Leonard Salzedo
Encyclopedia
Leonard Salzedo was an English
composer
and conductor
of Spanish
descent.
He studied composition under Herbert Howells
and violin
under Isolde Menges
at the Royal College of Music
in London
, before becoming a professional composer in 1944. He worked closely with the Ballet Rambert, for whom his first ballet, The Fugitive, was commissioned. His most successful ballet was The Witch Boy based on the ‘Ballad of Barbara Allan’.
He was Rambert's Musical Director from 1967 to 1972. He then conducted the Scottish Ballet
from 1972-74 and London City Ballet from 1982-86.
He wrote 18 film scores, perhaps the most appraised of which was for Hammer's
The Revenge of Frankenstein
in 1959.
The fanfare which forms the first six bars of Salzedo's Divertimiento for Three Trumpets and Three Trombones (1959), was used as the theme tune for the BBC
's Open University
's educational programmes, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Another of his tunes, Guadalajara, was used by the BBC to accompany their "pie chart" schools' presentation during the 1960s and early 1970s.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
of Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
descent.
He studied composition under Herbert Howells
Herbert Howells
Herbert Norman Howells CH was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.-Life:...
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
under Isolde Menges
Isolde Menges
Isolde Marie Menges was an accomplished English violinist who was most active in the first part of the 20th century.A native of Sussex, England, she became a student of Leopold Auer and Carl Flesch...
at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, before becoming a professional composer in 1944. He worked closely with the Ballet Rambert, for whom his first ballet, The Fugitive, was commissioned. His most successful ballet was The Witch Boy based on the ‘Ballad of Barbara Allan’.
He was Rambert's Musical Director from 1967 to 1972. He then conducted the Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the four leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet...
from 1972-74 and London City Ballet from 1982-86.
He wrote 18 film scores, perhaps the most appraised of which was for Hammer's
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
The Revenge of Frankenstein
The Revenge of Frankenstein
The Revenge of Frankenstein is a 1958 British horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Terence Fisher, the film stars Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Michael Gwynn and Eunice Gayson....
in 1959.
The fanfare which forms the first six bars of Salzedo's Divertimiento for Three Trumpets and Three Trombones (1959), was used as the theme tune for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
's educational programmes, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Another of his tunes, Guadalajara, was used by the BBC to accompany their "pie chart" schools' presentation during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Sources
- Larson, Randall D. Music from the House of Hammer: Music in the Hammer Horror Films, 1950-1980. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 1996.
External links
- Leonard Salzedo biography by his daughter, Caroline Salzedo
- Biography from the Amoris International publishing house
- Leonard Salzedo at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Details of BBC Schools' presentation at sub-tv