	Home Celerio Levi 1910 - 2002 (92) QUOTES
	Levi Celerio (1910 - 2002) was a Filipino composer and lyricist, also a poet and actor, who was recognized as the National Artist of the Philippines for music and literature in 1997. He was born on April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Philippines to a poor family. His mother played the harp and was a member of a church choir; she passed on her love for music and encouraged him to learn the violin, taking lessons from a member of the Philippine band "Constabulary" at the age of 11. Celerio did very well with the violin and started appearing as a member of the band while he was still in school. Later he studied violin for 2 semesters at the Manila Conservatory of Music where he managed to receive a scholarship and become the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. His career as a violinist ended when he fell from a tree and broke his wrist, so he decided to turn to poetry first (without much success) and later in songwriting. He wrote more than 4,000 songs, folk, erotic, Christmas, some of his songs were used in feature films. Celerio is also known for the use of a leaf as a musical instrument, which led him to the Guinness Book of Records. According to his daughter, he first learned to play that king of music during World War II, when he had to prove to the Japanese who had arrested him that he was a musician; he managed to play a melody by blowing on a tree leaf. Levi Celerio died on April 2, 2002 in Manila.

Home

Celerio Levi 1910 - 2002 (92)

QUOTES

Levi Celerio (1910 - 2002) was a Filipino composer and lyricist, also a poet and actor, who was recognized as the National Artist of the Philippines for music and literature in 1997.

He was born on April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Philippines to a poor family. His mother played the harp and was a member of a church choir; she passed on her love for music and encouraged him to learn the violin, taking lessons from a member of the Philippine band "Constabulary" at the age of 11. Celerio did very well with the violin and started appearing as a member of the band while he was still in school. Later he studied violin for 2 semesters at the Manila Conservatory of Music where he managed to receive a scholarship and become the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

His career as a violinist ended when he fell from a tree and broke his wrist, so he decided to turn to poetry first (without much success) and later in songwriting. He wrote more than 4,000 songs, folk, erotic, Christmas, some of his songs were used in feature films.

Celerio is also known for the use of a leaf as a musical instrument, which led him to the Guinness Book of Records. According to his daughter, he first learned to play that king of music during World War II, when he had to prove to the Japanese who had arrested him that he was a musician; he managed to play a melody by blowing on a tree leaf.

Levi Celerio died on April 2, 2002 in Manila.