composed the music of "Ugoy ng Duyan"; it was derived from the fourth piece of his own Suite pastorale in the '40s. San Pedro drew inspiration in composing the music of the song from the melody his mother, Soledad Diestro, hummed when he and his siblings' were put into sleep during their childhood. The song was supposed to be an entry to a competition in 1943, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. However, because he could not find a collaborator to write the lyrics, he was unable to submit it. In 1947, San Pedro studied at Juilliard School of Music in New York City. He went aboard a ship, the SS Gordon, in 1948 to return to the Philippines. While on a stopover in the Hawaiian city ofHonolulu, he met Levi Celerio, who became San Pedro's lyricist for his composition and wrote the words of "Ugoy ng Duyan" during the rest of their trip. The song was completed by the time they landed in Manila. Both San Pedro and Celerio were later named National Artists of the Philippines; they died in 2002, only two days apart of each other.
Lyrics
The lyrics is written in the first person point of view. It comprises two stanzas, with four lines each. In the first stanza, the singer wishes that his childhood and his memories of his mother will never fade. He also wants to hear his mother's song again, which he views to be a song of love. In the second, he describes his sleep to be peaceful while stars watch and guard him. For him, his life becomes like heaven whenever his mother sings him her lullaby. Finally, he reveals the reason for his longing: He is enduring some hardship, which is why he craves for his mother's lullaby. In the final line, the singer addresses his mother, wishing that he could sleep again in his old cradle.
Renditions
The song was originally intended to be an artsong, and as a result some of its first interpreters were the baritone Aurelio Estanislao and soprano Evelyn Mandac. Since then, it has been interpreted and recorded by various singers and singing groups, including Pilita Corrales with Jackie Lou Blanco, Kuh Ledesma, Lea Salonga, Aiza Seguerra and Regine Velasquez. The song is also part of soundtrack of the 2001 Filipino filmAbakada... Ina and it was performed by the Filipino band Jeremiah. It was also performed by Christian Bautista during the funeral of former presidentCorazon Aquino in 2009. In 2017, Corrales and Blanco together with Corrales' son, Ramon Christopher Gutierrez, sang the song at a concert entitled An Evening with Pilita.
