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| Juan Banez, c1950s |
Juan Claudio Bañez (1908-1965) was a Filipino teacher, composer, arranger, concert pianist, organist, and choral conductor. He is primarily known today as the pianist who reconstructed Francisco Santiago’s Piano Concerto after the original was destroyed. This essay provides a short biographical sketch of the man, in hopes of bringing his legacy to light.
Early Life:
Juan Claudio Bañez was born on September 23,
1908 in San Carlos, Pangasinan.
He was born to a family of musicians: His father, Gregorio Bañez, was an
organ player; His mother, Maria Claudio, was a choir singer; and his eldest brother,
a priest, was a pianist.
Not much is known about Juan’s early life. It
can be assumed that he got his inspiration for music and the piano from his
brother and father.
Education and Career:
After winning a piano competition he was
granted scholarship to the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music,
entering in 1929, studying Piano under Francisco Santiago. He graduated in 1932
with the highest honors and obtained the Teacher's Certificate (Diploma). He
played his teacher's Piano Concerto on his graduation recital at the Metropolitan
Theater in Manila.
After graduating he went back to his home
province and established the Pangasinan Philharmonic Academy with him as
director and choral conductor.
He was a skilled pianist – His teacher Santiago
said about him: “He brings to the fore a
keen sensitivity of the rhythmic values of his every turn of the phrase. His
performances are alive with character. He never fails to generate his feeling
of case, spontaneity, and objectivity. His warmth is never managed.” He also won several piano
competitions, a notable one being the piano competition at Manila Carnival, where
he won a gold medal.
Throughout the 1930s he worked mainly as
teacher and conductor at his Academy in Pangasinan, and as a pianist in various
concerts in Manila, some of which were broadcasted live on radio. This is also
the time he would meet Hermenegilda Mejia, and the two got married sometime
after Juan graduated. Hermenegilda owned a dormitory for female music students of
the University of the Philippines.
War years:
Juan Bañez wasn't that active during the
Japanese Occupation, in part due to his Music Academy in Pangasinan closing
down due to the outbreak of World War 2. However, he still participated in some
music-related activities in Manila: In 1943 he was in a chamber group called
"Sampaguita Trio" with Rizalina Exconde, a prominent violinist, and
Norberto Polante, a cellist. This trio performed several times in 1943-44. He
also performed as a soloist in a concert in 1943, playing Santiago's Piano
Concerto.
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| Sampaguita Trio |
Later Career:
After the war, he became a Piano Teacher at his
alma mater the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music, teaching
there until 1951. He then got a post at the Philippine Women's University where
he would teach piano from 1951 until 1954. Among the notable students he taught
was Carmencita Sipin-Aspiras.
In 1952 he undertook a project reconstructing
his late teacher Francisco Santiago’s Piano Concerto. With the help of his
colleagues, they managed to reconstruct the Concerto entirely from memory, and
it was premiered in September 1952.
Ever since the war he always wished to go
abroad to pursue further education. So in 1954, with the encouragement of Ramon
Tapales, he left his teaching posts and went for the United States. He enrolled
at the University of Redlands in California in hopes of getting a Master’s
Degree in Music, obtaining it in 1957. His daughter Cecilia followed him to the
US in 1955 and the rest of the children a year later.
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| Juan and his daughter Cecilia |
The family would eventually live and settle in
California. There he would conduct various church choirs and participate in various
music activities. He and his daughter Cecilia were frequent performers at
Redlands Bowl and at a concert series named “Accent on Music.”
Juan Bañez eventually taught piano at the
University of Redlands, alongside teaching private pupils at his studio.
According to his daughter, he loved University of Redlands very much. He’d encourage
his students to enroll there once they’re in college.
Juan would travel back to the Philippines from
time to time, visiting friends and giving concerts - such as participating in
the Inaugural Concert for the newly-constructed Abelardo Hall Auditorium at UP
in March 1961.
He died on April 20, 1965 at San Bernardino
County Hospital, California due to Cerebral Hemorrhages due to Atheromatosis of
Cerebral Arteries.
Personal Life:
According to his daughter Cecilia, Juan’s only
interest and passion was music; his life was full of music – teaching students,
playing for friends and in concerts, studying, making, and writing about music.
Cecilia reminisced that her father was strict,
but in a loving and encouraging way. He would encourage Cecilia and other
students to always go further and learn something new. That is the philosophy
of Juan Bañez – He was always moving and learning new things.
Outside of the University, Juan and his teacher
Francisco Santiago were close friends.
In the 1930s he married Hermenegilda Mejia and they were blessed with 3 children: Juanito in
1938, Cecilia in 1939, and Orlando in 1942.
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Francisco Santiago's Piano Concerto and Juan Bañez:
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| Francisco Santiago, 1924 |
Francisco Santiago's Piano Concerto in B-flat
minor was written in 1924 as Santiago’s doctoral dissertation while he was
studying at Chicago. It was premiered at Chicago on June 15, 1924 as part of Santiago’s
graduation recital. He was assisted by his teacher Heniot Levy, who played the
accompaniment.
The Premiere at Chicago and subsequent
performances in Manila in 1925 were positively received; Santiago’s professors
and critics locally and abroad hailed the work as the composer’s masterpiece.
Francisco Santiago clearly trusted his student
very much, for Bañez was privileged enough to perform Santiago’s Concerto for a
total of 6 times under the baton of the composer. A few notable concerts are as
follows:
Juan Bañez played the Concerto in March 21,
1932 as part of a concert showcasing the newly graduated musicians from the
Conservatory at the Metropolitan Theater. Juan only played the 1st movement, of
which he was assisted by the Conservatory Philharmonic Orchestra under the
baton of the composer. This concert was broadcasted in radio.
Another performance happened on September 21,
1937. It was the Conservatory's 21st anniversary concert, where it was dedicated
to First Lady Aurora Quezon. It occurred at Villamor Hall in UP. In this case,
Juan played the full concerto, again with the composer conducting the
Conservatory Orchestra.
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| Advertisment for the 1943 performance of the concerto |
The last performance happened on March 21, 1943
at the Metropolitan Theater, during the Japanese occupation. Juan played the
concerto, but it was conducted by Ariston Avelino, with the New Philippines
Symphony Orchestra. This would be the final performance of the Concerto in its
original form before its destruction 2 years later.
Destruction and Reconstruction:
During the Liberation of Manila in February
1945, constant bombing and fighting by the Americans and Japanese completely
devastated the city. Historic buildings were burned along with countless
treasures and documents stored within them. Francisco Santiago’s compositions
weren’t spared – while escaping the bombings, a wooden cart full of his
compositions (many of them unpublished) and other valuables caught fire near a
church, destroying most of his compositions, including his most beloved Piano
Concerto.
Being a soloist of the concerto 6 times under
the baton of the composer, Juan seemed to be one of the people who knew the
lost Concerto the most besides the composer himself. So, when the Antipolo
Church Reconstruction Committee planned a fund-raising concert featuring
Santiago's works in 1952, it was no less than Juan Bañez who spearheaded the
reconstruction of the Concerto. With the help of no other than three would-be
National Artists: Antonino Buenaventura, Antonio Molina, and Felipe Padilla de
Leon and other colleagues, they finished reconstructing the Concerto on
September 12, 1952 and Santiago's great Concerto was finally heard again
shortly after.
There are 2 other performances of the concerto with him as soloist:
- California in 1956 (2-piano version with his daughter Cecilia accompanying him)
- UP in 1961, with Eliseo Pajaro conducting the UP Symphony Orchestra. An All-Filipino Concert to inaugurate the newly-constructed Abelardo Hall Auditorium
In 1963 he applied for Copyright Ownership of the Reconstructed Concerto and deposited a copy to the National Library.
At Present:
Today, Juan Bañez’s descendants still live in
California. Cecilia became a respected pianist and teacher in her own right.
Now in her 80s, she still performs piano at private recitals and teaches
students at her studio.
Juan’s reconstruction of Santiago’s Piano
Concerto unfortunately lingered in obscurity after his death. The UP
Conservatory (now UP College of Music) only owns an abridged version of the 3rd
movement, and this version was the basis of only 2 performances – in 1989
(Santiago’s Birth Centenary) and in 2015. It is unknown why the university
doesn’t own a copy of the full concerto.
The original score and parts of the
reconstructed Concerto were kept in the attic of the house of his descendants
for 60 years. Very fortunately for us, the scores are in great condition.
Perhaps it’s time to play it once again?
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Acknowledgements: Many thanks to the Bañez-Mondero Family: To Eric, who first contacted me regarding this matter, and for generously sharing documents and sheet music in their family’s collection; to Trish for organizing the interview; and especially to Juan’s daughter Cecilia, who generously shared her memories of her life and of her father. Thank you to Niccolo Vitug for providing documents for this research and accompanying me in the interview.
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List of Works/Arrangements:
- Santiago
- Piano Concerto (reconstruction) – In 3 movements. Reconstructed
entirely from memory with the aid of his colleagues.
- Lulay/Mountain
Serenade – Arrangement of the Folk Song
- Planting
Rice/Scherzino - Arrangement of the Folk Song.
Published.
- Fairy
Tale – Based on a Filipino Christmas Song.
- Nakpil - Recuerdos de Capiz (transcription) – a concert transcription of Nakpil’s Recuerdos de Capiz with additional bravura passages
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References:
"Santiago's Triumph is Real Thing" The Philippine Republic, Vol. 1, no. 10. October 1924
University of the Philippines - Inaugural Concert, March 17, 1961
Manuel, E. A. (1995). Santiago, Francisco. Dictionary of Philippine Biography (Vol. 4). Filipiniana Publications.
Banez - Planting Rice. Published Score. n.d.
Unpublished
Materials:
Personal Interview w/ Cecilia - July 24, 2021
Death Certificate - Dept. of Public Health,
State of California
Petri, Egon. Letter of Recommendation. February
24, 1960.
Banez - Nakpil's Recuerdos de Capiz (transcription)
Manuscript Score. June 4, 1952
Banez - Santiago's Piano Concerto in B-flat
minor. Orchestral Score and Parts. Manuscript Score. n.d.
Newspapers:
Redlands Daily Facts - May 22, 1957 "Juan
Banez To Present Masters Recital"
Redlands Daily Facts - October 25, 1957
"Cecilia Banez To Give Young Artist Concert"
The San Bernardino County Sun - December 1,
1954 "Concert Pianist From Philippines Takes Graduate Studies at Redlands
University"
The San Bernardino County Sun - April 21, 1956
"Filipino Father and Daughter Will Give Musical Program"
The San Bernardino County Sun - October 12,
1956 "Music Series to Feature Barstow Man, 2 Filipinos"
Taliba - September 20, 1937 "Ngayong Gabi
Idaraos Ang Konsiertong Handog sa Gng. Aurora Ni Quezon"
The Tribune - March 20, 1932 "Conservatory
Of Music Annual Concert Tomorrow"
The Tribune - September 16, 1937 "Musical
Corner"
The Tribune - September 21, 1937 "Society
Conservatory of Music Celebrating 21st Anniversary This Evening"
The Tribune - June 16, 1943 "Final Contest
of Music Concours To Be Held on June 19 and 20"
The Tribune - March 21, 1943 (Advertisment)
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