Proudly, my guitar teacher, Jose Ma. Pellicer, revealed that the guitar piece I was about to learn was taught by Fernando Canon. The name did not register anything to me at that time- I was not into Rizaliana then. Mr. Pellicer, added further, that this was Jose Rizal’s favorite guitar piece and, according to Fernando Canon, Rizal’s contemporary and friend, he would implore Fernando to play the piece whenever a guitar was available. According to Mr. Pellicer, Canon identified the piece as a Francisco Tarrega version. In 19th century Spain, the classic guitar gained respectability in music circles through the efforts of Tarrega who transcribed popular piano repertoire into classical guitar. Canon, who studied in Spain during that time, became a classic guitar afficionado. Rizal, however, was merely pleased to hear the guitar but never learned it seriously as he did with the flute, as we know for sure. Certainly, Canon would have been an appropriate guitar teacher in that case. Mr. Pellicer, then a young boy in the 30’s became the beneficiary of Canon’s legacy. For my part, as Mr. Pellicer’s student in my college years, I had to follow my maestro’s fingers since a score was not available until my father, who was so intrigued by the story of Rizal’s tango, managed to notate the music. That was years ago. I found out more recently, on the occasion of having to prepare the piece for a Rizal celebration, that the original music was composed by a Garcia Tolsa ca.1890’s , entitled Enriqueta for either solo or duo guitar. Apparently, the tune was so popular that Tarrega made a transcription of it and gave it a different title, which was what Canon learned to play and for Rizal to enjoy. [Fernando Canon is attributed with the introduction of the Tarrega school of guitar playing in the Philippines. In 1916, he served as secretary to the new University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music during the American colonial period.]
