Guides: Composers of Color in Classical Music: Hispanic/Latino Composers

Hispanic Composers

Teresa Carreno (1853-1917)
- Venezuelan female composer, Carreno began composing at the age of 6. She was a renowned pianist, soprano vocalist, conductor, and music educator. She wrote over 70 works for piano, voice, choir, and instrumental music.
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
- Inspired by Spanish church music, folk music, and zarzuela, de Falla was an prized pianist and composer. He wrote for piano, as well as several ballets.
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983)
- Argentine composer, Ginastera is known to have studied with Aaron Copland. His works often incorporated traditional Argentine musical elements within his own styles.
Antonio Lauro (1917-1986)
- Venezuelan Antonio Lauro is known for his works involving 20th century guitar music. He is also known for advocating for Venezuelan waltzes.
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
- Argentine composer, pianist, bandoneon virtuoso, Piazzolla composed for tango orchestras and film. He is known for merging Jazz and Western classical music.
Jacqueline Nova (1935-1975)
- Known for her composition and studies with Alberto Ginastera, Columbian Jacqueline Nova primarily focused on avante-garde style compositions. She was known for her interests and composition of electronic and electro-acoustic music.
Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)
- A Cuban composer and guitarist, Brouwer merges Cuban folk music and rhythms into works that are well-known within classical guitar literature.
Miguel del Aguila (b. 1957)
- Uraguayan composer known for his merging of Western classical music with traditional South American music, del Aguila has composed over 130 works so far. He has been nominated for three Latin Grammy nominations.
Lin-Manuel Miranda (b. 1980)
- Puerto Rican composer known best for his Broadway compositions and film scores, Miranda has won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and has won 11 of 16 Tony nominations. He has also worked on various Disney films.

Latino Composers

Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935)
- Brazilian composer, pianist, and Brazil's first female conductor, Gonzaga began composing at age 11. She went on to compose over 200 works, including operettas and plays that often combined the sounds of Western classical music with African rhythms.
Maria Grever (1885-1932)
- Known as "The Woman of the Americas", Grever began composing at age 4. A vocal instructor and film/stage composer, she composed over 1000 works in her lifetime.
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
- Arguably the most well known and performed Brazilian composer, Villa-Lobos's compositions for guitar music trailblazed the 20th century. He also composed for woodwind ensembles and large orchestral works.
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940)
- Known for his conducting, performance on violin, and compositions, Revueltas was known for merging Mexican traditions in music through mixed meters and melodies.
Jose Pablo Moncayo (1912-1958)
- A Mexican composer, musician, and conductor whose works often blended intriguing melodies, rhythms, and textures. Moncayo's compositions provide a very distinct sound that is unique to his works.
Cacilda Borges Barbosa (1914-2010)
- Brazillian composer who began composing at age 14. Her works are known by her method of notating music with choreography, creating a new method of merging body with sound.
Eunice Katunda (1915-1991)
- A Brazilian female pianist, composer, and musicologist, Katunda is best known for her pianist endeavors and studied Brazilian folk music.
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983)
- Argentine composer, Ginastera is known to have studied with Aaron Copland. His works often incorporated traditional Argentine musical elements within his own styles.
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
- Argentine composer, pianist, bandoneon virtuoso, Piazzolla composed for tango orchestras and film. He is known for merging Jazz and Western classical music.
Jacqueline Nova (1935-1975)
- Known for her composition and studies with Alberto Ginastera, Columbian Jacqueline Nova primarily focused on avante-garde style compositions. She was known for her interests and composition of electronic and electro-acoustic music.
Baden Powell (1937-2000)
- Brazilian composer and guitarist, Powell merged jazz concepts with Brazilian styles and also included classical ideas in his compositions.
Miguel del Aguila (b. 1957)
- Uraguayan composer known for his merging of Western classical music with traditional South American music, del Aguila has composed over 130 works so far. He has been nominated for three Latin Grammy nominations.
Lin-Manuel Miranda (b. 1980)
- Puerto Rican composer known best for his Broadway compositions and film scores, Miranda has won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and has won 11 of 16 Tony nominations. He has also worked on various Disney films.

Works Cited

Btaghap. (2021, September 23). Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx composers. Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://cyso.org/news/celebrating-hispanic-latinx-composers/

Davis, I. (2016, September 20). 14 of the most influential Latin American composers of the 20th Century. Flypaper. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://flypaper.soundfly.com/write/the-14-most-influential-south-central-american-composers-of-the-20th-century/

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Manuel de Falla. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Manuel-de-Falla

Florida Atlantic University. (n.d.). Honoring hispanic heritage month: Resources for teaching about the ... Florida Atlantic University Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/pjhr/chhre/pdf/hh-five-things-about-hspanic-heritage-month.pdf

Jean, J. (2021, September 18). Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month – 5 composers to know. perennial. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.perennialmusicandarts.com/post/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-five-composers-to-know