Bernardino Custodio
Short Biography
Bernardino Custodio was born on May 20, 1916 in Philippines, and died at age 70 years old on September 6, 1986 in San Francisco, San Francisco County. Bernardino F. Custodio was a student of Viennese-trained conductor Alexander Lippay during the late 1920s at the University of the Philippines. Custodio taught in the same institution until his transfer to the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music where he was both teacher and administrator.. He first studied piano under Pedro Elioraga and later enrolled as a full scholar at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music in 1925, graduating with a degree in piano performance in 1930. While at this institution, he also studied composition and conducting under Alexander Lippay, Jeno von Takacs and Herbert Zipper. In 1959, he pursued a Master of Arts degree at the University of Santo Tomas and traveled to the United States under a Smith-Mundt grant.
(NOTE: There are almost no information in the internet about the composer.)
In 1940, he was appointed associate conductor of the Manila Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for many years. He taught at the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas where he also was the director of the Conservatory of Music in the years 1957-61. He is one of the eleven original members of the League of Filipino Composers when it was founded in 1955. Before his retirement, he also served as member of the executive board of the National Music Council of the Philippines and dean of the Yamaha School of Music Philippines.
Sarimanok
(1976)
Prelude
(1977)
BERNARDINO CUSTODIO
My personal opinion about his music:
His music is trying to implement something and that something can't be comprehended by me. The notes seems to be very very complicated. The sound of his compositions are a bit intense. Some sound a bit high and angry some are very calm. The sound sometimes are also repeating. To add his music sounds like an anthem on some of the older movies or cartoons. His pieces have a pump-up effect. It really wants you to stick to listen in his piece. It releases the energy of being powerful and somehow releases a fun but strong aura. Also in my opinions Prelude is better than Sarimanok. Although both pieces are a bit different, I have not researched about the background of both pieces because the information about it are very limited. Overall the pieces that he makes are very dynamic and complex but at the same time it is still soothing to the ears.