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Monday, December 22, 2003
The man behind the carol
By Therese Y. Manulat
A MUSIC genius, he gifted the Cebuanos with immortal Christmas songs like Maglipay Kita, Gabii sa Kasadya, Maayong Pasko Tagbalay, Mananaygon, Pasko Na and Kasadya Ning Takna-a.
Little is known of the man who composed the popular Visayan Christmas song Kasadya Ning Takna-a. Those who met him in his lifetime, remember Vicente Daclan Rubi as a simple man. He barely finished high school but was a music genius who gifted the Cebuanos with immortal Christmas songs like Maglipay Kita, Gabii sa Kasadya, Maayong Pasko Tagbalay, Mananaygon, Pasko Na and Kasadya Ning Takna-a.
It is said that Noy Inting, as he was called, “wrote” the music with his guitar.
He did not know how to read or write notes. It was his wife Brigida Asseniero, a teacher, who would put notes in his music but who nevertheless turned over her husband’s works to other musicians like Maning Villareal so that the compositions could be recorded formally in music sheets.
Ludivina Rubi Najarro, Noy Inting’s only daughter recalls that her father loved musical dramas. During fiestas, dramas were presented and Noy Inting often accompanied the musical numbers with his guitar.
The year was 1933. The Rubi family then lived on what is now P. Gullas st. Nearby was Pili-Kanipaan (now Manalili st.) where the grandest fiesta in Cebu took place every December.
Cebuano playwrights planned to stage a play that called for a scene wherein a group of carolers with castanets made of tansan were to carol at the gate of a big house in exchange for gifts. Noy Inting came up with the music needed for the caroling scene and his neighbor Mariano Vestil composed the lyrics to match, thus, Kasadya Ning Takna-a was born.
Seventeen years later, Mareco Recording Company, manufacturer of Villar records, asked Rubi to sell his rights for Kasadya. Rubi agreed, not knowing that it would be the start of protracted disagreements over royalty that hounded him till the day he died.
The contract between Mareco and Rubi stated that aside from the P50 in advance payment for royalties, Rubi was entitled to get three centavos for every record sold. From 1966 to 1975, record sales reached 62,812. Based on the conditions stipulated, Rubi would have earned a total of P1,994.63.
Rubi, however, did not get anything from Mareco aside from the P110.25 royalty he received in 1967. The most probable reason for this was oversight on Mareco’s side as Mareco did issue checks in the name of Rubi but addressed to his old residence. The composer had since then transferred residences twice.
In 1974, Rubi, through his lawyer Ramon Ceniza, made it known that he would continue to sell Kasadya to Mareco for P1,000, part of which would go to Mariano Vestil, the lyricist. Two years after he filed suit against Mareco in Quezon City for unpaid royalties and rights, the case was temporarily dismissed for the reason that Rubi could not pay his way to Manila to appear before the court.
Finaly, Rubi again filed another case against Mareco in 1979. His lawyer declared him a pauper, therefore, he was exempted from paying litigation fees.
The following year in November of 1980, Rubi died of cancer. Nearly a decade after, Judge Hernando Salas penned a decision in favor of Rubi to set the amount due him from 1966 to 1975 which was P1,884.36. However, it was too late. Vicente Rubi was then long dead.
In his old age, Noy Inting stayed in daughter Ludivina’s house along Gorordo ave. Though plagued with ill health, he continued to compose songs, the last of which was Mahanaw ang Tanan. “I think Papa knew his end was coming. The song Mahanaw ang Tanan probably expressed his feelings over royalty suits and life in general,” says Ludivina.
After his death, posthumous awards came; from the Cebu Arts Foundation, Province of Cebu, the Youth and Sports Commission and from Basic Industries Foundation.
To his daughter Ludivina, he left behind a boxful of unpublished, unrecorded compositions. To the Cebuanos, he left behind a lilting, joyous melody that makes the Christmas air more beautiful.
(December 22, 2003 issue)
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