Antonio J.
Molina
1894-1980
Antonio Jesús Naguiat Molina (December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980) was a
renowned Filipino composer, cellist, conductor and educator, later honored as National
Artist for Music (1973). Born in Quiapo, Manila, he grew up in a highly musical
household and displayed prodigious talent from a young age. As a teenager he
mastered the violoncello and other instruments (both Western and Filipino). By 12 he
was already playing the violin and cello in his father’s orchestra, and he went on to
serve as solo cellist of the Manila Grand Opera House orchestra. These early
experiences laid the groundwork for a long career in which he composed, taught,
conducted and wrote about music. He studied at the University of the Philippines
Conservatory of Music under teachers like Nicanor Abelardo, and later joined its faculty.
Over the decades Molina became a prolific creator of music, a respected theorist and
musicologist, and a key institution-builder in Philippine music.
Molina’s output spans orchestral, chamber, vocal and stage works. His most
famous piece is the violin‐and‐piano serenade “Hatinggabi” (At Midnight), often cited as
his hallmark composition. Other major works include a grand orchestral Misa Antoniana
(Grand Festival Mass) (1964), the orchestral tone poems “Ang Batingaw” and
“Kundiman-Kundangan”. In chamber music he wrote a String Quartet, the dramatic
song-cycle “Kung sa Iyong Gunita”, and the piano/voice fantasy “Pandangguhan”,
among others. Molina also composed numerous art songs and choral pieces, such as
“Amihan”, “Awit ni Maria Clara” and “Larawan ng Pilipinas”. These works demonstrate
his mastery of both Western classical forms and Filipino melodic themes.
Contributions and Recognitions
National Artist and Awards: In 1973 Molina was the first musician named
National Artist of the Philippines for Music in recognition of his lifetime achievements.
He won many other awards during his career (e.g. Conductor of the Year (1953) and the
Phi Kappa Beta Award (1972)), reflecting his stature in the Filipino cultural scene.
Educator and Mentor: Molina served for decades on the faculty of the UP
Conservatory and later as Dean of the Centro Escolar University Conservatory of Music.
He taught and mentored generations of Filipino musicians. Notably, his students
included leading composers and educators such as Lucrecia Kasilag and Felipe Padilla
de Leon. Through his teaching and administrative leadership, Molina helped formalize
music education in the Philippines and inspired a new wave of composers.
Triumvirate of Composers: Molina is widely regarded as the third pillar of the
country’s early 20th‐century classical music “triumvirate” (with Nicanor Abelardo and
Francisco Santiago), which collectively forged the first nationalistic movement in Filipino
art music. This group is credited with expanding Philippine music “beyond the realm of
folk music”. Under Molina’s influence, Philippine music began to balance Western art
music techniques with indigenous elements, setting a nationalist direction for future
composers.
Molina’s style blends late-Romantic lyricism with early 20th-century modernist
color. He embraced Impressionist techniques. NCCA notes that he introduced the use
of whole-tone and pentatonic scales, as well as rich extended harmonies (dominant
ninths and eleventh chords), into Filipino composition. His piano piece Malikmata
(1939), for instance, shows Debussy-like chordal textures and an “exotic” flavor of
modal scales. At the same time he always incorporated Filipino idioms. He was “one of
the first composers to combine ethnic/native instruments with Western instruments” and
to blend Eastern (Filipino) melodic modes with Western harmony.
In practice this meant writing art songs and piano pieces using kundiman-style
melodies or folk-inspired themes, or scoring works for native ensembles alongside
Western orchestra. Through this fusion of traditions, Molina created a distinctly Filipino
classical sound. His pioneering integration of native melodies, scales and rhythms into
formal compositions helped shape a Philippine musical identity in the mid-20th century.
