Mutya Ng Pasig by Nicanor Abelardo - Piano/Voice Music Sheet

Hi! As requested, here's the music sheet for Nicanor Abelardo's beautiful composition, Mutya Ng Pasig. As you can see, it is an ancient copy I have here, nevertheless, enjoy the music!:)

To download, please click on the images below. Or, you may choose to access it from my Google Drive link.

For music interpretation ideas, find out how I learnt the piece here.

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Mutya Ng Pasig - Lyrics with English meaning *

Tried my best to give the literal English translation. This song is written in very poetic Tagalog, and I know there can be a more poetic English translation. But my purpose here is for non-Tagalog-speaking readers and learners to understand the closest meaning as much as possible.

Here's a video courtesy of Mr Alfredo Villanueva. Click here to watch on youtube.

Music by Nicanor Abelardo
Words by Deogracias A. Rosario

Kung gabing ang buwan sa langit ay nakadungaw,
When at night the moon in the sky looks over,
Tila ginigising ng habagat sa kanyang pagtulog sa tubig.
As if the South wind awakens it as it sleeps on the water.
Ang isang larawang puti at busilak,
A vision of immaculate (pure) whiteness,
Na lugay ang buhok, na animoy agos
With hair let loose like flowing water,                       
Ito ang Mutya* ng Pasig*,
This is the Jewel of Pasig,
Ito ang Mutya ng Pasig.
This is the Jewel of Pasig.

Sa kaniyang pagsiklot sa maputing bula,
As she moves in the white foam of bubbles,
Kasabay ang awit, kasabay ang tula.
with a song, with poetry.

Dati akong paraluman*,
I was once a muse,
Sa kaharian ng pag-ibig,
In the kingdom of love,
Ang pag-ibig nang mamatay,
When love died, 
Naglaho rin ang kaharian.
The kingdom vanished.
Ang lakas ko ay nalipat,
My strength was put (transferred) into,
Sa puso't dibdib ng lahat,
The hearts of all,
 Kung nais ninyong ako'y mabuhay,
If you wish me to live,
Pag-ibig ko'y inyong ibigay.
Give (my) love*  (Share my love).

Kung nais ninyong ako'y mabuhay,
If you wish me to live, 
Pag-ibig ko'y inyong ibigay!
Give (my) love*  (Share my love).

* (Mutya: jewel, pearl, beloved) 
* (Paraluman: muse, fairy)
* Share the love (Love one another)
*Pasig - a place (now a city) in the Philippines; it also has a river called the Pasig river wherein I presume the Mutya ng Pasig emerges from in a "white foam of bubbles", as mentioned in the song lyrics above


Mutya Ng Pasig - Piano Accompaniment (Personal Story & Learning Tips) 
About the Composer - Nicanor Abelardo 

Rodolfo Soldevilla Cornejo

Rodolfo S. Cornejo, a composer, pianist and conductor, was born on the 15th of May, 1909, in Manila. His parents are Miguel Cornejo, Sr. and Crisanta Soldevilla. In 1949, he married Nieves Guerrero, a lyric soprano. The couple had five children. 

Rodolfo Cornejo started piano lessons with Gelacio Reyes at age six. At age eight, he had his first recital, and he became the organist of the Pasay Catholic Church. He wrote his first composition, Glissando Waltz, at age 10. He also wrote and published a military march, Salute, at age 13. At 16, twenty-six of his works had been listed by the United Publishing Co.. While he was finishing his high school, he was already enrolled at the University of the Philippines (UP) Conservatory of Music. 

At the UP Conservatory, he studied under Dr. Francisco Santiago, Nicanor Abelardo and Alexander Lippay. Barely three years after completing his high school, he obtained his teacher's diplomas in piano, science and composition. He taught for a year at UP, then left for the United States. He acquired a bachelor's degree in piano and theory at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University in 1932. He won the Wesley Le Violette scholarship in composition, went on to complete his master's degree in 1933. He studied with Rudolf Ganz and Glenn Dillard Gunn. 

In 1934, he returned to the Philippines, founded and directed the Manila Conservatory of Music. He again left for the US in 1939 to pursue doctorate studies in composition. He earned his doctorate degree in 1947 at the Neotarian College in Kansas City, USA. In his US sojourns, Cornejo was a soloist with various orchestras, such as the New York City Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra Association, and many others. During World War II, he played at concerts for the Allied Armed Forces. In 1941, he became researcher and official composer of the Philippine government-in-exile. In 1945, the Chicago Musical College awarded him an honorary doctorate in music. 

In the Philippines, he became director of the Cosmopolitan Colleges Conservatory of Music from 1948 to 1949. He also concertized. He wrote scores for twenty-seven films during his 10 years as musical director of Sampaguita Pictures. He is founding member of the League of Filipino Composers.

He wrote over 300 compositions. These ranged from classical to pop. His major works include The Season - Song Cycle (1932), A La Juventud Filipina (1935), Philippine Symphony No. 1 (1939), No.2 (1942),  and No. 3 (1947) all for piano solo; Oriental Fantasy (1944) and Philippine Fantasy with Marimba Solo (1962). He wrote music for the ballets Ibong Adarna (1970) and Baile de Ayer (1974). His cantata Christ the Redeemer for soloists, narrator, mixed chorus and orchestra, premiered at the Philamlife Auditorium in 1977. He also wrote a musical A Glimpse of Philippine Life and Culture, which premiered at the Seattle Opera House in 1978. He is listed in the International Who's Who in Music. 

Rodolfo Cornejo died in Manila on the 11th of August, 1991.

Angel M. Peña

Photo from Angel Peña Facebook page

Angel Matias Peña was born on the 22nd of April, 1921 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. He is a composer and bass player.  He received a certificate of merit in double-bass playing under a grant (with Gary Hickling as his mentor) and a Licentiate from the Royal Schools of Music, London.

He has arranged various jazz concerts for the Upsilon Sigma Phi at the University of the Philippines. He worked as the dance band leader at the Hong Kong Hilton for a time and conducted lecture-demonstrations, among others at the Thomas Jefferson Library in Manila in 1968, and at the University of Hawaii in 1975.

Among his compositions for orchestral music are Igorot Rhapsody (1958), Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (1969), Concerto for Jazz Quartet and Orchestra (1981) and Symphonic Variations on Two Manobo Themes (1983). He has also composed chamber music works.  His most popular kundiman is "Iyo Kailan Pa Man" with words by Levi Celerio.

Angel Peña won two first prizes at the Philippine National Compositions Contests. He also received a plaque from the Order of Knights of Rizal for his composition, Homage to Rizal. He has three long playing records of original compositions released in Manila, the United States and Germany.

Angel Peña is affiliated with the Performing Rights Society Ltd of London, the United Kingdom Song Writers Guild of Great Britain, the American String Teachers' Association, the Musicians Association of Hawaii, and the Audition Committee of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.

Read more about Angel M. Peña on the following sites:

Angel Peña on Facebook 

A Tribute To Angel Peña: Concert Poster & Composer's Bio

WikiPilipinas: Angel Peña

Article by Angel M. Peña: Tony Velarde 
Commentary by Angel M. Peña On Translating the Gongs

Antonio Jesus Naguiat Molina

Antonio Jesus Naguiat Molina was born on the 26th of December, 1894, in Quiapo, Manila. He is the son of Juan Molina, a customs inspector during the final years of the Spanish regime, and Simeona Naguiat. Antonio Molina was married to Pilar Siauingco with whom he had six children - among them are: Rostia, a pianist; Exequiel (Lito), a jazz artist and journalist; and, Antonio Maria, Jr., a US-based conductor and composer.

Antonio Sr.'s father founded the 22-piece Orquestra Molina, whose members lived and rehearsed in the family residence. At 12, Antonio Sr. could play the violin. The bandurria, mandolin, guitar, laud, bajo de unas and octavina, and the cello all followed later. 

He received his Bachelor's degree in 1909 at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Prior to that, he also went to the Escuela de Catolica de Quiapo, where he began his first formal schooling. In 1919, he enrolled at the University of the Philippines (UP) Conservatory of Music. His teachers included Nicanor Abelardo and the Conservatory Director, Robert Schofield. He obtained his teacher's diploma in 1923. From 1922 to 1924, he concertised extensively in Hanoi and other parts of Indo-China. He also taught at the UP Conservatory of Music and then at the Centro Escolar University. He functioned both as organizer and conductor of Philippine choral and rondalla music groups wherein he was also actively involved. He conducted the premiere of the Bach's Christmas Oratorio on the 14th of December, 1947, the first performance of Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni, and the first television choral concert to be presented in the Philippines. 

Molina's first composition, "Matinal" (1912), is preserved in an unpublished volume called Miniaturas, Vol. I. According to the composer, they are called Miniaturas because they do not seem to have arrived at a category of serious musical works. They are merely combinations of melody and harmony conceived during a moment of enthusiasm, passion, or humour, and later written down. They are products of inspiration and instinct, and not of technical studies in music. He then wrote a set of waltzes, Lamentos de mi Patria (Laments of my Fatherland) in 1913, and "Hatinggabi", his most famous violin piece (1915).

His hundreds of compositions include a sarswela entitled "Ana Maria", done while he was still in school. His most important orchestral works are Misa Antoniana Grand Festival Mass (1964) and Ang Batingaw (1972). Among his chamber music compositions are Prelude and Romanz for cello and piano (1928) and Bontok Rhapsody. Some of his piano works are Malikmata (1939) and We Were Moonlight (1941). His major works are composed of chamber music, choral, piano, violin, theatre, voice and violoncello music. Many of his works still have not been published.

Antonio Molina received numerous awards such as the Conductor of the Year Award (1953) from the Music Lovers' Society, the UP Conservatory Alumni Award and the Phi Kappa Beta Award (1972), among others. He was the first musician to be conferred the National Artist Award (12th June, 1972).

Antonio Molina, Sr. died on the 29th of January, 1980.

Learning Mutya Ng Pasig by Nicanor Abelardo - with some tips/guide on interpretation

MUTYA NG PASIG (The Muse of Pasig)

by Nicanor Abelardo
(You may download the free sheet music here. You can find the English translation here.)

I heard Mutya ng Pasig for the first time when a friend sang it to me many years ago. She actually made me sightread the piece on the piano - six flats and all. I remember, it was difficult. 

It wasn't until I heard it in my Art of Accompaniment class under the late Ma'am Nita Quinto (a couple of years since I first tried sight-reading it), that I realised how exceptionally beautiful this piece really is. 

The first technical difficulty I encountered upon studying the piece was the progression of arpeggiated chords in the introduction. Because of the flats, it was difficult at first to read them all. However, after analysing the chord structures and repeating the passage several times, I got it! 

Another hard part I found consisted of sixteenth-note passages on the 2nd page - first by the right hand, then by the left.  The changes in the dynamics further added to the difficulty. The first passage is supposed to be played f, the second passage ff (with the RH playing the melody in octaves), and finally the third passage to be played p. Again, it was the repetitive playing of these difficult passages that helped me play it right eventually.

The main problem I had on the 3rd page was how to make the piano sing the melodic phrases - to make them sound alive and breathing.... I recalled the wonderful feeling I had when I last heard this beautiful music (in my accompaniment class), and doing that actually inspired me to be very patient until I got the sound that I wanted. 

Personally, the most interesting part in studying Mutya ng Pasig was on the aspect of musical interpretation. The more I read and studied the piece, the deeper the meaning became to me.

I found out that the term "Kumintang" actually posed some kind of problem to students of Philippine music. In 1846, a French writer, in his book entitled, "Les Philippines", stated that the "kumintang" was very popular and was considered to be the national song or "national chant" of our country. According to another 19th century writer, Manuel Sastron, the "kumintang" is a dance origination from the province of Batangas and was often performed in the 17th and 18th centuries. But by 1895, it was no longer to be found in the area. I also learnt that from the last decades of the 19th century onwards, Filipino scholars have been concerned with the study and preservation of traditional Filipino culture towards the creation of a national identity. Thus, one of these cases is Abelardo's "Mutya Ng Pasig", which he calls a "kumintang".

After much analysis of the song text and the music, I came up with the following interpretation of the piece:

It all begins with the gentle sound of murmuring water... sparkling... gently flowing under the moonlit night...

In the mystery of the night, the peaceful flow of waters is gently agitated with the vision of a beautiful lady, all in glorious white ... her long hair flowing in the wind...like the gentle waters from which she slowly and gracefully emerges...

The waters become turbulent for a moment as she ascends... and then gradually settles back as she glides over,... and then,..... she sings her beautiful song...

Her song is of the past... of a kingdom once known, a kingdom of love where love for the country, love for the people, love for nature prevailed... there was love for peace, love for every one of God's creation, love for beauty... love for justice. She was a Muse from this Kingdom of Love.  

However, as many years went by, people began to think more and more about only themselves... they no longer cared for others, for the environment... and love for the country was lost... When love for others died, this kingdom vanished. And so did the Muse... 

She vanished and her strength shattered... scattered... leaving a piece of her strength in the heart of each one of us. The Muse has a message - we can build her kingdom of love again by putting together the pieces of strength she left in our hearts.  

Therefore, let us think of each other's welfare again, let us love our country, love Mother Nature and stop abusing her to satisfy our personal interests... Together, with one common goal - let us rebuild our Muse's Kingdom of Love.

Take note that I literally envisioned the above scene in my performance. I believe it worked as my teacher, Sir Laureola, expressed his approval and pleasure in listening. :)

The following texts (within quotation marks) are excerpts from a library book that I used as my guide to interpret this piece. Unfortunately, I had forgotten its title. If anyone knows where this is from, kindly leave your comments so I can give proper credits. Thanks! 

"The text of the song gives important clues into what the composer is trying to do. The songtext, by Deogracias Rosario paints us a picture of an apparition that comes to him one dark night. It is the spirit of the Mutya ng Pasig, as described earlier. The Mutya ng Pasig is a pre-colonial riverine goddess whose story Jose Rizal collected in the closing of the 19th century. The mutya tells the poet the story of her death and the disappearance of her kingdom from the earth. This image is a recurrent one in Philippine literature, quite like the Mariang Makiling or Inang Bayan, where people have turned away from the old ways and have adopted a new culture. The gods and goddesses have been neglected, and thus, they have withdrawn from human society. In the process, something valuable has been lost. The kingdom, the mutya says, can only be re-established if the people strive to rebuild it with the fragments of love hidden within each of them. Thus, we see the longing to recover an ancient heritage lost due to neglect and rejection. 

In this work, Abelardo seeks to integrate his training in Western music with his experience of his own native traditions. The whole song is in a harmonic progression acceptable to European compositional style. The song is divided into three sections, each separated by a short instrumental passage. In the opening section, the text sets the stage for the appearance of the mutya, and ends with the poet's recognition of the ghostly figure. The section ends with a dramatic cry, "Ito and Mutya ng Pasig" (This is the Muse of Pasig) and is in the key of Eb minor. It is then followed by a short section in which the mutya prepares to speak. This musically functions as a bridge between the first part, in the minor key and the last part which is in the key of Eb major. As the key changes, the mutya begins to weave her melodious and lyrical tale. The melody and intensity rise, and in this way bring her back to life. The singer ends with a triumphant coda. The work follows a conventional Western song form, skillfully changing from chord to chord, modulating from one key to another, and showing the composer's ability to put together a well-built art song. But Abelardo does more than this. He also tries to retrieve the fragments of an ancient tradition and weave it into his song and possibly recreate the spirit of the kumintang, the lost national song of his people. In the spot reserved for tempo markings, Abelardo puts the term, "Tempo de Kumintang". This seems to be a description of the rhythmic motive that dominates the piano, or instrumental line. 

He also places the term, "tagulaylay" above the vocal line, probably to describe the vocal style used. Tagulaylay is said to be a very ancient style of singing, and is said to be used in the "pasyon" and related song types. In this piece, Abelardo crystallizes the "pag-ibig" (love) that he returns to our ancient heritage."

Mutya Ng Pasig Piano/Voice Sheet Music 

Mutya Ng Pasig English translation