Role

:

Composer

Country

:

Argentina

Birth

:

1889

Death

:

1963

 

Gilardo Gilardi was an Argentine composer, pianist, and music educator who was born on August 3, 1889, in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. He was the son of a Spanish immigrant father and an Argentine mother. Gilardi's father was a musician who played the guitar and the bandoneon, and he introduced his son to music at an early age. Gilardi showed a natural talent for music, and he began taking piano lessons when he was six years old. Gilardi's family moved to Buenos Aires when he was ten years old, and he continued his music education there. He studied piano with Carlos Vega and composition with Alberto Williams, who was one of the most important Argentine composers of the time. Gilardi also studied harmony, counterpoint, and orchestration with other prominent musicians of the era. In 1910, Gilardi won a scholarship to study music in Europe, and he spent the next six years in Paris, studying with some of the most renowned musicians of the time. He studied piano with Isidor Philipp and composition with Vincent d'Indy, who was a leading figure in the French musical scene. Gilardi also attended the Schola Cantorum de Paris, where he studied Gregorian chant and medieval music. Gilardi returned to Argentina in 1916, and he quickly established himself as one of the leading figures in the country's musical scene. He became a professor of piano and composition at the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires, where he taught for more than thirty years. He also founded the Gilardi Conservatory of Music, which became one of the most prestigious music schools in Argentina. Gilardi's compositions were influenced by his studies in Europe, but he also incorporated elements of Argentine folk music into his works. He wrote music for piano, chamber ensembles, and orchestra, and his works were performed in Argentina and abroad. Some of his most notable compositions include his Piano Sonata No. 1, his String Quartet No. 1, and his Suite Argentina for piano. Gilardi was also a prolific writer on music, and he published several books and articles on music theory, history, and aesthetics. He was a strong advocate for the development of a national music style in Argentina, and he believed that music should reflect the cultural identity of the country. Gilardi died on August 27, 1963, in Buenos Aires, at the age of 74. He left behind a legacy as one of the most important Argentine composers of the 20th century, and his works continue to be performed and studied by musicians and music lovers around the world.

More....