Famous Mexican Composers

Agustín Lara was a Mexican composer and songwriter. Apart from gaining popularity in Mexico, Lara's work has also been appreciated in places like the Caribbean, United States, Spain, Italy, Japan, and Central and South America. Many of his songs have been recorded by several international singers like Enrico Caruso. Lara's life inspired the 1959 film The Life of Agustín Lara.

The son of musician Ramón Covarrubias, Ramón Ayala was naturally drawn to music as a child and began playing the accordion. He has performed with several bands such as Los Pavoreales and is considered a master of Norteño music. He was also part of the popular duo Los Relámpagos del Norte.

Mexican Mayan singer-composer Armando Manzanero was one of the finest Latin American musicians ever. He had composed hundreds of songs, won a Latin Grammy for his album Duets, and later became the first Mexican to win the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He died of COVID-19 at 85.

Celso Pina was a Mexican singer, accordionist, and composer. He is credited with popularizing the cumbia rebajada style of music. Pina is remembered for his unique music which stemmed from the fact that he had no formal training as an accordionist. Celso Pina's album Barrio Bravo earned him a Latin Grammy Award nomination in 2002.

Mexican composer Carlos Chavez was known for his signature mixture of the traditional and modern elements of music. Best remembered for his works such as Sinfonía India and Sinfonía de Antígona, Chavez experimented with indigenous Mexican tunes, too. He was also the founder-director of Mexico’s Symphony Orchestra.

Juan García Esquivel was a Mexican pianist and composer for films and television. He is regarded as one of the leading exponents of a unique style of instrumental music that brings together elements of jazz and lounge music with Latin flavors. His music became popular in the 1950s and 1960s and is now known as Space Age Bachelor Pad Music.

Jose Maria Napoleon is a Mexican composer, singer, and actor. Such is his popularity in Mexico that many of his songs have been recorded by other popular singers like Pepe Aguilar, Vicente Fernández, Franck Pourcel, and Pedro Fernández among others. A prolific singer, Jose Maria Napoleon has released several studio albums and a couple of compilation albums so far.

Julián Carrillo was a Mexican composer, violinist, conductor, and music theorist. He is best remembered for creating a theory of microtonal music which he called The Thirteenth Sound. Early in his life, Julián Carrillo developed an interest in the study of the mathematical and physical basis of music, which later helped him in creating The Thirteenth Sound.

Eduardo Mata was a Mexican composer and conductor. He is best remembered for his work as the principal conductor of the popular American symphony orchestra, Phoenix Symphony. Eduardo Mata is also credited with co-founding the Mahler Mexico Society where he also served as an honorary president.

Daniel Catán was a Mexican writer, composer, and professor. Credited with popularizing the Spanish language in the international opera scene, Catán is best remembered as the first composer from Mexico to have an opera produced in the USA. He is also remembered for composing Florencia en el Amazonas, which became the first Spanish-language opera to be commissioned in the USA.