Juan José Castro

Works for Cello

Serenade (1918), for cello and piano.

Sonata (1921-1922), for cello and piano.

Arbolé, arbolé, for cello and piano.

Sources:

  • Furman Schleifer, M., and Galván, G (2016). Latin American Classical Composers, A Biographical Dictionary. London: Rowman & Littlefield.

  • Salgado, S. (2001). Castro family. In Grove Music Online. Grove Music. Omo-9781561592630-e-0000044159

Juan José Castro

Argentinian composer and conductor, born March 7, 1995, died September 5, 1968.

Brother of José María and Washington Castro, Juan José Castro was born on March 7th, 1895, in the Avellaneda Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Castro studied piano and violin with Manuel Posadas, harmony with Constantino Gaito, and counterpoint, fugue, and composition with Eduardo Fornarini; he also studied composition with Vincent d’Indy at the Schola Cantorum and piano with Eduardo Risler in Paris, France. Castro began his conducting career with the Renaciniento Chamber Orchestra in 1928; in 1930, he was appointed conductor of the ballet season at the Teatro Colón and became director of the theatre three years later. Castro specialized in 20th-century music and toured extensively as a conductor, leading ensembles in Cuba, Uruguay, Australia, and throughout Argentina. Around the same time his conducting career started, Castro’s music received international notice after Ansermet conducted the Allegro lento e vivace at the ISCM Festival (1931). Castro went on to compose four significant operas that earned him prizes and notoriety. Like his older brother José María Castro, Juan José Castro was one of the founders of Grupo Renovación; however, his composition style was deeply influenced by his time in Paris and is ultimately more recognized for its combination of Argentinian folk traditions with genres such as tango and milonga.