Leonard Salzedo 24th September 1921 – 6th May 2000
A year since the Leonard Salzedo Celebration concert in London organised by the Leonard Salzedo Society on the 101st anniversary of Leonard’s birth.
Two years since the launch of the film on YouTube Leonard Salzedo A Life Composed in Music for the Centenary of this birth.
And on 24th September 1940, his 19th birthday, Leonard began his studies at the Royal College of Music London where he won the Cobbett Prize for his first String Quartet and the Tagore Gold Medal.
Perfect pitch
For my father, music was what gave his life meaning. An idea would form in his head and, having perfect pitch, he would take time to get it down on paper exactly how he had heard it.
For me, hearing his music is like having him in the room; it resonates so deeply of him. I know also that his work touches people deeply the way music does. Click here for a list of his over 150 works.
Write a ballet!
His first commission had been a ballet for Rambert called The Fugitive
He wrote a total of 17 ballets for many companies. If you want to hear a work played more than once, he said, write a ballet. His most famous was The Witch Boy
He enjoyed writing ballets and writing for specific musicians and ensembles. He prided himself on researching fully before writing and on never missing a commission deadline.
But there were a lot of works he wrote because he wanted and needed to.
Requiem for his mother
In 1986, he composed Requiem Sine Voxibus, Requiem Without Voices, dedicated to his late mother.
‘I have just finished the Requiem Sine Voxibus. At first I conceived it for small orchestra but eventually I realised my conception needed a big sound and a lot of instruments. Now nearly three years after starting I have written the last page.
Marvellously
‘The first movement was finished fairly easily but the opening of the Dies Irae was one of the most difficult things to write. One section I scored four times before I got it right, but when I did, it progressed marvellously. It’s strange how you always know when something is not right – and also when it is. In the Tuba Miram I have used the entire brass section in unison for the last trumpet. I’m sure it will work. It looks fantastic on the score.
Sometimes immediately after finishing a big piece (and this is my biggest) I feel drained but not tonight. I feel full of ideas. I hope I will be able to finish them all.’
He considered the Requiem Sine Voxibus amongst his best works.
My promise
At the 2022 Celebration Concert I promised him I would do all I could to ensure his music gets out there. One day we will hear the Requiem Sine Voxibus in the first of many performances. Watch this space!
Forthcoming Concert
On 21st October 2023 in Surbiton Surrey, as the first concert of the Thames Concert Series, hear the Percussion Ensemble of London play the Percussion Concerto and Diseños. Buy tickets here
The Leonard Salzedo Society
Please join The Leonard Salzedo Society and help us promote Leonard’s music.
Buy CDs
Click here to buy Salzedo CDs.
LEONARD SALZEDO SOCIETY 