Manuel N. Luna- 19th Century Filipino Violin Virtuoso

Portrait of Manuel Luna rendered by his brother Juan

Manuel — The Violinist

Belonging to the illustrious Luna brothers, Manuel Luna was first a mariner before becoming a well-known Filipino violinist of the 19th century.

Manuel Andrés Luna y Novicio was born in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, on June 30, 1856. He was the eldest son of Joaquín Luna and Laureana Novicio, in a brood of seven. Manuel studied at the Ateneo Municipal and later enrolled at the prestigious Escuela Náutica, where he and his brother, the painter Juan Luna, completed their seaman’s course. Manuel graduated with honors and earned the certificate "Piloto de Altos Mares"

The Luna brothers worked aboard ships that sailed the South Seas. While Juan pursued his passion for art, Manuel spent his free time playing the violin. Upon returning to Manila, he decided to take the instrument more seriously, studying under the Spanish violin pedagogue Prof. Remigio Calahorra. It was Prof. Calahorra who encouraged Manuel to travel to Europe and continue his music studies. In 1897, the young Manuel Luna sailed to Spain.

Music and Society in 19th-Century Spain

Nationalism in music was prevalent throughout Europe from the mid to the latter part of the 19th century. In Spain, composers such as Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados, and Isaac Albéniz created works that echoed Spanish themes and incorporated elements of folk music.

It is also notable that many of the greatest Spanish zarzuelas were written during this period—from the 1880s to the 1890s—thanks to a group of patriotic composers and librettists who had revived the form as early as the 1860s.

In the field of instrumental music, figures like Francisco Tárrega—considered the father of the modern art of guitar playing—captivated audiences in Madrid and across Europe with his performances on an instrument that came to be truly emblematic of Spain.

Meanwhile, two names emerged as significant in the realm of Spanish violin music. They would later be recognized as the leading figures of the escuela española violinística (Spanish violin school): Pablo de Sarasate and Jesús de Monasterio.

Sarasate would go on to become arguably the greatest violinist of the 19th century. Monasterio, though somewhat overshadowed by the brilliance of Sarasate’s international career, played an essential role in shaping the musical development of many students—including the Filipino violinist Manuel N. Luna.

Jesus de Monasterio

Violinist and Conductor

Manuel Luna studied the violin at the Conservatorio de Madrid under the renowned Spanish violin professor Jesús Monasterio y Agüero. He was reportedly admitted into an advanced class due to his prior training. At the same time, he also studied conducting. In 1879, Manuel Luna received his diploma as "Profesor de Violín," signed by the conservatory's director, Emilio Arrieta.

Manuel Luna then traveled to France and Italy to see some of the renowned violin soloists of those countries—observing, perhaps, to further hone his knowledge of violin performance. At the end of 1879, he returned to the Philippines and gave a series of concerts.

In December, he was presented at the Teatro Variedades, in Binondo Manila, performing Adios a La Alhambra by Monasterio and Aire Variado by the Belgian violinist-composer Charles Auguste de Bériot -- It is interesting to note that Monasterio had studied under de Bériot. One Manila newspaper at the time wrote: "Señor Luna played with brilliancy, delicacy, sentiment, and purity of intonation, thus giving honor to Monasterio, his former professor."

From "Revista del Liceo Cientifico, Artistico, Y Literario (1879-1880) - The review mentions the Manuel Luna's successful concert at Teatro Viariadades , featuring the compositions of Beriot and Monasterio.

His skills as a conductor also earned him positive reviews from the leading journals of the time, having led ensembles and orchestras in outstanding performances in Manila. One such notable event was a concert on January 8, 1881, when he conducted a large choral group and orchestra in a performance of Louis Niedermeyer’s Mass.

Manuel Luna was often mentioned alongside his leading Filipino contemporaries, such as the violinist Gil López y Villanueva. They were frequently referred to as representatives of truly local talent.

An Unfortunate End

Planning to return to Europe, Manuel Luna traveled to Agoo, La Union, to bid farewell to his parents. Tragically, he contracted a dreaded disease on the journey. On July 15, 1883, Manuel Luna died and was immediately buried.

One of his prized possessions was rumored to be a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin—though no documentation exists as to what eventually became of the instrument.

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Jean Baptiste Vuillaume Violin
Jean Baptiste Vuillaume was a leading luthier in Paris in the late 1800. Manuel Luna's violin was said to be a Vuillaume. An auction in 2011 of a Vuillaume (the picture above) fetched the prize of the instrument at 18,500 US dollar

The signature mark of the violin maker inside the instrument

The Luna Brothers

The eldest, Manuel Andrés Luna (born 1856), studied at the Ateneo Municipal and later at the prestigious Escuela Náutica, where he and his brother, painter Juan Luna (born 1857), completed their seaman’s course. Manuel earned honors and the title Piloto de Altos Mares before traveling to Europe to pursue violin studies at the Conservatorio de Madrid under Jesús Monasterio y Agüero. Juan, meanwhile, studied painting at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. The youngest, Antonio Luna (born 1866), excelled in science, music, and military strategy—studying chemistry and pharmacy, writing, fencing, and playing both piano and guitar. Another brother, José Luna (born 1861), became a surgeon, while Joaquin Luna (born 1862) became a senator and authored the 1916 bill establishing the UP Conservatory of Music.