Editors’ Note: The Archdiocese of Caceres presented SERVUS TUUS SUM, a concert in celebration of the Installation and Canonical Possession of His Grace, Most Reverend REX ANDREW C. ALARCON, D.D. as the fifth Metropolitan Archbishop of Caceres. The concert was held on May 2, 2024, 6:30 PM at the Arrupe Convention Hall, Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City. “Servus tuum sum” which means “I am your servant” is the motto of Archbishop Alarcon.
My late father, sitarist Prof. Joey Valenciano, once described musical performance as a “gift” for the audience. In my view, this was how Prof. Ena Maria Aldecoa’s newly formed chamber music ensemble, consisting of herself as soprano, Prof. Antonio “Tony” Maigue on flute, Prof. Lester Demetillo on guitar, and Prof. Augusto “Agot” Espino on piano. They are some of the finest musicians in the Philippines in their respective instruments, and they performed last May 2, 2024, to celebrate the installation of Rev. Alarcon as Archbishop of Cáceres, as well as for their fellow man, and, by extension, God Almighty.
The concert took place in Ateneo de Naga University’s Arrupe Convention Hall at 6:30 PM in the evening. When Prof. Aldecoa – my former professor in Art of Accompaniment and Harpsichord during my college years at the U.P. College of Music – sent me an invitation online, I leapt at the opportunity to meet and witness the “all-star cast” performance of these U.P. professors I had not interacted with for so long (since my graduation in 2020 before the pandemic lockdowns took place). I duly informed and asked my mother, Daisy Ragragio Valenciano, also a retired U.P. College of Music professor, friend of Ma’am Ena, and alumna of the Ateneo de Naga University where she took an undergrad in English, to join me in watching the concert.
The program itself was divided into two halves, separated by a 10-minute break. For the first half, Western repertoire was performed, beginning with a song by Renaissance composer Henry Purcell (Strike the Viol) and ending with a lively tango number by Astor Piazzolla (Bordello 1900). This was an occasion where I had again, for so long a time, experienced what I felt to be true music making, something which takes decades of dedication to discipline to achieve. Ma’am Ena’s voice as soprano carried the program with what struck me as a dramatic Schubertian timbre (likely due to her specialization in Art Song repertoire). Sir Tony Maigue brought my spirits to life with the tone of his flute with an experience I only knew existed but had not felt in real-time for years. Sir Lester’s fluency on the guitar manifested with a kind of sensation I felt wherein a seemingly very common and down-to-earth musical instrument suddenly sounded as if it had come from a higher plane of existence. And last, but not least, Sir Agot Espino reminded me of that very natural and elegant touch on the keyboard I had scarcely heard even among many known European masters today.
Much thought was evidently put into the planning of the repertoire, with slow and sentimental music alternating with lively numbers. One piece I was familiar with was Claude Bolling’s “Sentimentale”, a flute composition was re-arranged for flute and piano. I was intrigued at how Sir Tony and Sir Agot’s interpretation seemed to take its own course in comparison to the original recording with Bolling yet establish itself as an equally appealing approach to the work. Whereas I remember the original being grounded and astute even if melancholic, Sir Tony’s rounded, lengthy phrases combined with Sir Agot’s regal touch (reminiscent of the romantic-era piano virtuoso Adolf von Henselt) transformed the French chanson into something like a Filipino kundiman, which conjured images in my mind of flowers freezing under a ruthless winter wind.
The second half of the program consisted of Filipino music which combined works by renowned local composers of the past, Ma’am Ena and Sir Agot, folk songs, and works written by Ateneo personnel (Fr. Manoling Francisco, Fr. Noel Alforte, Fr. Miguel Juguera, and Rolando Dolor), which included Filipino liturgical works. Here, I finally got the chance to witness Ma’am Ena perform live her own arrangements of folk songs (including the Bicolanos’ favorite Sarung Banggi), which I had previously only watched from “Mga Awit ni Pina”, a children’s educational documentary where she was featured.
Most Rev. Alarcon concluded the program with an ingenious speech about the role of music from his perspective as a minister. He likened music performance as a way to evangelize through beauty itself, where ascending scales played the part of a celestial staircase to God – an analogy I found myself comparing with Russian composer Scriabin’s “Mysterium”, which was intended to transform the world into a state of bliss through a musical ritual in the Himalayas.
The Archbishop mentioned that in music, the artist becomes more than a master of his craft – he becomes a servant, and an instrument through which the real Master, the Almighty, plays His cosmic tunes. In response to this idea, I would say that when one has involved himself very deeply with his craft, he subsides into a state of being where he allows himself to dissolve into the music, which ends up steering him like an outside force.
I was very grateful to have had a little reunion with the teachers I had so admired since my college days. When I first glanced upon them seated demurely in a corner, waiting for their call to action, none of them seemed to have aged a day – on the contrary, they seemed even more youthful than I remember them. I fancifully hypothesize that direct and healthy involvement with music makes one young at heart. I also felt at home involving myself once more with the Ateneo after nearly a decade since my graduation from Ateneo de Manila High School. Once again, I had witnessed the eloquence and practical philosophy of the Jesuits which I felt could be very usefully applied to a musical career. This night, the all-star cast of virtuosi served as Men and Women for Others through their performance. I firmly believe that, after the complexity of rigorous training and deep reflection, the mission of a musical artist is simple – bring man to God through music. This, I feel, is the meaning of service from an artist’s perspective. Music itself is service.
Header image shows the chamber music ensemble from left to right: Augusto A. Espino, piano; Ena Maria R. Aldecoa, soprano; Antonio R. Maigue, flute; Lester D. Demetillo, guitar.
About the Soprano
Ena Marie Aldecoa serves as Chair of the Keyboard Department at the University of the Philippines College of Music since August 2015. She also is Artistic Director of the Art Song Academy Manila. She plays on a Steingraeber Grand. She graduated with AB English and BM Piano, Universidad de Sta. Isabel, Naga City, Camarines Sur; MM Piano and MM Voice, University of the Philippines; Professor, UP College of Music; Soprano and Concert Pianist; Member, Philippine Madrigal Singers; former Member and Rehearsal Master, UP Concert Chorus.
Part 5 of the concert features Filipino folk songs including Prof. Ena Marie Aldecoa’s arrangement of “Sarung Banggi” for voice and piano. Click link or image to view.
About the author
JOSE JUAN FRANCISCO MARCO RAGRAGIO VALENCIANO is a pianist and graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Music, where he finished with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Magna cum Laude. He credits his parents for nurturing his love for music which began from childhood. – his mother Daisy and late father Joey, both musicians and professors at the UP College of Music. His father, a sitarist and jazz drummer, introduced him to Indian classical music and jazz, while his mother, a former Madrigal singer and professor of Music Education, cultivated in him the love for European classical music. He was mentored by UP Professors Ces Pitogo, Nita Quinto, and Pia Balasico. Marco believes in following the path of the European composers of the Romantic period, who incorporated the folk music and native traditions of their countries to spearhead the burgeoning nationalism at the time, by applying what they did to a Philippine context. He feels that his interest in the Bikol music scene is one significant step to fulfilling this paradigm.
