Levi Celerio

Levi Celerio (April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002) was a Filipino composer and lyricist who is credited with writing over 4,000 songs. Celerio was recognized as a National Artist of the Philippines for Music and Literature in 1997.

He is also known for using the leaf as a musical instrument which led to being recognized as the "only man who could play music using a leaf" by the Guinness Book of Records. This led to him making guest appearances on television shows recorded outside the Philippines.

Aside from being a musician, Celerio was also a poet and a film actor who appeared in various Philippine films of the 1950s and 1960s.

Levi Celerio was born on April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Philippines to Cornelio Cruz and Juliana Celerio and was born to a poor family. Celerio's affinity for music was a result of influence from his mother who is a harpist and a member of a church choir. He was estranged from his father who was involved in real estate and jewelry business. His father was never married to his mother.

His mother encouraged him to be involved in music as a distraction from the squalid conditions of their neighborhood. Despite this, Celerio became a close acquaintance of gang leader Asiong Salonga. At his mother's encouragement, Celerio started playing the violin at age 11 taking lessons from a member of the Philippine Constabulary Band. Celerio later performed with the band as its member while simultaneously attending Torres High School. It was during his high school years that Celerio learned about his father.

He also attended the Academy of Music Manila Conservatory of Music to study violin for two semesters. Then director Alexander Lippay recommended him for a scholarship at the Academy of Music in Manila. He received a scholarship and became the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

Levi Celerio was a member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra but his stint with the musical troupe ended when he fell off a tree and broke his wrist. He temporarily worked as a comic illustrator and later decided to shift to songwriting.

Prior to turning to songwriting, Celerio got involved in poetry and was a humorist in the orchestra of Premiere Productions. He held high regard to the poet, Jose Corazon de Jesus. However, his poems failed to gain positive reception and his works were regarded as "lacking in style". Later in his career, he had Filipino Palindromes and Take It From Levi, a collection of love poems he wrote published.