Rubén Avila Ruíz

RUÍZ, Rubén Avila. b. Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico, 12 November 1945. The son of a Methodist minister (later a bishop), he was educated at the Instituto Mexicano Madero. During a period in Covington, Virginia, USA, ca. 1972, Ruíz wrote a hymn in Spanish for the choir of the United Methodist Church, ‘Mantos y palmas’ (literally ‘Cloaks and Palms’, based on the account in the Gospels of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. The first stanza describes the scene; the second calls on the singers to follow Christ. Each stanza is followed by a refrain, in which the voices shout ‘Hosanna!’ Ruíz, who was a choir director of the Instituto Mexicano Madero, wrote his own tune, which was then arranged by Alvin...