The Lost Works of Latin American Composers

12/24/2025

My interest in the piano is one of my favorite hobbies. Sometimes, I am driven obsessively to learn a particular song. I sit down for hours in front of the keys, the YouTube notes and chords on an iPad in front of me. I start with the chords moving slowly, and I repeat, over and over, until I start to get it right. Then, I return, day-in and day-out, until I master it.

As I started to become more intrigued by Latin America, something occurred to me:  I didn’t know the name of ANY Latin American composers. Were there any? Of course there were. I found a number of them with basic Google skills, and then I listened. Astor Piazzolla from Argentina and Heitor Villa-Lobos from Brazil were two that apparently had a lot of recognition, though none I was aware of. I began to listen to their music, and it was captivating.

Throughout my life, up to that time, I had only been exposed to the European names; Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Mozart, etc. Why? Probably because that’s who my parents knew and loved. That’s the classical I might hear at home. My father grew up playing piano, and he will play Bach and Chopin constantly. “And listen to this,” I could hear my father say as he fiddled with his iPhone and iTunes; it was the fourth movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and it was magical, no doubt. Of course, on my own, I could also readily find the European greats on the classical radio station when I was in that kind of a need for a musical retreat.

But Piazzolla? Villa-Lobos? I had never heard their music before. I had never heard of them before. The exposure we have as children is something driven by our parents. Whether it be a favorite sport, to watch or to play, or a favorite song, whether it be Elvis Presley’s, Bon Jovi’s or Bach. It is our parents who give us our initial knowledge, and thereby our lasting knowledge.

Now that I can and do think for myself and make my own choices more often (most often, actually), I’ve looked beyond my parents’ influence. And me, well, I love the culture, history, resources, economics and politics of all things Latin America. 

Piazzolla’s piece, Libertango, is said to be similar to Passacaglia in C minor by Bach. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, by Heitor Villa-Lobos is said to blend Bach's musical structure with that of a traditional Brazilian love song. Yes, I know the name Johann Sebastian Bach. But I will let others continue to praise that name going forward. Me, well, I will be playing and replaying the great songs of these Latin American composers going forward.