Rev Rev, REV or Rév may refer to: Abbreviations Rev. * Rev., an abbreviation for revolution, as in Revolutions per minute * Rev., an abbreviation for the religious style The Reverend * Rev., the abbreviation for Runtime Revolution, a development en ...

Fr. Eduardo Jose Pardo Hontiveros, SJ (20 December 1923 – 15 January 2008), also known as "Fr. Honti", was a Filipino

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

composer and musician, best known as an innovative

hymnwriter A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditional ...

and the “Father of

Philippine The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

liturgical music Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service (or Eucharist) and Evensong, ...

Biography

He was born in

Molo, Iloilo City Molo () is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is the most densely populated district in the city. According to the 2020 census, Molo has a population of 76,393 people, making it the second-most populous district, after Jaro. Molo is o ...

, 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 The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

in 1945; he professed his simple vows in 1947. He studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1951, and was ordained a priest by

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Francis Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop of New York from 1939 until his death in 1967. F ...

in 1954. With the

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilic ...

mandate of localisation of the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, 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 Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4 ...

, with the intent that it could be easily sung and learnt by ordinary Filipinos. This brought about the tradition of Filipino popular

hymnody Robert Gerhard's Hymnody is a contemporary classical work from 1963, which was an assignment from BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, E ...

which was later labelled "Jesuit Music". His more famous hymns include a setting for the

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

text of the ''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

'', ''"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 The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. His publisher is the Ateneo-based

Jesuit Music Ministry The Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM) is a Philippines-based producer and publisher of music for use in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church. It also manages a group of artists and composers, whose works are widely used in the liturgy of the Holy Ma ...

Illness and death

Fr. Honti suffered a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

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 Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

and physicians later determined that he had suffered another stroke. He was pronounced dead on 15 January 2008, and among the attendees at his funeral on 19 January were

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

, who presented a posthumous award for his work.

Legacy

In 2024, the

Jesuit Communications Foundation Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom) is the media arm of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. JesCom was founded in 1995 by the late Rev. Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J. and is based in the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon Cit ...

, as tribute to Hontiveros’ 100th birth anniversary, organized a three-hour

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

“Luwalhati sa Diyos: The Legacy of Father Honti” at Ateneo de Manila University’s Henry Lee Irwin Theater. It featured

Bukas Palad Music Ministry The ''Bukas Palad'' Music Ministry (Filipino language, Filipino for "generous"; literally, "open palm") is a Roman Catholic, contemporary worship musical group in the Philippines that composes, records, and performs original religious music. Si ...

, Himig Heswita, Pansol Choir, Tinig Barangka, and the Young Voices of the Philippines.

Awards

*1976 - ''Tanglaw ng Lahi'' Awards ( Ateneo de Manila University) *1992 - Asian Catholic Publisher's Outstanding Catholic Author Award *2000 -

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. History The medal was established by Leo XII ...

*2008 - Presidential Medal of Merit ''(posthumous)''

References

External links