Angel M. Peña. A Man and His Music: An Autobiography. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2007. 203 pages.

• Main Author: Tan, Arwin
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2017
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/paha/vol7/iss1/5; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/paha/article/1218/viewcontent/PAHA_207.1_205_20Book_20reviews_20__20Tan.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Excerpt: This autobiography is one of the few first-hand accounts by a valuable primary source, composer Angel M. Peña, of the history of Philippine music after World War II. Described are the idiosyncrasies of musicians and the commodification of musical labor as a form of export as a result of globalization and the massive commercialization of the music industry. The book is written in a personal, straightforward, and unpretentious narrative style. It gathers what the author considers essential in the shaping of his life as a musician: his early family life in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, during which his family’s social status fell, his notorious adolescent escapades at the Malabon cabarets where he later became part of the orchestra, the serendipitous encounters with musical personalities who would play a part in various stages of his life as a professional musician, and his courageous acceptance of work opportunities abroad despite the absence of guarantees about the future and without his supportive immediate family.