1955 to teach. She also pursued the establishment of the Music Promotion Foundation of the Philippines.

Hear her sing "Ay! Kalisud" circa 1928. Click here

The stamp above is part of a set of five stamps in the Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos VII) issued on June 1,1995.

"Tayo na sa Antipolo"

Antipolo Pilgrimage is a month-long celebration that brings devotees and pilgrims to venerate the "Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage" which is enshrined in Antipolo Church in Antipolo City. This is annually celebrated every month of May.

It is during the month of May when Filipino devotees to the Blessed Virgin from different parts of the country throng on the hills of Antipolo to make a pilgrimage at the shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage). The folk song “Tayo na sa Antipolo” vividly captures the festive air of this season in this rural town some decades ago. 'Tayo na sa Antipolo' 'at doo'y maligo tayo' 'sa batis na kung tawagin' 'ay Hi-hi-hinulugang Taktak' 'at doo'y kumain' 'ng mangga' 'kasuy at balimbing' 'kaya't magmadali ka at' 'tayo ay sumama sa Antipolo.'

The pilgrimage is a month-long celebration that sees devotees trekking up a much-trodden path leading to the religious shrine, more popularly known as the Virgin of Antipolo. The image is believed to be already three hundred years old and is said to manifest miraculous powers. According to historians, the venerated icon had on more than one occasion saved her galleon from wreckage by Dutch and British blockades, as well as pirates, while it sailed between Manila and Acapulco.

It is every 30th of April, the eve of May 1, that pilgrims make the trip. Afterwards, the usual side trip would be to Hinulugang Taktak, a waterfall just outside of town. It was made a National Park in the 80s.

The most stereotyped Antipolo-pilgrimage scene was that of a woman lying comfortable in a hammock or duyan while in her Maria Clara dress. Hammock was the Antipolo Transportation System. There were no roads to Antipolo –only footpaths. The most fashionable way to traverse the seven hills to Antipolo was in these primitive hammock-carriages. They were the original Philippine pedicabs. However, the extinction of the hammock came when the railway transportation in the Philippines extended it line all the way to Antipolo in 1908. By the 1920s the trip could be made by car in a couple of hours, but he nine-day stay in Antipolo was still a de riguer. So the family took along supply of clothes, beddings, food and liquor; rented part of a house and crowded into one or two rooms.”

The stamp above is a painting by Carlos "Botong" Francisco, Pilgrimage to Antipolo. One can also see musical notation of the song "Tayo na sa Antipolo" composed by German San Jose (Gerry Brandy) in 1929.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra on Stamp

The Manila Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest orchestras in Asia. Founded by Dr. Alexander Lippay in 1926, the orchestra has played a major role in Philippine history. Through the years it has hosted artists Montserrat Caballé, Yehudi Menuhin, Igor Oistrakh, Eugene Istomin, Fou Ts'ong, Barry Tuckwell, Paul Badura-Skoda and Rony Rogoff, as well as conductors Andre Kostelanetz, Arthur Fiedler, Mendi Rodan, Robert Feist, Gareth Nair and Helen Quach.

MSO has instituted two main programs intended to develop Filipino musical artistry and showcase Filipino musical talent, the "Young Artists’ Competitions" and the Luneta Concerts (known as “Concert in the Park”). The Manila Symphony Orchestra today has young musicians who are trained by the Philippine Research for Developing International Soloists (PREDIS), which was founded by Basilio Manalo and Sister Mary Placid Abejo at St. Scholastica’s College. Filipino conductors have taken the helm of the MSO, including Francisco Santiago, Basilio Manalo, and (currently) Arturo Molina.

In 1931 the Manila Symphony Society (MSS) with Mrs. Filomena Legarda as its president was formed to support the MSO’s regular season concerts. During the 1940s until the 1960s the orchestra was led by the Dr. Herbert Zipper who led the orchestra to perform major symphonic works, ballets and opera productions, giving Manila a significant place in Asia’s cultural landscape. Aside from performing in major concert venues in the country, the MSO was also visible to a great number of Filipinos through its televised performances in Concert at the Park series, an initiative of MSS president Mrs. Carlyn Manning.

The MSO was originally housed at the Metropolitan Theater in the 1930s, then in the FEU theater in the 1950s, Philamlife Auditorium in the 1960s and then in the 1970s and 1980s at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and back to the refurbished Metropolitan Theater. Unfortunately, severe financial difficulties caused the original orchestra to be disbanded in 1989.

In 2001, the Manila Symphony Orchestra was resurrected by its long time concertmaster, Prof. Basilio Manalo by elevating into professional status the Manila Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) which he founded in 1995. The members of this new group of musicians were mostly trained under the Philippine Research for Developing Instrumental Soloists (PREDIS), a special music development program founded by Prof. Manalo and Sr. Mary Placid Abejo of the St. Scholastica’s College.

At present the MSO is composed of around 60 musicians under the music direction of Prof. Arturo Molina. Many of the members of the MSO are professional musicians who, in addition to their leadership roles in the orchestra, are also active participants in the cultural life of the country as soloists, music educators, music arrangers, chamber music performers, entrepreneurs, bandmasters, and choir conductors. A significant part of the orchestra also composed of young music students who represent the best crop of young musicians enrolled in the different colleges and conservatories of music in Metro Manila. Many of these have been winners in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and have represented the country in various international music festivals and workshops.

The stamp above was issued on January 27,1976, the 50th Anniversary of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

The Kudyapi- The Philippine Two-Stringed Lute

The kutiyapi or kudyapi, is a Philippine two-stringed, fretted boat-lute. It is the only stringed instrument among the Maguindanao people, and one of several among other groups such as the Maranao and Manobo. It is four to six feet long with nine frets made of hardened beeswax. The instrument is carved out of solid soft wood such as from the jackfruit tree.

Common to all kutiyapi instruments, a constant drone is played with one string while the other, an octave above the drone, plays the melody with a kebit or rattan pluck (commonly made from plastic nowadays). This feature, which is also common to other related Southeast Asian "boat lutes", which were influenced by varying degrees by Indian concepts of melody and scale via the Malay archipelago.

Among the T'Boli, Manobo and other Lumad groups, the instrument (known as Hegelung, Kudyapi or Fedlung) is tuned to a major pentatonic scale. Among groups like the Bagobo, the Kutiyapi (Kudlung) is also used as a bowed instrument and is generally played to accompany improvised songs.

A characteristic difference between Mindanaon Moro Kutiyapi and the non-Islamized Lumad equivalents is the style and set up of vocal accompaniment. Among the Lumad groups, the kudyapi player and vocalist are separate performers, and vocalists use a free-flowing method of singing on top of the rhythm of the instrument, whereas among the Maguindanao and Maranao, there are set rhythms are phrases connected with the melody of the kutiyapi, with the player doubling as the vocalist (bayoka), if need be.

Also called: Kutyapi, Kutiapi (Maguindanaon), Kotyapi (Maranao), Kotapi (Subanon), Fegereng (Tiruray), Faglong, Fuglung (B'laan), Kudyapi (Bukidnon and Tagbanua), Hegelong (T’boli) and Kuglong, Kadlong, Kudlong or Kudlung (Manobo, Mansaka, Mandaya, Bagobo and Central Mindanao), Kusyapi (Palawan). Similar instruments played throughout the region include the Sape of Sarawak and the Crocodile lutes of Mainland Southeast Asia. Although they share a similar name, the Kacapi of Sunda on Java is a zither, and not a lute.

Las Piñas Bamboo Organ of the Philippines

The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, in the Parish Church of St Joseph in Las Piñas City, Philippines, is a nineteenth-century church organ made almost entirely from bamboo; only the trumpet stops are made from metal.

The organ, the church and the surrounding buildings have been restored to their 19th century state by Architect Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa and partner Ludwig Alvarez, making a trip to the site a popular excursion for Filipinos and foreign visitors alike.

The builder of both the church and its organ was Fr. Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen, a priest under the Augustinian Recollects. A native of Spain, he served as parish priest in Las Piñas through many endeavors. Historians portray him as a gifted man-natural scientist, chemist, architect, community leader, organist and organ builder.

Having previously built organs in Manila area with some organ stops made of bamboo he chose bamboo for most of this organ, and only the trumpet stops are made of metal. The choice of bamboo was probably both practical and aesthetic - bamboo was abundant and used for hundreds of items, both a practical and an artistic nature.

Fr. Cera began work on the organ in 1816, while the church was still under construction, and the organ was completed in 1824. During Fr. Cera's lifetime, disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons damaged both church and organ and Fr. Cera himself was the organ's first "restorer." Down through the years, natural disasters continued to take their toll; the organ was unplayable for years. Somewhat unexpectedly reassembled early in the 20th century, partial restoration took place from time to time up through World War II.

In recent years, several concerted attempts were made to save the instrument. In 1972, a contract for total restoration was awarded to Johannes Klais Orgelbau KG in Bonn, Germany, and it was shipped there in 1973. While the restoration of the organ was taking place in Germany, a massive project was completed at the church. With the help of the community of Las Piñas and many others in the Manila area, the church grounds were restored to its original state.

The restored organ returned home in March 1975, to a joyous welcome by the people of the Philippines. The joint restoration of church and the organ was a triumph of local and international cooperation. Since then the scene of many concerts and festivals, the Bamboo Organ is described by many international organ masters as one of the finest old organs in the world. Its construction of bamboo is noted as being one of the major factors that gives it a truly unique and lively sound.

The National Museum of the Philippines officially declared the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ a 'National Cultural Treasure' on November 24, 2003 for its uniqueness and significance. To retain a high standard of quality and reliability, the Bamboo Organ underwent a general overhaul from September, 2003 to November, 2004. This time, the work was done locally by Europe-trained organbuilders of the Diego Cera Organbuilders, Inc. who are also tasked to maintain the instrument so that future generations will be assured of hearing and experiencing the unique sound of a Philippine treasure.

From 1992 until present, Prof. Armando Salarza is the Titular Organist of the Bamboo Organ. Currently, he is also the Artistic Director of the International Bamboo Organ Festival. The 34th International Bamboo Organ Festival was held last February 2009 and is considered to be the longest-running International Festival in the Philippines.

The parish belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque. Its present parish priest is Rev. Msgr. Albert Venus. Msgr. Allen Aganon, parish priest from 1999 to 2004, is currently serving his missionary work in Peru.

The National Anthem of Bonaire

The Island Territory of Bonaire is one of five island territories (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, consisting of the main island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles.

As part of the Netherlands Antilles, Bonaire is also a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The structure of the relationship between Bonaire, the Netherlands Antilles and the Kingdom is planned for change under proposed legislation. The Netherlands Antilles is scheduled to be dissolved as a unified political entity on 10 October 2010, so that the five constituent islands would attain new constitutional statuses: Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius will become special municipalities of the Netherlands, while the islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten will become independent states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

An island of the Netherlands Antilles, itself a colony of the Netherlands, Bonaire, like every island in the Netherlands Antilles, have its own local anthem, including Bonaire. From 1964-2000, Bonaire's anthem served as the anthem for the entire Netherlands Antilles (without the lyrics) until a new anthem was written. The composer was J. B. A. Palm and lyrics by Hubert Obdulio "Lio" Booi.

The stamp above, a set of four, features the composer of the local anthem of Bonaire, J.B. Palm issued in 1989, Famous Persons Issue.