Francisco Santiago

Who was Francisco Santiago?

Francisco Santiago, was a Filipino musician, sometimes called The Father of Kundiman Art Song.

Santiago was born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines, to musically-minded peasant parents, Felipe Santiago and Maria Santiago. In 1908, his first composition, Purita, was dedicated to the first Carnival Queen, Pura Villanueva, who later married the distinguished scholar Teodoro Kalaw.

Santiago's masterpiece was the "Concerto in B flat minor" for pianoforte and orchestra and his most famous piece "Kundiman,".

His other compositions are the kundiman "Sakali Man", "Hibik ng Filipinas", "Pakiusap", "Ang Pag-ibig", "Suyuan", "Alaala Kita", "Ikaw at Ako", "Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran?", "Hatol Hari Kaya?", "Sakali't Mamatay", "Dalit ng Pag-ibig", "Aking Bituin", "Madaling Araw" and "Pagsikat ng Araw". He was named UP Emeritus Professor of Piano, on May 25, 1946. When the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music was celebrating its 30th anniversary, the patriotic musician died of a heart attack. He was buried at the North Cemetery, Manila. A hall in the Head Office of BDO was named in his honor as the Francisco Santiago Hall. It was mainly used for kundiman contests of the Makati City Government and the awarding of Service Awards of the former Equitable PCIBank and PCIBank.