13 Beautiful Philippine University Hymns

“Immortals of Science” etched on the wall of a building at the Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan in Cagayan de Oro City. One of these “immortals” was a Philippine scientist, Fr. Federico Faura, SJ. Photo by Ian Alfonso

Whenever I grace an event at a higher education institution (HEI), I look forward to hearing the school hymn. I am neither a music expert nor a playwright but an ordinary observer with these expectations to a school hymn: 1. cleverness (how the composer/s and/or lyricist/s summarized the institution’s vision-mission, ideals, values, and history in a creative way); 2. moving power (that even a non-member of the institution can draw inspiration from the melody and lyrics); 3. peculiarity (because I noticed some school hymns share melodic and lyrical patterns); and 4. statement (has a strong message).

The following is my list of thirteen beautiful HEI hymns in the country (in no particular order).

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