Antonio Jesús Naguiat Molina (December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

composer, conductor and music administrator. He was named a

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippin ...

for his services to music. He was also known as the

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

of the Philippines due to his use of

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

themes in music.

Early life

Molina was born in Quiapo,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, the son of Juan Molina, a government official, who founded the Molina Orchestra. He attended the Escuela Catolica de Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno in

Quiapo, Manila Quiapo () is a district of the city of Manila, in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Referred to as the "Old Downtown of Manila", Quiapo is home to the Quiapo Church, where the feast of the Black Nazarene is held with millions of p ...

, and college at

San Juan De Letran 250px, Basilica and Palace - side view Lateran and Laterano are the shared names of several buildings in Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the Roman Empire. The Laterani lost their properties to Emperor Constantine ...

where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1909.

Musical career

Molina made his first composition in 1912 titled ''Matinal'', which is preserved in an unpublished volume called ''Miniaturas, Vol. 1''. He was appointed to teach harmony, composition, music history, and violincello at the UP Conservatory of Music, pursuing a career in music education until being appointed dean of the Centro Escolar Conservatory of Music. He founded the CEU String Quartet which was professionally organized and financed by its music school. As a composer Molina is credited with over 500 compositions.

Influences

Molina stated in his interview conducted by Helen F. Samson that his music was usually inspired by literature, with his favorite being ''La Novia Muerta'' by Ruben Daria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molina, Antonio 1894 births 1980 deaths 20th-century composers Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani Colegio de San Juan de Letran alumni Filipino classical composers Musicians from Manila National Artists of the Philippines People from Quiapo, Manila