Ramon Santos

Biography

Ramón Pagayon Santos (born 25 February 1941) is a Filipino composer, ethnomusicologist, and educator known for being the Philippines' foremost living exponent of contemporary Filipino classical music, for work that expounds on "the aesthetic frameworks of Philippine and Southeast Asian artistic traditions," and for finding new uses of indigenous Philippine instruments.

A University Professor Emeritus of the composition and theory department at the College of Music of the University of the Philippines Diliman, he was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines for music in 2014.

Work as ethnomusicologist

In 1976, Santos began doing fieldwork among folk religious groups in Quezon, collecting and documenting their music. He later also did similar fieldwork among the Ibaloi, Mansaka, Bontoc, Yakan and Boholano peoples. The Philippines' National Commission on Culture and the Arts notes that as a result, Santos' compositions beginning in this period in his professional life were characterized by "the translation of indigenous musical systems into modern musical discourse."

Compositions

Some of Santos' compositions include:

Rituwal ng Pasasalamat
Likas-An
Badiw as Kapoonan
Awit ni Pulau
Daragang Magayon
Ta-O
Sandiwaan
Nagnit Igak G’nan Wagnwag Nila (Alingawngaw ng Kagitingan)
Gong-An for solo piano (I. Klntang, II. About-Tanaw III, III. Pal'ok)
L'bad for orchestra
Panaghoy

Recognition

Santos was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1987.
He was one of six people added to the roster of National Artists of the Philippines in 2014.
He received a master in music from Indiana University in 1969 and PhD in Music Composition from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1972.