COMPOSERS from Argentina

Top 8

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Argentinean Composers of all time. This list of famous Argentinean Composers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Astor Piazzolla (1921 - 1992)

With an HPI of 72.27, Astor Piazzolla is the most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 56 different languages on wikipedia.

Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (Spanish: [pjaˈsola], Italian: [pjatˈtsɔlla]; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles. In 1992, American music critic Stephen Holden described Piazzolla as "the world's foremost composer of Tango music".

2. Alberto Ginastera (1916 - 1983)

With an HPI of 60.54, Alberto Ginastera is the 2nd most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (Catalan pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto eβaˈɾisto dʒinaˈsteɾa]; April 11, 1916 – June 25, 1983) was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas.

3. Ariel Ramírez (1921 - 2010)

With an HPI of 58.30, Ariel Ramírez is the 3rd most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Ariel Ramírez (4 September 1921 – 18 February 2010) was an Argentine composer, pianist and music director. He was considered "a chief exponent of Argentine folk music" and noted for his "iconic" musical compositions. Ramírez is known primarily for his Misa Criolla (1964). It allowed him to travel around Europe and Latin America to build his reputation. However, he wrote more than 300 compositions during his career, and sold over 10 million albums.

4. Mauricio Kagel (1931 - 2008)

With an HPI of 58.27, Mauricio Kagel is the 4th most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Mauricio Raúl Kagel (Spanish pronunciation: [mawˈɾisjo ˈkaɣel]; 24 December 1931 – 18 September 2008) was an Argentine-German composer and academic teacher.

5. Luis Bacalov (1933 - 2017)

With an HPI of 56.18, Luis Bacalov is the 5th most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Luis Enríquez Bacalov (30 August 1933 – 15 November 2017) was an Argentine-born film composer. He learned music from Enrique Barenboim, father of Daniel Barenboim - conductor of the Berlin and Chicago orchestras, and from Berta Sujovolsky. He ventured into music for the cinema, and composed scores for Spaghetti Western films. In the early 1970s he collaborated with Italian progressive rock bands. Bacalov was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, winning it in 1996 for Il Postino. Bacalov composed significant works for chorus and orchestra. Before his death, he was the artistic director of the Orchestra della Magna Grecia in Taranto, Italy.

6. Carlos Guastavino (1912 - 2000)

With an HPI of 50.52, Carlos Guastavino is the 6th most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Carlos Guastavino (5 April 1912 – 29 October 2000) was an Argentine composer, considered one of the foremost composers of his country. His production amounted to over 500 works, most of them songs for piano and voice, many still unpublished. His style was quite conservative, always tonal and lushly romantic. His compositions were clearly influenced by Argentine folk music. His reputation was based almost entirely on his songs, and Guastavino has sometimes been called "the Schubert of the Pampas". Some of his songs, for example Pueblito, mi pueblo, La rosa y el sauce ("The Rose and the Willow") and Se equivocó la paloma ("The Dove Was Mistaken"), became national favorites. Unlike most other composers, at any time or place, Guastavino earned enough from his royalties and performing rights that he had little need for other income. Many famous performers, such as Teresa Berganza, Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, José Carreras, Kiri Te Kanawa, Patricia Caicedo, Bernarda Fink, Cecilia Pillado, María Isabel Siewers, Jorge Chaminé, Agathe Martel, Karina Gauvin,Julie Nesrallah and José Cura have included works of Guastavino on their programs or recordings.

7. Mariano Mores (1918 - 2016)

With an HPI of 45.86, Mariano Mores is the 7th most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Mariano Alberto Martínez (18 February 1918 – 13 April 2016), known professionally as Mariano Mores, was an Argentine tango composer and pianist.

8. Osvaldo Golijov (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 31.61, Osvaldo Golijov is the 8th most famous Argentinean Composer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Osvaldo Noé Golijov (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡoli'xof]; born December 5, 1960) is an Argentine composer of classical music and music professor, known for his vocal and orchestral work.