Les Luthiers is an Argentine comedy-musical group very popular also in several other Spanish-speaking countries including Paraguay, Guatemala, Peru, and Chile. They were formed in 1967 by Gerardo Masana, during the height of a period of very intense choral music activity in Argentina’s state universities. Their outstanding characteristic is the home-made musical instruments (hence the name luthiers, French for “musical instrument maker”), some of them extremely sophisticated, which they skillfully employ in their recitals to produce music and texts full of high class and refined humour. From 1977 until his death in 2007, they worked with Roberto Fontanarrosa, a renowned Argentine cartoonist and writer.
During the 1960s, nearly every faculty in Argentine universities had its own musical choir. Some members began meeting outside rehearsals to create musical jokes for fun, which they later performed as humorous interludes at inter-choral festivals throughout the academic year. In September 1965, the VI University Choir Festival took place in San Miguel de Tucumán, located in Northwest Argentina. A group of young university students presented a humorous musical performance they had long prepared, featuring a novel orchestral ensemble of instruments they invented and built from simple materials. They staged a parody of a concert, with a soloist, a small choir, and these unconventional instruments.
The afterpiece was Cantata Modatón, composed by Gerardo Masana, a member of the Faculty of Engineering choir at the University of Buenos Aires. Masana, alongside Buenos Aires luthier and musician Carlos Iraldi, invented most of these “informal instruments.” The music parodied Baroque cantatas, drawing inspiration from Bach’s St Matthew Passion, while the lyrics were sourced from a popular laxative’s prospectus. Later renamed Cantata Laxatón to avoid issues with the laxative’s manufacturer, the performance was a resounding success, praised for its originality, humour, and precision by attendees and critics in music publications. Shortly after, the group unexpectedly received a contract to repeat the Tucumán show at a renowned avant-garde venue in Buenos Aires. Performing as I Musicisti, they again achieved great success.
In 1967, internal disputes over compensation led to the dissolution of I Musicisti. Key members—Gerardo Masana, Marcos Mundstock, Jorge Maronna, and Daniel Rabinovich—continued under the name Les Luthiers, joined by Carlos Núñez Cortés, while I Musicisti soon disbanded without its instruments or main writers. Around this time, Les Luthiers’ compositions began appearing in theatre soundtracks and short films like Angelito el secuestrado by Leal Reyes. The group performed in theatres and café-concerts. In 1969, they hired Rosario native Carlos López Puccio as a violinist, and in 1971, Ernesto Acher joined, initially replacing Mundstock before becoming a permanent member.
The group received numerous accolades, including a special mention at the Konex Awards, the Latin Grammy Special Award for Musical Excellence (United States, 2011), and the Order of Isabella the Catholic for their career (Spain, 2007). They were named illustrious citizens of Buenos Aires and honoured guests in many Latin American cities. In 2012, Spain granted them Spanish citizenship by letter of nature, a special recognition for individuals of exceptional merit. In 2017, they won the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, marking their 50th anniversary.
