Ataúlfo Argenta
Spanish musician (1913–1958)
Ataúlfo Exuperio Martín de Argenta Maza (19 November 1913 – 21 January 1958) was a Spanish conductor and pianist.
Biography
Argenta was born in Castro Urdiales, a coastal town in Cantabria, where his father was a railroad stationmaster. After his family moved to Madrid in 1925, he enrolled in the Madrid Royal Conservatory, studying under Manuel Fernández Alberdi.
Argenta began to conduct the Spanish National Orchestra (SNO, Orquesta Nacional de España) more often. In January 1946, his radio contract was not renewed. In 1946, the SNO had begun a search for a replacement for Bartolomé Pérez Casas, the aging conductor of the SNO. The candidates included Franz von Hoesslin, and Argenta renewed his acquaintance with von Hoesslin, who later died in a plane crash. Argenta later became the SNO's assistant conductor, and in November 1946, the SNO's second conductor. On 2 January 1947, he was named joint director of the SNO, and conducted 80 concerts with the orchestra in one year.
In 1950, Argenta and Juana had their fifth and last surviving child, another girl. They settled in Los Molinos.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ataúlfo Argenta” as spanish musician (1913–1958). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as spanish musician (1913–1958). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2526035. VIAF identifies the subject as 7576609. The Library of Congress control number is n85290376. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1913, 1958, 1925 and 1946.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ataúlfo Argenta”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ataúlfo Argenta primary sources, Ataúlfo Argenta archive and Ataúlfo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ataúlfo Argenta”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ataúlfo Argenta” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.