José Rufino Reyes y Siancas

José Rufino Reyes
Born	José Rufino Reyes y Siancas November 15, 1835 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Died	January 31, 1905 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Nationality	Dominican
Occupation	Composer, musician

José Rufino Reyes y Siancas (November 15, 1835 – January 31, 1905) was a Dominican composer, known for writing the music in the Dominican national anthem. Among his other works are compositions of waltzes and marches. He also wrote secular and religious music.^[1][2]

Biography

José Rufino Reyes was born Santo Dominigo, Dominican Republic, on November 15, 1835. He was the son of Rafael Reyes, a poor retailer, and Mary Merced Siancas. Reyes had no formal education and was raised in cottage dwelling. He participated as a soldier in the battles for independence, where he studied music with the director of the military band, Juan Bautista Fonseca. He learned various musical instruments, with primary focus on the cello.

National anthem

In 1882, alongside Emilio Prud'Homme, he wrote the music for what would later become the national anthem of the Dominican Republic. The following year on August 7 he premiered the composition in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the restoration of the Republic with lyrics written by Prud'Homme, during a ceremony held at the Lodge La Esperanza. The composition was then again performed on February 27, 1884, in honor of Juan Pablo Duarte in the theater of the Republic during the occasion of the arrival of Duarte's remains in the country, which were deposited in the Chapel of the Immortals.

In 1885, the composition received its greatest public praise when it was performed by the military band teacher Betances, in the Cathedral Square and its popularity then increased on the fiftieth anniversary of the Republic. In 1896 it was nominated to be the official anthem of the country unsuccessfully. On 7 June 1897, the Congress of the Dominican Republic passed an act adopting "Himno Nacional" with the original music and revised lyrics as the country's official national anthem; however, then-President Ulises Heureaux (1846–1899) vetoed the act because the lyric's author, Prud'homme, was an opponent of the president and his administration.

Death

José Rufino Reyes died on January 31, 1905, without seeing the national anthem being formalized. His remains were laid to rest by the words of Federico Henriquez y Carvajal. In 1916, the Congress tried once again without results to formalize the anthem. Eventually on May 3, 1934, due to a message sent to Congress by the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, a law was passed which established Reyes' composition as the official anthem of the Dominican Republic.

References

1. "José Rufino Reyes Reyes y Siancas – BAVARO ONLINE Periódico Digital Bávaro y Punta Cana". bavaronline.com.
2. "José Reyes". hoy.com.do.