Rosendo Santos

Rosendo Ejercito Santos Jr. was born on September 3, 1922 in Cavite City. Son of the late Rosendo and Castora Santos. At age 11, he started composing band marches, instrumental, and vocal scores, as well as music for Catholic masses. He studied in Cavite schools and later graduated from the UP Conservatory of Music where he eventually became a faculty member. He also pursued a Master of Music degree in theory and composition from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. After which, he also served on its faculty as well as in West Virginia University and Howard University. 

His father was Rosendo Ejercito Santos, Sr., a vigorous politician who thrice served as mayor of Cavite. Rosendo inherited his music from his mother, the former Castora Salazar: a genteel Caviteña who, as a young girl in pre-Revolutionary days, was an accomplished harpist. Although his father had hopes of his son going into law (much like Robert Schumann’s father and other prominent composers), his mother always loved music and encouraged Rosendo’s efforts. He took his first music lessons when he was 10 under Julian Felipe, the composer of the Philippine National Anthem.

As a UNESCO scholar, Santos was awarded the “Philippine Composer of the Century” after receiving the “Composer of the Year Award” in Manila in 1956 and 1957. He joined the faculty at Wilkes University, Pennsylvania in 1968. He performed as timpanist, pianist, and conductor with several orchestral groups. He conducted church choirs in Maryland, New Jersey, Lehman, Huntsville, and Shavertown United Methodist Churches in Pennsylvania, USA. He composed the background music for J. Arthur Rank Films at Pinewood Studios in London, England, where he worked with British composers Malcolm Arnold and Muir Mathieson. Among Santos’ teachers were famous composers Aaron Copland, Irving Fine, Humphrey Searle, and conductor Norman Del Mar. A prolific composer, he had composed several piano concerti, sonatas, symphonies, symphonic poems, five operas in Filipino, numerous band overtures, and more than 200 marches. He had also written 50 masses in Latin and 20 in English. He has more than 1,000 musical compositions in the library of the University of the Philippines. Santos’ last musical work and only ballet composition, Melinda’s Masquerade, was performed in 1995, a year after his death. Santos passed away on November 4, 1994 in Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, USA.

In my opinion, Rosendo Ejercito Santos Jr. is a very admirable composer because of his achievements and skills that led him to go to many countries. I also admire his ability to write masses because to me having to write 50 masses in Latin and 20 in English is already very shocking especially when your first language is not Latin. But what I really admire about him the most is the fact that he himself has more than 1,000 musical compositions in the library of the University of the Philippines. Overall, I really think that people should at least have a chance to hear his work, because even though I myself hasn't heard one of his compositions yet, I still think that his way of composing and the achievements that come with it, is more than enough to tell me that many of his compositions are a must hear.