Josefino Cenizal (14 September 1916 – 27 March 2015) was a Filipino

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, and composer from

Tanza Tanza, officially the Municipality of Tanza ( tgl, Bayan ng Tanza), formerly known as Santa Cruz de Malabón, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 312,116 people ...

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

. In 1937, he began to direct music films at Parlatone-Hispano Films, which is where his musical career began. In 2010, he received the Dangal ng Filscap Award. His career spanned from the late 1930s to the 1970s. He is famous for adapting "

Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit This article lists Christmas carols sung by the Filipinos during local Christmas season. As with much Filipino music, some of these songs have their origins in the Spanish and American colonial periods, with others written as part of the OPM mo ...

" in 1938 with lyrics provided by

Levi Celerio Levi Celerio (April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002) was a Filipino composer and lyricist who is credited with writing over 4,000 songs. Celerio was recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines for Music and Literature in 1997. He is also known ...

from the original Cebuano

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...

entitled "

Kasadya Ning Taknaa ''Kasadya Ning Taknaa'' is a Cebuano Christmas carol composed in 1933 by Vicente Rubi with lyrics by Mariano Vestil. Its famous counterpart is '' Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit'', a modified version of the song written by Levi Celerio with lyrics in Tagalog ...

" composed by Vicente D. Rubi and Mariano Vestil.

Personal life

Josefino Cenizal was born to Rosario(Ymzon) Cenizal and Julio Cenizal on September 14, 1916 in

. He is also the only son of four children. His mother was influential to his musical roots, enrolling him at a music school at the age of 8. She also taught him a few instruments including the violin. Cenizal was married to fellow actor, Olivia Cenizal until her death in 2008. They had one child named Moppet.

Education

He studied at Manila Law College in 1948 and at the

Lyceum of the Philippines Lyceum of the Philippines University ( fil, Pamantasang Liseo ng Pilipinas) also referred to by its acronym LPU is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational higher education institution located at intramuros in the Manila, City of Manila, Phili ...

in 1954. He stopped studying law to pursue his musical career.

Career

His mother taught him violin and a method called solfeggio. Cenizal also taught himself to play the banjo. While studying at U.P. Conservatory of Music, he also played piano at late night radio stations when he was young. This paved the way for his career overseas. Cenizal honed his craft further by playing music in cruises during the summer At 17, he got his first job—conducting the US Army and Navy Club. He continued pursuing music while studying before he quit to pursue his passion. He was also a musical director/composer in several films in the late 1940s such as "Fort Santiago," "Kamagong:Bayani ng Mahirap"(Mahogany:The Poor's Hero) and "Siete Dolores"(Seven Dolores). From the late 1940s until his death, Cenizal composed over 30 songs.

Acting

He also starred in some films including Rosa Birhen(1940) “Rose Virgin” and Bicol Express(1957), and Milagrosang Kamay "Miraculous Hand" (1961).

Directing

Cenizal also tried his hand at directing. He was able to direct one of his own films, “Rosa Birhen” while acting. It was also during this time that he composed one of his famous songs called "Hindi Kita Malimot", which was used in the said film.

Works

References

External links

* 1910s births 2015 deaths People from Tanza, Cavite Male actors from Cavite Place of death missing Filipino folk composers Filipino film score composers {{Philippines-composer-stub