National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab celebrates lifee
ARTS AWAKE
Afew years back, the Cultural Center of the Philippines celebrated Ryan Cayabyab’s 60th Birthday by staging a festival of his music. I sat down with Ryan just before his special day, and for an hour I got to see and experience an amazing person.
What are your main considerations when you conceptualize music for orchestras, musicals, choirs, etc.?
You know Irene, I do not write music when it is not needed. So, what does this mean? I only write when I’m asked by an institution, client or an artist or somebody to write music for them. So conceptualizing is already taken care of by actually the person asking for it.
For example, if a producer wants me to write music for film, then you know what the story is about, then the music is basically given, the theme, the material. or if an artist wants me to write a song for him or her, and it depends if it’s a classical artist who wants a new kundiman or a quasi- art song, as compared to a regular pop song, then the concept of the music has already been discussed between us.
For orchestral music, let’s say like the one I did for the PPo. It was for solo violin and orchestra. So, if you ask me the type, how did I conceptualize the music for that, all I did was think of the violin as the instrument, what it can do and the conceptualization of the music. This is the nice part. The concept of the music is really up to me, there are no words. These are the very few times that I sit down and conceive a particular sound or a particular character of a certain piece of work. otherwise when I’m asked to write music, I just discuss it with the person asking.
People have this notion that composers sit down and wait for the music to enter and start writing. Most often composers, even serious ones, write when they are asked or requested or commissioned by a certain art group to write certain pieces of music for them. Maybe you know an orchestra, let’s say I am a good friend of the conductor of the Vancouver Symphony orchestra and they would ask `ryan can you write an orchestral piece?’ It also happened that way with a Japanese conductor for an SSA Treble Choir. He wrote me and commissioned me to write music for his choir.
Going back to your college days, who were the teachers you admired the most and learned composition techniques from?
I must have been a very lucky guy. My first composition teacher was Dr. Eliseo Pajaro. He studied abroad and when he came back, he was excited to teach new sound concepts.
My second teacher was National Artist Lucio San Pedro. Professor San Pedro’s training was very basic in harmonization; this is a very good tool for starting composers. And again, I was really lucky to have Prof. San Pedro as my teacher.
My thi rd composition teacher whom I learned a lot from and I admire him the most because I learned so many things aside from music. He taught me about f lying and not be imprisoned by the Western tonal style of harmonies, f lying and cutting tethers. My third teacher was Dr. ramon Santos, he was American trained.
My fourth teacher and last leading to graduation was Dr. Francisco Feliciano who was German trained.
All these things I learned from all my professors. The classical and the serious sphere of music, these are the things that molded me. My years at the UP College of Music, for me, were the best years of my life. Learning the basic tools and learning what makes music work.
Is it true that initially you did not take up music?
That’s a funny story, Irene. of course, I was very young then. You just follow your parents’ wishes. My father was just following my Mom’s wishes. She was 43 years old when she passed. I was 6 years old then. My Mom was an opera singer and she taught at the UP College of Music. Before she died, she told my Dad not to allow any of the children to take up music as a career. And so, we just followed the advice.
I entered UP majoring in Accounting, of course I didn’t finish that, because along the way I met Senator and Mrs. Laurel and they offered me a scholarship in music at the UP College of Music, and that’s where my life is now, in music.
What are the challenges you have to battle before you complete your music?
This is how I work — I think about the work at hand. I have so many ideas. Before I sit down in the piano, I would have had a better grasp of what I will be doing. It does not just happen in the piano. There is a seed planted in my mind, in my brain and I allow it to grow. And sitting on the piano is harvesting what was in my mind that was growing and letting it mature. But
when you start writing, and it’s for real, leave it for a while, then revisit it and you will see major and minor revisions.
But what are the usual challenges of creative artists? Sometimes the ideas dry up. It doesn’t become spontaneous, even if you will it. That’s the challenge there; it’s how to get it back. So, what do I do? I get out of there. I don’t think of music, I think of something else, like gardening, badminton, go out and eat which is what I like doing or go to the mall and do mundane things. But when I get back, I feel guilty about my work, I am raring to come back and look at it from a different point of view.
What is your favorite composition?
I don’t have a favorite composition. But I can tel l you several compositions which are significant in my life as a composer, like “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,” it was a turning point in my career. I was deciding if I should stop working in the music industry and go back to school but I won. Still, I went back to school and finished my course. Those works of mine represent a certain state of my mind at that particular time, its significance in my life; it tells you what you were doing. So, there’s no favorite time.
My works are like my children, and I don’t play favorites. I am happy with all of them.
What would you advise people who aspire to follow your footsteps someday?
I advise that they study the four elements of music. once you know it, it’s a giant step in creating music. You should do something that you really like; are you an authority in whatever you do? If you’re the best in what you do, that is what you need to do in your life. You don’t have to look for jobs, it will find you.
With so much accomplishment in life, do you have any realizations?
Life is short. I quote John Lennon and Paul McCartney, ‘Life is very short and no fighting and fussing. For you to enjoy life, work hard; don’t step on other people’s feet. In the end everything will turn out right.’ I may not sound realistic. In the end everything will work out right, especially if you believe that God lights up your way. Everything is okay because God is there. I am just a medium to be used by graces of God.