Mike Velarde

Early Life, Education, & Work

Miguel “Mike” Guison Velarde Jr, composer, conductor, movie actor, and musical director was born in Manila on October 23, 1913 as the second of two children of Dr. Miguel Velarde, Sr. and Dolores Guison. His family moved to Zamboanga when he was only one year old and where he spent the succeeding eighteen years of his life. His exposure to the unaffected and unpretentious environment of Basilan and Zamboanga had influenced his creative imagination, mainly nurtured by his mother who became his first music teacher in piano and violin when he was six years old. 

Velarde studied at the Zamboanga Normal School, where he became a member of the school orchestra and graduated as valedictorian. He then went to Manila to pursue medicine at the University of the Philippines, but later realized that it was music that he truly loved. He learned the basics of harmony and composition from Antonio Molina and Ariston Avelino as he further deepened his musical knowledge through self-study.

 Later, when his father however objected to his plans to pursue a music career, he went on to support himself as a bus conductor to realize his dream. He later got a job at a radio station where he was featured as singer and jazz composer in its morning and evening programs. He also opened a jazz school and became song editor for the Philippines Free Press. 

Velarde eventually went into writing Tagalog songs, composing the song Ugoy-Ugoy Blues which opened opportunities for him in the movies. He had a jazz band known as “Mike Velarde’s Jazztocrats.” He became editor of the Literary Song Movie Magazine. 

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Achievements, Recognitions, and Compositions

Velarde composed musical scores for Sampaguita Films’ movie productions and managed its advertising department. Among his most important works were Luksang Tagumpay, which received the FAMAS (Filipino Movie Arts and Sciences) Award for Best Picture (1960) and for which he wrote its story and screenplay, and Alaala Kita for Best Director (1961). He attributes substantive influence from American composer and songwriters Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. 

Velarde created his own style as he composed highly melodious and romantic songs such as Ikaw, Lahat ng Araw, Habang, Minamahal Kita, Ikaw ay Akin, and Dahil Sa Iyo. In 1970, he won the Best Conductor award at the First International Popular Song Contest in Japan with his composition "As Long as Forever". He received the Cultural Achievement Award in Popular Music from the Philippine Government.  He also won the Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining in 1986.  

Dahil Sa Iyo (1938)

One of the most popular examples of the kundiman genre.

Ikaw (1935)

Minamahal Kita (1940)

Note: This is a cover due to there not being any original videos of this song. 

Personal Opinion

His music is slow, soothing, and not overly intense, which is ideal for love songs and the "kundiman" genre, based on the few songs I heard. And even though "Dahil Sa Iyo" was created in the 1930s, I would still classify some of his compositions as timeless because they are stunning songs that still hold up today. Even though it might not be everyone's favorite, it can still be listened to today. That is likely the reason he received numerous national and international honors throughout his career. 

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