Eduardo Hontiveros

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Pardo and the surname or paternal family name is Hontiveros.
The Very Reverend
Eduardo P. Hontiveros
SJ PMM(Ph)
Born
Eduardo Jose Pardo Hontiveros

(1923-12-20)December 20, 1923
Molo, Iloilo, Philippine Islands
DiedJanuary 15, 2008(2008-01-15) (aged 84)
Quezon City, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Parent(s)Jose Hontiveros
Vicenta Ruiz Pardo
RelativesDaisy Avellana (sister)
Lamberto V. Avellana (brother-in-law)
Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco (sister)
Risa Hontiveros (niece)
Pia Hontiveros (niece)
Jose Mari Avellana (nephew)
Musical career
Also known asFather Honti
OriginComposer, Singer
GenresWorship, Inspirational, Classical
Occupation(s)priest
musician
Instrument(s)Piano, accordion
Years active1960–1972, 1986–1999
LabelsJesuit Music Ministry (JMM)

Rev Fr. Eduardo Jose Pardo Hontiveros, SJ PMM(Ph) (20 December 1923 – 15 January 2008), also known as "Fr. Honti", was a Filipino Jesuit composer and musician, best known as an innovative hymnwriter and the “Father of Philippine liturgical music".

Biography

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He was born in Molo, Iloilo City, one of eight siblings, to José Hontiveros and Vicenta Pardo. He studied at the Capiz Elementary School and transferred to Ateneo de Manila High School, graduating in 1939. He entered the San José Seminary from 1939 to 1945, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1945; he professed his simple vows in 1947. He studied theology in the United States in 1951, and was ordained a priest by Cardinal Francis Spellman in 1954.

With the Vatican II mandate of localisation of the Mass, Fr. Honti began to write liturgical hymns in the 1960s. He wrote his first hymn for services at the Jesuit-administered San Jose Manggagawa parish at Barangka, Marikina, with the intent that it could be easily sung and learnt by ordinary Filipinos. This brought about the tradition of Filipino popular hymnody which was later labelled "Jesuit Music".[1]

His more famous hymns include a setting for the Tagalog text of the Gloria, "Papuri sa Diyos", "Magnificat (Ang Puso Ko'y Nagpupuri)", "Maria, Bukang-Liwayway" (lit. "Mary, Dawn"), "Pananagutan" ("Responsibility"), among many others. His works have been published and sung in many parishes in the Philippines and in other countries as well; his "Papuri" has been sung at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.[2] His publisher is the Ateneo-based Jesuit Music Ministry.

Illness and death

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Fr. Honti suffered a stroke in 1991, affecting his mobility and ability to communicate. On 4 January 2008, he was found lying unconscious in a hallway of the Loyola House of Studies in Quezon City and physicians later determined that he had suffered another stroke.[3] He was pronounced dead on 15 January 2008, and among the attendees at his funeral on 19 January were President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who presented a posthumous award for his work.[4]

Legacy

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In 2024, the Jesuit Communications Foundation, as tribute to Hontiveros’ 100th birth anniversary, organized a three-hour concert “Luwalhati sa Diyos: The Legacy of Father Honti” at Ateneo de Manila University’s Henry Lee Irwin Theater. It featured Bukas Palad Music Ministry, Himig Heswita, Pansol Choir, Tinig Barangka, and the Young Voices of the Philippines.[5]

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jesuits.ph - jesuits Resources and Information". Archived from the original on 2007-06-24.
  2. ^ "SEEING CHRIST IN THE WORLD : The Ministry of Jesuit Communications". Adnu-alum.org. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  3. ^ "The Philippine Jesuits". Archived from the original on 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  4. ^ "Ateneo de Manila University". Archived from the original on 2021-04-08. Retrieved 2024-02-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ Esmagquel, Paterno (October 20, 2024). "From dress codes to Jesuit musician Eduardo Hontiveros". Rappler. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
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