Lucio San Pedro

Lucio San Pedro
Savellano, Gad Xavier R.

MUSIPM1
WF / 8:00 – 9:30
CRADLED BY MUSIC
B
orn on Feb. 11, 1913, Lucio was the fourth of eight children of Soledad Diestro and
Elpidio San Pedro. Soledad came from a musically inclined family: Her father,
Rafael Diestro, who was Lucio’s earliest musical influence, played the church organ
while her mother sang in the choir.
Not surprisingly, the young Lucio grew up
learning how to play an array of musical
instruments—from violin and the banjo to
the Filipino banduria and octavina. By the
time he was a teenager, he became a
church organist replacing his grandfather
and started composing songs, hymns and
two complete masses for voice and orchestra and joined the Angono Municipal Symphonic
Band, which was founded by his father, to further hone his gift in composition and conducting.
Determined to carve a career out of music, he entered the University of the Philippines
Conservatory of Music as a scholar. Under the tutelage of nationalist composers like Antonio
Molina, Lucio grew more as an artist, winning different accolades both during and after his
collegiate years.
With a teacher’s diploma, he later earned a faculty position in the composition department of
the Centro Escolar University. He also served as the conductor of the Musical Philippines
Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1946, his tone poem Hope and Ambition won a special prize in a composition contest held
to celebrate the inauguration of the Third Philippine Republic. The victory made him a scholar
of the Filipino Youth Orchestra, enabling him to study at the Juilliard School of Music in New
York City in 1947.
Despite being taught by nationalist composers in UP, it was at the Big Apple when Lucio finally
realized the potential of using folk music to make his works more relevant to his countrymen.
His mentor, Professor Bernard Wagenaar, suggested that he develop only a part of the folk
melody, instead of the entire folk song, to “emphasize racial origin.”
From then on, Lucio had seamlessly embraced his roots and injected his personality into every
music he created, earning him the title “Creative Nationalist.” Using the language that the
common people easily understand, Lucio created an impressive body of work that has stood
the test of time.
Lucio D. San Pedro, composer of the first Filipino violin concerto (D Minor Concerto) and sole
Filipino jurist at the Sixth Van Cliburn International Symphony in Forth Worth, Texas, earned
his teacher’s diploma in Composition and Conducting at the UP Conservatory of Music. He
proceeded to the Juilliard School of Music in New York for his post-graduate studies in
composition. He won the first prize in the following competitions: 1936 UP National Heroes
Day Writing Contest; 1956 President Laurel March; 1943-44 Labor Day March Contest; 1956
National Eucharistic Congress of the Philippines Hymn Contest; and 1956 National Band
Competition. He was also the best band conductor for 1962 and 1963. He received a special
prize in the 1946 National Composition Contest and the 1962 Republic Cultural Heritage
Award. On May 9, 1991, President Corazon C. Aquino proclaimed San Pedro a National Artist
of the Philippines for Music.

Chance Encounters
T
he year was 1948. Lucio left New York
for his motherland on board the ship
SS Gordon. With him was a
composition originally written for a government-
sponsored contest 10 years earlier, but never
came to fruition for lack of lyrics. It was based on
the melody that his mother, Soledad Diestro, used to hum to put Lucio and his siblings to bed. It
was, for all intents and purposes, his only remaining link to his lost childhood, a tribute to his
mother’s pure love that always brought him back to his roots.
As fate would have it, Lucio finally found his lyricist on the same ship. Levi Celerio, who would
later become celebrated as the “world’s only leaf player,” boarded SS Gordon when it anchored
in Honolulu, Hawaii. Celerio was with a group of Filipino musicians who recently staged a
performance in the said city.Taking into account the composition’s original inspiration, Levi
Celerio magically poured words into the paper, giving birth to a bittersweet song created just as
much for adults as it is for children—“Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan” (The Sway Of The Baby Hammock).
Sana’y di magmaliw ang dati kong araw

Nang munti pang bata sa piling ni Nanay
Nais ko’y maulit and awit ni Inang mahal,
Awit ng pagibig habang ako’y nasa duyan.
Sa aking pagtulog na labis ang himbing
Ang bantay ko’y tala ang tanod ko’y bit’win
Sa piling ni Nanay, langit ang buhay
Puso kong may dusa’y sabik sa ugoy ng duyan.
Ibig kong matulog sa dating duyan ko Inang
O! Ina.
By the time the ship arrived in Manila, “Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan” was finished. What started as a
melody from a lullaby evolved into an endearing song about one’s longing to a time when our
mothers’ voice and gentle rocking of the hammock were enough to pacify our restless spirits. A
time we’d never think twice of revisiting, if only we could turn back the clock.
A Mother’s Legacy
ince its conception, “Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan” has been played in various forms and
S venues, leaving many listeners teary-eyed. First performed by classical singers
Aurelio Estanislao and Ebely Mandac, the song is now interpreted by an endless list
of popular idols, finding new audience from different social classes and walks of life. It also
became the fourth part of the Suite Pastorale, Lucio’s 1956 musical piece that vividly depicts the
beauty and romance of his hometown, Angono, Rizal.
Lucio San Pedro, or “Maestro” as he was fondly called, produced several compositions after
“Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan.” But it’s this masterpiece that he will always be remembered for. Proclaimed
a National Artist in 1991, the Maestro spent his last days composing or conducting symphonic
poems near the lake, undeterred by the advertisers and establishments who selfishly used “Sa
Ugoy Ng Duyan” without his permission.
He died in 2002 of heart attack, a few days before his fellow National Artist and collaborator Levi
Celerio succumbed to multiple organ failure. Both” pillars of Philippine music,” these two men
left us with a legacy that immortalizes a mother’s unconditional love. A love that inspires and
keeps our feet on the ground. A love that can move mountains and bring out the great in us.
Soledad Diestro must be smiling from above.

REFERENCES:
http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-
of-the-philippines/lucio-san-pedro/
http://freeway.ph/lucio-san-pedro-national-artist-for-music/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucio_San_Pedro
http://rizalangono.weebly.com/lucio-san-pedro.html
https://filipiknow.net/tag/lucio-san-pedro/
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/296915/sa-ugoy-ng-
duyan-composer-lucio-san-pedro-gets-commemorative-stamp/story/

Lucio San Pedro

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lucio San Pedro

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lucio San Pedro

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lucio San Pedro

Savellano, Gad Xavier R.

while her mother sang in the choir.

Not surprisingly, the young Lucio grew up

learning how to play an array of musical

instruments—from violin and the banjo to

the Filipino banduria and octavina. By the

time he was a teenager, he became a

church organist replacing his grandfather

and started composing songs, hymns and

York City in 1947.

melody, instead of the entire folk song, to “emphasize racial origin.”

the test of time.

his teacher’s diploma in Composition and Conducting at the UP Conservatory of Music. He

of the Philippines for Music.

for his motherland on board the ship

SS Gordon. With him was a

composition originally written for a government-

sponsored contest 10 years earlier, but never

came to fruition for lack of lyrics. It was based on

Sana’y di magmaliw ang dati kong araw

S venues, leaving many listeners teary-eyed. First performed by classical singers

beauty and romance of his hometown, Angono, Rizal.

Ugoy Ng Duyan” without his permission.

Soledad Diestro must be smiling from above.

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.