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Anthonecole |
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Usahay is a famous Visayan song that tells about the woes of unrequited love. It was recorded and popularized by the Cebuana Pilita Corrales and earlier by Cely Bautista.
-Nitoy Gonzales is the fifth of seven children. He was born on Oct. 20, 1911 to Igmedio Angus and Candelaria Gonzales of Tudela, Camotes. He is the great composer of the immortal Cebuano song "Usahay." Nitoy composed "Usahay" in Sept. 1, 1961.
It has a Tagalog version titled Napangarap Kita. Singer Leni Alano, a member of the famed Bayanihan Dance Troupe, originally recorded "Usahay." When Leni Alano informed Nitoy of the new version of the song done by Jessie Saclo for Susan Fuentes in 1979, the composer opted not to take any legal action, stressing that Saclo's act wouldn't make him rich, anyway.
Nitoy, the great musician that he is, was the rondalla maestro of the famed Bayanihan Dance Troupe under the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company. Shortly before World War II, Nitoy joined his older brother Porferio in Manila after working with his other brother Condrado in an orchestra aboard a ship plying between Cebu and Manila. Nitoy played the octavina in accompanying the world famous Bayanihan dancers in their performances.
Nitoy has been with the Bayanihan since the dance troupe's first appearance abroad, specifically in the World Exposition in Brussels, Belgium, in 1957. He was also with the troupe when it toured Seattle, Washington, in 1962 during the World Fair. Nitoy covered a 60-city transcontinental tour of the US from February to June 1964. He did a three-week season at the New York State Theater in Lincoln Center. Despite his massive exposure to foreign culture and tradition, Nitoy's love for Philippine music remained steadfast as revealed in his compositions aside from Usahay. He wrote two more Cebuano songs that were never recorded; namely, Kanunay and Busay. Busay reflects the place where he was born. Whenever he comes home to Cebu, he always visits Lucia Balbuena, another stalwart in music and the music supervisor of the then Ministry of Education. He was her consultant when she studied music in Manila. Balbuena acknowledged Nitoy as one of the Cebuano "greats" in music. |
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