Julio Nakpil

Infobox Person
name = Julio Nakpil


image_size = 150px
caption = Julio Nakpil
birth_date = 22 May, 1867
birth_place = Quiapo, Manila, Philippines
death_date = 2 November, 1960
death_place = Quiapo, Manila, Philippines
spouse = Gregoria de Jesus

Julio Nakpil (22 May 1867 - 2 November 1960) was a Philippine composer who also fought in the Philippine Revolution.

Early life

Julio Nakpil was born as one of twelve children to a well-off family in Quiapo district of Manila. His parents withdrew him from formal schooling after two years and had him look over the family stable. Julio educated himself at home and eventually learned how to play the piano as was proper for traditional families during the time. His skill at the piano earned him an audience with the affluent, and later inspired him to compose his first piece - a polka - in 1888. Julio later became a piano teacher and composed regularly.

Philippine Revolution

During the Philippine Revolution, Julio served as a commander for revolutionary troops in the northern Philippines under Andres Bonifacio.

Many of Julio's compositions during this time were inspired directly by the Revolution. Julio also composed a candidate for the Philippine national anthem preferred by Bonifacio but was ultimately rejected for "Lupang Hinirang". After Emilio Aguinaldo allegedly ordered Bonifacio executed, Nakpil claimed to have received threats on his own life as well as that of General Antonio Luna, the latter ending up betrayed and executed by Aguinaldo's men.

Later life

After the Revolution, Nakpil fell in love with and eventually married Bonifacio's widow Gregoria de Jesus. They moved to Manila and raised six children, one of whom married the architect Carlos Santos-Viola. Julio continued to compose until his death in 1960. Before his death he also contributed to a book on his life that was published by his heirs in 1964.

In his memoirs titled 'Apuntes Sobre La Revolucion Filipina (Notes on the Philippine Revolution), Julio Nakpil wrote "I swear before God and before History that everything related in these notes is the truth and I entreat the historian not to publish this until after my death." On page 30 of his memoirs can be found Nakpil's notes on the death of Bonifacio, and on page 130 is his account of the assassination of Antonio Luna where Nakpil wrote "When General A. Luna was dastardly assassinated on the stairs of the Convent of Kabanatuan and already fallen on the ground, the mother of Emilio Aguinaldo looked out the window and asked: 'Ano, humihinga pa ba?'" On pages 157-158, Nakpil wrote of Aguinaldo,

"Emilio Aguinaldo's surrender to the American's was a cowardly act. There was no doubt that he coveted the presidency. He surrendered for fear that others more competent than he would occupy the post of president of tne Republic.

Had he fought with his captors, regardless of whether he succumbed so that he might be considered a hero, at least to vindicate his crimes, by this time we would be admiring a monument to the second hero of the Philippines, unlike what he did delivering himself as prisoner and afterward taking an oath of allegiance to the American flag.

The crimes he committed against Andres Bonifacio and Antonio Luna, and his attempt to assassinate the undersigned [Julio Nakpil] should be condemned by history, and Universal Freemasonry ought to expel him and declare him a spurious son. The coward finds many dangers where none exist!"

A year or so after Bonifacio died, Julio Nakpil married "Oriang" (Gregoria de Jesus) , Bonifacio's widow. The house where they lived is known as "Bahay Nakpil" still stands in Quiapo and is maintained by his heirs as a museum that also offers walking tours of Quiapo and other special events and doubles as a performance area. "Bahay Nakpil" would be quite easy to find beause it is the only house with a Spanish style architecture in Quiapo.

External links

* [http://julionakpil.blogspot.com/ Biographical Website]

References

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