Fernando Canon Faustino y Alumno (August 6, 1860 – July 18, 1938), 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 ...
revolutionary general, poet, inventor, engineer, musician, and the Philippines 1st National Chess Champion in 1908.
Life and career
![Fernando Canon young](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Fernando_Canon_young.jpg)
Fernando Canon was born to Fernando Canon and Blasa Alumno, a wealthy land owner in
Biñan
Biñan (), officially the City of Biñan ( fil, Lungsod ng Biñan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 407,437 people.
Biñan, also known as Biniang, has ...
. At an early age Canon's family moved out of
Biñan
Biñan (), officially the City of Biñan ( fil, Lungsod ng Biñan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 407,437 people.
Biñan, also known as Biniang, has ...
and transferred to Cabildo street in ''
Intramuros
Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.
Present-day I ...
.'' Canon studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila and subsequently moved to Spain where Canon pursued his medical studies at the Universidad Central De Madrid, now the
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loc ...
.
While in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
Canon met Teresa Batlle, who later became his wife.
Being a childhood friend of
Jose Rizal
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Gali ...
, the two maintained a correspondence; their letters are in possession of Canon's granddaughter Maria Teresa Canon Garcia, the custodian of his momentos. Like Rizal, Canon was a polyglot speaking six languages:
French,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
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 ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
. Canon and his wife brought the first copies of the''
Noli Me Tangere'' into the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Canon served as a cabinet member of the
Revolutionary Government of the Philippines
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.
...
as Secretary of Welfare and Director-General of Public Works. In the
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
, Canon served as a General in
Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya ( ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Vizcaya; gad, Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; tl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Vizcaya ), is a landlocked province in the ...
. He was exiled to Spain where he taught electrical and mechanical engineering and had a clinic. He refused to swear allegiance to the United States and rejected his pension as a veteran of the Philippine American War. Upon returning to the Philippines in late 1907 and taught at the ''Liceo de Manila'', now
Manila Central University
The Manila Central University also referred to by its acronym MCU, and formerly named as the ''Escuela de Farmacia del Liceo de Manila'') is a private, non-sectarian, stock basic and higher education institution located on EDSA, Caloocan, ...
.
Canon died on July 18, 1938.
Literary works
The first published poem of Canon was under the pseudonym ''kuitib,'' it was the sonnet ''a las dalagas malolenses'' which appeared in 1889 in the newspaper ''
La Solidaridad.'' This ode to the young women of
Malolos
Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people.
It is the capital city ...
, who had requested Spanish classes in the evening, allowed Canon to make a poem about hidden progress and changes:
''Gold, though covered by slag, emerges much brighter through fire''[
The poem ''Flor ideal'' (“Ideal Flower”) was published in the second issue of Cultura Filipina in May 1910 and later on it also appeared in the last pages of the book containing Canon's long poem A la Laguna de Bay.]
In the anthology ''Parnaso Filipino,'' published around 1923, Eduardo Martín de la Cámara included two poems of his: “Flor ideal” y “Rizal artista.” Two of Canon's poems dedicated to Rizal were part of the book ''Poesías dedicadas a José Rizal'' by the 1961 Philippine National Centennial Commission.[
The essays of Canon: ''Cundiman,'' ''Kuriapi,'' ''Kawit,'' ''Fire-resistant roofs for light materials,'' ''Ohm’s Law,'' and ''Practical Memories'' appeared in Cultura Filipina, a monthly arts and science magazine in the ]Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, between 1910 and 1914.
In ''Practical Memories,''[ Canon remembers a beautiful vegetable garden that he discovered during his daily trips from Sarriá (Spain) to Barcelona. This is an excerpt that shows Canon's style:
''The windmills quivered soundlessly at the slightest blow of breeze and drops or trickles of water gathered at the pond to be distributed, as dew, as cleaning or underground water with temperature and fertilizers that allow the early exuberant growth of small red radishes, artistically clustered here, and there minute cucumbers, now compact ivory lettuce, and in its season, the coveted succulent asparagus and even the ridged watercress...''
The memory of this orchard is a comparison that Canon uses to discuss the situation of cultivation and the use of land in the Philippines.]
In 1921 Fernando Canon published his narrative poem ''A la Laguna de Bay;'' the poem objectifies to show how Philippine esoteric knowledge
and spirituality can intertwine with technology, philosophical thinking, and modernity.[
]
Other achievements
Canon's inventions included improvements to electrotherapeutic devices,[ a soap for lepers, and a cane that doubled as a stun gun.]
Canon studied classical guitar with Francisco Tárrega
Francisco de Asís Tárrega Eixea (21 November 185215 December 1909) was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the late Romantic period. He is known for such pieces as Capricho Árabe and ''Recuerdos de la Alhambra''. He is often calle ...
in Spain. He became the first secretary of the Conservatory of Music of the University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...
when it was founded in 1916. He wrote an article on the ''kuriapi'', a traditional Philippine string instrument that he also played.[
Canon was also a chess player. In 1905 Canon won the first Catalan Chess Championship held at the Sportmen's Club of Barcelona, and upon his return to the ]Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
he won the first national chess championship in 1908. After winning the championship, there is no further record of Canon ever competing in another chess tournament.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canon, Fernando
People of Spanish colonial Philippines
People of the Philippine Revolution
Filipino people of Spanish descent
Filipino revolutionaries
Filipino inventors
Filipino generals
20th-century Filipino scientists
Filipino writers
Filipino chess players
Classical guitarists
1938 deaths
1860 births