Stanko Horvat (1930–2006) was born in Zagreb (Croatia). He studied composition at the Music Academy in Zagreb under Stjepan Sulek and later continued his studies in Paris under T. Aubin and René Leibowitz. In 1977, as a scholarship holder of DAAD Foundation, he worked in Electronic Studio of Technical University in Berlin. As a pedagogue, he worked at the Zagreb Music Academy from 1961–1999. Most of his students are today’s most prominent Croatian composers.

From 1974–1979 he was a president of Croatian Composers Society. From 1985–1989 he worked as artistic director of Music Biennale Zagreb. From 1998 he was a member of Croatian Academy of Science and Arts.

He is author of large number of works that have one of most important places in comtemporary Croatian music.