Nationality Filipino Title Head Choir Director Other name Ka Pilar, Manang, PMD | Other names Ka Pilar, Manang, PMD Spouse Artemio Montes Danao Died 26 November 1987 | |
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Parents Felix Y. ManaloHonorata de Guzman | ||
Pilár Manalo Danáo (March 10, 1914 - November 26, 1987) commonly known as Ka Pilár, Manang or PMD, is the daughter of Felix Y. Manalo who became the first Head Choir Director of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), serving from 1942 and until her death in 1987. She is instrumental in the creation of hymns for INC, to which is the sole lyricist of the Tagalog hymnbook entitled "Ang Himnario ng Iglesia ni Cristo". The hymnal originally contained 220 songs and is first published in 1937 bearing her name and initials (PMD), imprinted on hymnals (Tagalog and English) and musical scores (Tagalog) for the choir.
Contents
Upon her death, Fausto T. Perez assumed post as the Head Choir Director while Liberty Manalo-Albert on the other hand, took in-charge as the Coordinator of the choir to Executive Minister Eraño G. Manalo, and Gemma Manalo-de Guzman, daughter of Eduardo V. Manalo, held the post after the last.
Personal life
Pilár de Guzmán Manalo was born on March 10, 1914 in Punta Santa Ana, Manila, Rizal Province (now part of Metro Manila) to Honorata de Guzmán and Felix Manalo regarded by the members of Iglesia ni Cristo as the Last Messenger of God in These Last Days, months before the beginning of the First World War coinciding with the registration of the Church to the Philippine Government. Her name given by her father literally means "pillar." Few months later, her father decided to move to Tipas, Taguig to teach his newfound doctrines to hometown neighbors where Pilar spent childhood with her younger sister.
Pilar had five siblings named Avelina, Dominador, Salvador, Eraño (1925-2009), and Bienvenido. Eraño assumed INC leadership after their father's death in 1963. She married Artemio Montes Danao, a dentist.
Religious career
In 1942, Felix Manalo consolidated all choir units under the post, Head Choir Director of the INC given to her daughter, Pilar Manalo Danao. The post functions as overall head of the INC Music Department assigned on hymn line-ups for regular worship services and leading choristers, organists and all choir units. In the span of her leadership, she organized several classes for organists and for the choir.
Among INC's primary choirs are the Tabernacle Choir, Sanctuary Choir, and Central Temple Choir while some of its notable choir directors were Fausto T. Perez, Ramon C. Reyes, Liberty G. Manalo-Albert and Ligaya B. Garcia-Quinitio.
Hymnal
Ang Himnario ng Iglesia ni Cristo (The Hymnal of the Church of Christ) is the official hymnbook of INC, written in Tagalog by Danao and published in 1937. Latest version of the Himnario were published in 2010 with copyright, which states: "Hymns underwent several changes from recent publications, by choir directors of the church, all of which were written by Sister Pilar Manalo Danao".
Danao also composed a separate hymnal for Children's Worship Services (CWS) entitled Mga Awit sa Pagsamba ng Kabataan mula sa Himnario ng Iglesia ni Cristo (Hymns for the Children's Worship Services from the Hymnal of the Church of Christ).
Content
The current INC hymnal (2010 version) has 300 songs, excluding the Doxology and Ako'y Iglesia ni Cristo (I am a Member of the Church of Christ).
It is mainly composed of:
Danao made Special Hymns ("Mga Tanging Awit" in Tagalog) for other church occasions and functions (i.e. Anniversary and Year-End Thanksgiving for CWS and Regular Worship Services, Holy Supper, Baptism, Weddings and Evangelical Missions). These hymns were not specifically found in the hymnal but were performed by the choir, also went through updating and recent revisions. All hymns, originally written in Tagalog, are now translated into other languages such as English, Spanish and Japanese, for the worship services and other functions of the Church abroad.
Doxology
In the Iglesia ni Cristo, the Doxology is sung before the Benediction and Concluding Rites during worship services. It reads:
Commemoration
The infrastructure commemorating the late Pilar Manalo Danao was inaugurated on March 10, 2014 coinciding the latter's 100th birth anniversary, by the current Executive Minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo. It was part of Centennial projects of the Church, which includes Philippine Arena, Philippine Sports Stadium, Honorata de Guzman-Manalo Building, Eraño G. Manalo Medical Center, Philippine Sports Center and New Era University Bocaue Campus .
The building is located at the INC Central Complex, Quezon City Philippines comprising about 9500 square meters. Classically designed but with a modern approach, the sunny-yellow infrastructure has eight levels: consists of two basements, six upper floors and a roof deck. It has 200 rooms, serves as designated office for choir directors, songwriters and all those who part in the artistic works of the church.
In popular culture
In the epic and biographical film Felix Manalo, Pilar is portrayed by Filipino actresses Snooky Serna and Carla Humphries respectively.