We Say Mabuhay

Last updated

We Say Mabuhay
Honors music by Tirso Cruz
Genre Swing / March
Written1931
TextJames King Steele

"We Say Mabuhay" (sometimes called the "Mabuhay March") is the common name for "Mabuhay, My Philippines", a march used as the honors music for the president of the Philippines. It was composed by Tirso Cruz, with lyrics by James King Steele.

Contents

History

Tirso Cruz penned the melody to "We Say Mabuhay", with lyrics by James King Steele, sometime during the 1930s. [1] Various dates have been attributed to the original composition of "We Say Mabuhay" ranging from 1931 to 1940. [1] [2] According to The Philippine Star , however, it was first performed May 16, 1931 at the Manila Hotel. [2]

During World War II, U.S. government broadcasters used the melody of the song for their radio program The Philippine Hour, which was transmitted from relay stations in Australia and San Francisco to the Japanese-occupied archipelago. [1] The lyrics and music to the song were also printed in a 1945 issue of the U.S. Army propaganda leaflet Free Philippines, which was covertly distributed in the country. [1] In that version of the song, the original lyrics "under our blue sky" were substituted with "under the blue sky", a version that has remained as the one most commonly used in the Philippines since. [1]

As the honors music for the President of the Philippines, "We Say Mabuhay" is traditionally performed at the Philippine presidential inauguration following the oath of office of the incoming president, as well as at other times during the entrance or approach of a sitting President of the Philippines. [3] [2] In keeping with the American custom, it is traditionally preceded by four ruffles and flourishes by a military band, but in parades the formation on the parade ground just stands at attention and everyone stands as the song is played. [3]

The word "Mabuhay", which forms part of the song's title and features prominently in its lyrics, is a Tagalog greeting meaning "long live". [4]

"We Say Mabuhay" (sample)

Lyrics:

We say Mabuhay!
We say Mabuhay!
Under the blue skies,
Where our friends sit by!
A greeting of farewell!
A toast that will wear well!
We raise our voices and say Mabuhay!

Composer and lyricist

Tirso Cruz was a prominent Filipino bandmaster in the 1930s and 1940s who helped popularize jazz in the Philippines. [1] He is remembered for his longtime leadership of the Mabuhay Orchestra, the house band at the Manila Hotel. [1]

James King Steele was an American public relations executive who, during the 1930s, was retained to promote tourism to the Philippines and would later fill a similar role for Nevadans Unlimited, a tourism trade group in the United States state of Nevada. [5] [6] [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupang Hinirang</span> National anthem of the Philippines

"Lupang Hinirang", originally titled in Spanish as "Marcha Nacional Filipina", and commonly and informally known by its incipit "Bayang Magiliw", is the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Julián Felipe, and the lyrics were adopted from the Spanish poem "Filipinas", written by José Palma in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of the Philippines</span> Head of state and head of government of the Philippines

The president of the Philippines is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), known as Philippine Air Lines until 1970, is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levi Celerio</span> Philippine musician

Levi Celerio was a Filipino composer and lyricist who is credited with writing over 4,000 songs. Celerio was recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines for Music and Literature in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 SEA Games</span> 23rd Southeast Asian Games

The 2005 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Cayabyab</span> Filipino musician and composer

Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab, known professionally as Ryan Cayabyab, is a Filipino musician, composer and conductor. Regarded as one of the pillars and icons of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). He was the Executive and Artistic Director for several years for the defunct San Miguel Foundation for the Performing Arts. He was named National Artist of the Philippines for Music in 2018.

Ruben Tagalog was a Filipino actor and musician, famous for his works in the Kundiman style. He was also one of the founders of the singing group Mabuhay Singers. He is known as the Father of Kundiman. He performed for the Japanese during the their occupation of the Philippines.

Geneva Mendoza Cruz is a multi-platinum Filipina singer and actress known for her hit songs, “Anak Ng Pasig” and “Kailan” (When). She was discovered and mentored by National Artist of the Philippines for Music, Ryan Cayabyab who formed the defunct iconic music group Smokey Mountain, which she was a member of. She just recently moved back to Manila, The Philippines, from The United States, where she worked as A weight-loss coach for a few years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayan Ko</span> Patriotic song of the Philippines

"Bayan Ko" is one of the most recognizable patriotic songs of the Philippines. It was written in Spanish by the revolutionary general José Alejandrino in light of the Philippine–American War and subsequent American occupation, and translated into Tagalog some three decades later by the poet José Corazón de Jesús.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tirso Cruz III</span> Chairperson of Film Development Council of the Philippines

Tirso Silvano Cruz III is a Filipino actor, comedian, and singer. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Regarded as a "matinee idol", Cruz is a FAMAS Award and Gawad Urian Award recipient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dahil sa Iyo</span> Single by Cora and Santos Beloy, with Tom Spinosa and his Orchestra

"Dahil Sa Iyo" is a song by Mike Velarde, Jr., written in 1938 for the movie, Bituing Marikit and sung by Rogelio de la Rosa. A version with English-Tagalog lyrics, recorded in 1964, was a hit in the United States and continues to be popular in Filipino communities on American soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolores Paterno</span>

Dolores Paterno e Ignacio was a Filipina composer known for the song "La Flor de Manila".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quezon Avenue</span> Major road in Quezon City, Philippines

Manuel L. Quezon Avenue, more often called as Quezon Avenue, or simply Quezon Ave, is a 6.1-kilometer (3.8 mi) major thoroughfare in Metro Manila named after President Manuel Luis Quezon, the second president of the Philippines. The avenue starts at the Quezon Memorial Circle and runs through to the Mabuhay Rotonda near the boundary of Quezon City and Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 SEA Games</span> 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games

The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which was held in the Philippines from 30 November to 11 December 2019. However, due to a narrow calendar, some sports started before the opening ceremony as early as November 24.

"Manila" is a song by Filipino band Hotdog. The song is written about love for the Philippines, most specifically its capital, and tells about a man who misses his home country while living in another country for years. The upbeat song was inspired by Tony Bennett's hit single, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". It topped the radio charts in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome Rotonda</span> Roundabout in Quezon City, Philippines

The Welcome Rotonda, officially Mabuhay Rotonda, is a roundabout in Quezon City in the Philippines. It is located a few meters from Quezon City's border with Manila, at the intersection of E. Rodriguez, Sr. Boulevard, Mayon Street, Quezon Avenue, Nicanor Ramirez Street, and España Boulevard. It may also refer to the monument situated on its central island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine space program</span>

The space program of the Philippines is currently maintained by the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) together with various agencies under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). The space program includes space research and development, and is funded through the National SPACE Development Program (NSDP) by the DOST and received an initial budget of ₱1 billion in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 SEA Games opening ceremony</span>

The opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games took place on the evening of Saturday November 30, 2019 at the Philippine Arena, in Bocaue, Bulacan. The event commenced at 19:00 PST (UTC+08:00) and ended at 20:35 local time. Floy Quintos was the creative director of the ceremony. The ceremony featured LED strips and panels, which represent a bamboo forest, and was the first indoor opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games.

<i>Mabuhay</i> (magazine) Inflight magazine of Philippine Airlines

Mabuhay (transl. Welcome), also known as Mabuhay Magazine, is a monthly publication that serves as the inflight magazine of Philippine Airlines. Since July 2016 the magazine has been published by London-based Ink Global.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Walsh, Thomas (2013). Tin Pan Alley and the Philippines: American Songs of War And Love, 1898-1946, A Resource Guide. Scarecrow Press. pp. 272–273. ISBN   978-0810886094.
  2. 1 2 3 "Tirso Cruz: Composer of Mabuhay — My Philippines". Philippine Star . October 28, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Rockell, Kim (January 2013). "The Philippine Rondalla: A Gift of Musical Heritage in a Migrant Contex". International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies. 9 (1): 116.
  4. ↑ Tann, Avianne (June 25, 2015). "26 Filipino Words Now Officially Part Of The English Language". BuzzFeed . Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  5. ↑ "State Advertising Plans of Nevadans Unlimited are Outlined by New Director". Reno Gazette-Journal. September 8, 1937. Retrieved June 30, 2018.(subscription required)
  6. ↑ "Globe Trotter Tells of Philippine Wonders". Detroit Free Press . October 12, 1930. Retrieved June 30, 2018.(subscription required)
  7. ↑ Defeo, Reuben (June 16, 2003). "Mabuhay Joya!". Philippine Star . Retrieved June 30, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.