Ramón Pagayon Santos (born 25 February 1941)[1] is a Filipino composer, ethnomusicologist, and educator[2] known for being the Philippines' foremost living exponent of contemporary Filipino classical music,[1][3] for work that expounds on "the aesthetic frameworks of Philippine and Southeast Asian artistic traditions,"[3] and for finding new uses of indigenous Philippine instruments.[3]

Ramon Pagayon Santos
Santos in 2016
Born	Ramón Santos (1941-02-25) 25 February 1941 (age 81) Pasig, Rizal, Philippine Commonwealth
Occupation	composition musicologist ethnomusicologist
Era	Contemporary
Known for	Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, 1987 Order of National Artists of the Philippines, 2014

A University Professor Emeritus of the composition and theory department at the College of Music of the University of the Philippines Diliman,[4] he was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines for music in 2014.[2][4]

Work as ethnomusicologist

In 1976, Santos began doing fieldwork among folk religious groups in Quezon, collecting and documenting their music.[1] He later also did similar fieldwork among the Ibaloi, Mansaka, Bontoc, Yakan and Boholano peoples.[3] 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."[1]

Compositions

Some of Santos' compositions include:

• Rituwal ng Pasasalamat,[5]
• Likas-An,[5]
• Badiw as Kapoonan,[5]
• Awit ni Pulau,[5]
• Daragang Magayon,[5]
• Ta-O,[5]
• Sandiwaan,[5]
• Nagnit Igak G’nan Wagnwag Nila (Alingawngaw ng Kagitingan),[5]
• Kulintang,[5] and
• Panaghoy[1]

Recognition

Santos was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1987.[2][6]

He was one of six people added to the roster of National Artists of the Philippines in 2014.[7]

See also

• José Maceda
• Lucrecia Kasilag

References