By Erma Edera
Considered an icon of Original Pilipino Music (OPM), National Artist for Music and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Ryan Cayabyab, spent much of his time reshaping OPM from behind the scenes at a time when globalization and Western-oriented streaming posed existential threats to local musicians.
Original Pilipino Music (OPM), National Artist for Music and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Ryan Cayabyab (MANILA BULLETIN)
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) recognized his unparalleled contributions as a composer, director, and performer that largely defined contemporary Philippine music.
Cayabyab’s prodigious work cross mediums: he worked on commercial recordings for film scores, music albums, and television, and also wrote multi-awarded pieces for choral and theater.
In 2018, he was awarded the Order of National Artist by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for his music “that extols the exuberance of life and human happiness, thus capturing the very essence of the Filipino soul.”
While best known for mellow ballads—“Kailan,” “Tuwing Umuulan At Kapiling Ka,” “Can This Be Love,”—the maestro also wrote probing, critical songs like “Freedom” and “Paraiso”.
Despite all these accomplishments, including a Papal award for his contribution to religious music, Cayabyab has never forgotten to give back through teaching music. He also mentors in the music camp Elements, and he has consistently been teaching in the PhilPOP Musicfest Foundation.
He was also a conductor for the now-defunct San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Chorale, which produced 7 albums.
But he later established his own school in 1986, the Music School of Ryan Cayabyab, built for hobbyists and professionals who want to still hone their skills for musical art, despite having lack of funds.
Ryan, and his wife, Emmy, recruited their colleagues and Ryan’s former students from the UP College of Music to become the school’s first faculty members.
The school offered individual courses in piano and voice studies and later added theory and rudiments in their curriculum.
“There are many people who do not want to go to college, they do not want to pursue Bachelor’s degree or Certificate degree in performance or music but they love music. There are also a lot of professionals who do not have a music degree that’s why we provide additional training for them especially those who are not literate to music,” he said.
The 65-year-old musician said that he doesn't hesitate to teach what he all know to younger people.
"So, when people say you're spilling too many secrets to them they might get better than you. I say, how can they be better if you don’t share with them everything you know? Education is telling everybody how to do it and made them successful. Give them the chance to shine, give them chance to create new ideas,” he said.
He shared it is time to empower young people to create their own music.
“My emphasis is to write music of their times, write music in their milieu and write music in their language. If you are a Cebuano, write in Cebuano because it’s easier for you to communicate the language. That’s my idea of empowerment in music,” he said.
His dream is to at least dominate Filipino music with the taste of the Filipinos.
“It is very important. It will help us hone to be more patriotic, it will help us more define the Filipino identity. We kept on asking what our identity is. What’s our identity? Who are we?,” he said.
Accountacy to music
But Cayabyab revealed that before he started writing songs, he was an accountant.
He said that his late mother Celerina, who was an opera singer and was a professor in the College of Music in the University of the Philippines told his father not to allow any of her children to enter the music industry.
“She knows how difficult it is to have a life as a musician and she was afraid that her children might become one too and will not earn enough for a living. So all throughout our lives, that idea permeates in our minds that we are not allowed to take a career in music,” he said.
“But the influence of music in me is very strong. Even as a kid, we had 10 borders in the house, all of them are music students, so everybody was playing, singing. Maybe it really runs in my blood,” he added.
Cayabyab entered the University of the Philippines in 1970 and decided to take accountancy to help his father, a widower. He decided to take various music jobs to pay for his schooling.
“My ticket was being a pianist, I know how to read and write that was the reason why I got work as a pianist, as a music director, arranger,” he said.
In 1972, when he was training with the UP Madrigal Singers, he got to be pit chorus.
His stint led to a meeting with singer Cocoy Laurel, whose father, Salvador Laurel, was a senator at the time. Cayabyab also served as musical director for some of his gigs and he would play for the Laurels in their home.
“One afternoon, Doy Laurel invited me to his office and asked me why I was taking up accounting. Then he started telling me that I do not see why you are not studying music, we see your talent as a musician and you should give to your community. You have to be an authority, you have to be the best,” he said.
Cayabyab was offered a scholarship to any music school of his choice by the Laurels.
“So I went home that night and I tell my dad, the Laurels are giving me a scholarship in music, this is 12 in the evening, and then he said, how old are you now? I’m 18. Then he said you are old enough to decide for yourself,” he said.
He pursued music at UP, where he got to be mentored by some of the country's top composers.
Ryan Ryan Musikahan
In 1978, Cayabyab joined the Metro Pop Music Festival competition with the song "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika." The song, performed by Hajji Alejandro, won the top prize.
He has worked with many popular singers such as Pilita Corrales, Jose Mari Chan, Basil Valdez and more.
In 1988, Cayabyab found himself in the spotlight with his show Ryan Ryan Musikahan, which saw him backing up many of the singers who performed in his show. The show aired for 6 years. Around that time, he developed a following and was already training a group of singers who were making waves in the local scene — Smokey Mountain.
Cayabyab said the secret to success is simple.
“One most important thing I learned from Senator Laurel is the reason why you have to learn everything about your work is you want to be an authority on what you are doing. If you are the authority, you will gain the respect of the people,” he said.
“If you are considered one of the best, and you are the authority of what you doing, you don’t need to find work. Work will come running after you, that’s what I learn. All you need is to maintain you, to be best,” he added.