Luis Bacalov

The Argentinian composer Luis Bacalov began writing for films in the early 1960s and his soundtracks became synonymous with the spaghetti western genre. Films such as 'Django' (later remade by Quentin Tarantino who also used Bacalov's compositions for his version), 'A Bullet for the General' and 'Sugar Colt' featured Bacalov's music and established the composer's reputation particularly within the rapidly growing Italian film industry. Bacalov's work also appeared outside the spaghetti western genre and his distinctive style can be found in many Italian film and TV crime dramas of the period.

The composer's career in the film industry spanned five decades and during this time he also worked outside the movie business and composed many works for chorus and orchestra and was considered by his peers to be a gifted pianist. During the latter part of his life he became the principal director of the Orchestra della Magna Grecia in Taranto, Italy. Bacalov composed in excess of 50 film scores and his work featured on numerous albums during his career. He died in Rome in 2017 at the age of 84.