The Most Famous
COMPOSERS from Portugal
Top 4
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Portuguese Composers of all time. This list of famous Portuguese Composers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Carlos Seixas (1704 - 1742)
With an HPI of 53.44, Carlos Seixas is the most famous Portuguese Composer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.
José António Carlos de Seixas (Portuguese: [ˈkaɾluʃ ˈsɐjʃɐʃ]; 11 June 1704 – 25 August 1742) was a pre-eminent Portuguese composer of the 18th century. An accomplished virtuoso of both the organ and the harpsichord, Seixas succeeded his father as the organist for Coimbra Cathedral at the age of fourteen. In 1720, he departed for the capital, Lisbon, where he was to serve as the organist for the royal chapel, one of the highest offices for a musician in Portugal, a position which earned him a knighthood. Much of Seixas' music rests in an ambiguous transitional period from the learned style of the 17th century to the galant style of the 18th century.
2. Marcos Portugal (1762 - 1830)
With an HPI of 50.80, Marcos Portugal is the 2nd most famous Portuguese Composer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Marcos António da Fonseca Portugal (24 March 1762 – 17 February 1830), known as Marcos Portugal, or Marco Portogallo, was a Portuguese-born Brazilian classical composer, who achieved great international fame for his operas.
3. Manuel Cardoso (1566 - 1650)
With an HPI of 49.77, Manuel Cardoso is the 3rd most famous Portuguese Composer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Manuel Cardoso (baptized 11 December 1566 – 24 November 1650) was a Portuguese composer and organist. With Duarte Lobo and John IV of Portugal, he represented the "golden age" of Portuguese polyphony. Cardoso is not known to be related to an older contemporary composer of the same name; the precentor Manuel Cardoso, who published a book of Latin passions in Leiria in 1575. Cardoso was born in Fronteira, near Portalegre, most likely in 1566. He attended the Colégio dos Moços do Coro, a choir school associated with the Évora cathedral, studying with Manuel Mendes and Cosme Delgado. In 1588 he joined the Carmelite order, taking his vows in 1589. In the early 1620s he was resident at the ducal household of Vila Viçosa, where he was befriended by the Duke of Barcelos—later to become King John IV. For most of his career he was the resident composer and organist at the Carmelite Convento do Carmo in Lisbon. Cardoso's works are models of Palestrinian polyphony, and are written in a refined, precise style which completely ignores the development of the Baroque idiom elsewhere in Europe. His style has much in common with Tomás Luis de Victoria, in its careful treatment of dissonance, occasional polychoral writing, and frequent cross-relations, which were curiously common among both Iberian and English composers of the time. Three books of masses survive; many of the works are based on motets written by King John IV himself, and others are based on motets by Palestrina. Cardoso was widely published, often with the help of King John IV to defray costs. Many of his works—especially the elaborate polychoral compositions, which probably were the most progressive—were destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake and fire of 1755.
4. Luís de Freitas Branco (1890 - 1955)
With an HPI of 47.23, Luís de Freitas Branco is the 4th most famous Portuguese Composer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Luís Maria da Costa de Freitas Branco (12 October 1890 – 27 November 1955) was a Portuguese composer, musicologist, and professor of music who played a pre-eminent part in the development of Portuguese music in the first half of the 20th century.
People
Pantheon has 4 people classified as Portuguese composers born between 1566 and 1890. Of these 4, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased Portuguese composers include Carlos Seixas, Marcos Portugal, and Manuel Cardoso. As of April 2024, 1 new Portuguese composers have been added to Pantheon including Manuel Cardoso.
Deceased Portuguese Composers
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Carlos Seixas
1704 - 1742
HPI: 53.44
Marcos Portugal
1762 - 1830
HPI: 50.80
Manuel Cardoso
1566 - 1650
HPI: 49.77
Luís de Freitas Branco
1890 - 1955
HPI: 47.23
Newly Added Portuguese Composers (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Composers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Composers since 1700.
