Julián Reyes Felipe (; : January 28, 1861 – October 2, 1944) was a Filipino composer of the music of the Philippine national anthem, formerly known as ''"Marcha Nacional Filipina"'', now known as "

Lupang Hinirang "" ('Chosen Land'), originally titled in Spanish as "" ('Philippine National March'), and also commonly and informally known by its incipit "" ('Beloved Country'), is the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Jul ...

Early life

Julián Felipe was born in Cavite Nuevo (the present-day

Cavite City Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( and ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people. The city was the capital of Cavite, ...

) on January 28, 1861, to Justo Felipe and Victoria Reyes. He studied at a public school in Cavite and

Binondo Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

for his primary education. At an early age, he showed his talent in music. He also learned how to play the piano and the organ. Later, he was hired by Fr. Pedro Catalan, a Recollect priest who instructed him in playing the piano, as an organist at San Pedro Apostol Parish Church in Cavite Nuevo. As an organist, Felipe was given the chance to hone his gift. Soon after, he was composing songs. He also became a music teacher at La Sagrada Familia, a girls' school. Among his early popular compositions were "Aurorita", "Moteti el Santesisimo", "Sintos y Floras Rogodones", "Amorita Danza", "Cintas y Flores", and "Reina de Cavite", the latter written in honor of Our Lady of Porta Vaga. In recognition of his contributions in the field of music, he was given awards and accolade and a membership to the prestigious Santa Cecilia Musical Society in 1895.

Involvement in the Philippine Revolution

When the revolution broke out, Felipe joined his fellow Caviteños who fought against the Spaniards during the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

. He was arrested and jailed at Fort San Felipe in Cavite, alongside the

Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite The Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite (; ) were Filipinos, Filipino Patriotism, patriots in Cavite, Philippines who were execution by firing squad, executed by firing squad on September 12, 1896, for cooperating with the Katipunan during the Philippine Re ...

. The martyrs were executed on September 12, 1896, but Felipe was found innocent and was subsequently released on June 2, 1897. After he was freed, he rejoined Aguinaldo's troops. He composed various nationalistic songs that inspired his compatriots to continue fighting against the Spaniards.

National Anthem

Emilio Aguinaldo asked Felipe to provide a stirring composition to be played in the historic proclamation of the Philippine independence. His composition ''Marcha Nacional Filipina'' was first played as

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

on June 12, 1898, in Aguinaldo's home in

Kawit Kawit, officially the Municipality of Kawit (), is an urban municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,535. It is one of ...

. It was adopted as the Philippine national anthem on September 5, 1938, by the Commonwealth Government. A dedicated music teacher and composer, he was later appointed by then-President Aguinaldo as Director of the National Band of the

First Philippine Republic The Philippine Republic (), now officially remembered as the First Philippine Republic and also referred to by historians as the Malolos Republic, was a state established in Malolos, Bulacan, during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish ...

in 1899. On the same year, he was imprisoned by the Americans at

Fort Santiago Fort Santiago (; ), built in 1571, is a citadel or castle built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is located in Intramuros, the walled ci ...

Intramuros Intramuros () 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. Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...

Later life

After the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, Felipe was also elected as councilor of Cavite. He also served as bandmaster of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in May 1904. His other works include “Douglas MacArthur March”, "Philippines, My Philippines" and "Un Recuerdo," which is dedicated to the Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite. He also taught piano lessons from 1902 to 1942.

Death

Legacy

A bust of Felipe can be found in Cavite City, located near San Sebastian College – Recoletos de Cavite. A public elementary school in Cavite City and an auditorium at De La Salle University–Dasmariñas are also named after him. In 1994, Republic Act No. 7805 declared January 28 of every year as a non-working holiday in Cavite City, known as the "Julian Felipe Day."

In popular culture

* Portrayed by

Lou Veloso Luciano "Lou" Mariñas Veloso (born January 7, 1948) is a Filipino actor, comedian, director and politician. He is known for his supporting roles in over 30 comedy films, which include ''Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang'' (1985), ''Pulis Patola'' (19 ...

in the 2012 film, '' El Presidente''.

References

External links

Historia de la Marcha Nacional Filipino
Full text document written by Julián Felipe on the history of the Philippine National Anthem. {{DEFAULTSORT:Felipe, Julian 1861 births 1944 deaths Filipino male composers Filipino music educators National anthem writers People from Cavite City Musicians from Cavite People of the Philippine Revolution People from the Spanish East Indies