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Dr. Ramon Pagayon Santos was born on February 25, 1941 in Pasig City and he is currently 79 years old. He is a Filipino composer, musicologist, and ethnomusicologist. He is a National Artist of the Philippines and University Professor Emeritus of the composition and theory department the College of Music of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

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While the majority of his countrymen were preoccupied with pop music and a small but influential sector propagated Western classical music, Santos zeroed in on Philippine contemporary classic music and became a distinguished though relatively unheralded composer.

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He received his Bachelor of Music Composition and Conducting from the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music in 1965, his Master of Music in distinction from Indiana University in 1969 and his Doctor of Philosophy from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1972.

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He completed high school at the San Jose Seminary where he joined a choir.

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Ramon Santos - Klintang (audio + sheet music)

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The piano piece "Klintang" as composed by ethnomusicologist, Dr. Ramon Santos got its inspiration from the kulintang which is a row of 5 to 9 graduated pot gongs, horizontally laid upon a frame with the lowest pitched gong found to the player's left. The kulintang is traditionally played by our kindred Islam brothers of Southern Philippines, especially the Maranao and Maguindanao peoples. It is part of the larger gong-chime culture of Southeast Asia, especially of Indonesia and Malaysia.

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Through the years, Santos has traveled all over the Philippines and in different parts of the world to discover the sounds of the indigenous people.

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; to witness how music is incorporated in their daily lives; and to preserve the traditions that were born before modern civilizations.

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Santos has always been inspired to create his compositions and masterpiece based on "rituals", much like how tribes from different parts of the country use music in the same regard.

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Of his works, he is most proud of "Nagnit Igak G’nan Wagnwag Nila" or "Alingawngaw ng Kagitingan" which he composed as a tribute for the Philippine Centennial Celebration at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

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“I am inspired by works that come from artistic traditions of indigenous communities in the Philippines as well as those from the Southeast Asian region. From my formal training in classical music to being exposed to the music of different communities, I incorporate different styles and orchestral instruments like the Javanese gamelan to the kulintang to create diverse musical pieces,”

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Among six siblings, Santos is the youngest in the family. Influenced by his mother and grandmother who both love playing the piano, Santos and his siblings were exposed to music early on.

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Among awards he has received are Composer-in-Residence of Bellagio Study Center/Rockefellar Foundation (1997); Artist-in-Residence, Civitella Ranieri Center (1998); Acheivement Award in the Humanities from National Research Council of the Philippines (1994); Fellowships from the Asian Cultural Council and The Ford Foundation (1998-1989); and Chevalier de l’Ordre des Artes et Lettres, French Government.

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Ritual and tradition symbolizes his "Klintang".

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As what we've said earlier he composed this as a tribute for te Philippine Centennial Celebration at the Cultural Center of the of the Philippines.

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- an example of his piece.

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- another example of his piece which is a popular piece performed by many to this day.