Alberto Williams was the most influential Argentinean classical musician of the 20th century. As a pianist and conductor he brought distinction to the concert stage, while his compositions include nine symphonies among a considerable orchestral output. Yet it was in the field of education that he made his most significant contribution to music in South America, opening a Conservatoire in Buenos Aires on European lines. In his music he successfully merged a European musical training with an attractive and distinctive South American idiom. He was gifted in writing the most pleasing melodies, his piano works often coming close to the salon style of the late 19th century.