Ka heber...

Panoorin at dinggin ninyo itong awit na ito! mabuhay ang tunay na musikang pilipino


Singer, composer, painter, poet Heber Bartolome was born in Cabanatuan City on November 9 1948. His father, pastor Deogracias Bartolome, was a violin and guitar maker, and rondalla band leader. His mother, Angelina Gonzalez, sang in the zarzuela. As a child, Bartolome learned basic guitar and banduria techniques and absorb the stylistic tradition of local folk and religious music. He joined the ROTC Band and the UP Concert Chorus. Heber graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1973. From 1981 to 1984 he taught Filipino Literature at De La Salle University. He has performed throughout the Philippines and held concerts in Europe and Australia. As a painter, he has held several exhibits. He has also been active in lobbying for the rights of the Filipino composers. The Beatles and Bob Dylan influenced Heber’s songs. He played their tunes in folk houses in the late 1960’s and formed his band “Banyuhay” in the early 1970s. Most of the songs carried the group’s signature sound of the “Kubing.” His compositions are a unique synthesis of rock and blues, and Philippine ethnic rhythms. His song “Nena” made it to the hit chart in 1977. However, it was not until “Tayo’y Mga Pinoy” made it to the top that Heber reached the pinnacle of his singing career. The song became a finalist in the First Metro Manila Popular Music Festival in 1978. His other famous songs are “Pasahero,” 1977; “Almusal,” “Inutil na Gising” and “Karaniwang Tao,” 1985. Bartolome also wrote the music of Bulwagang Gantimpala’s “Ibong Adarna,” 1989, a musical drama with libretto by Rene O. Villanueva. In 1993, he launched a compilation of his greatest songs entitled “Mga Awit ni Heber.”