Kirchner, Leon

Kirchner, Leon, 1919–2009, American composer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. Kirchner studied at the Univ. of California, Berkeley, with Ernest Bloch, Arnold Schoenberg, and Roger Sessions. Although he used many of the most modern techniques of composition, including electronics, he was a self-proclaimed romantic. Among his works are orchestral and chamber works, two piano concertos (1953 and 1963); four string quartets (1950, 1958, 1966, and 2006), the third for strings and tape; and the opera Lily, 1974. Kirchner was also professor of music at Harvard (1961–89), a pianist, and a conductor.

See his memoir (2008).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Music: History, Composers, and Performers: Biographies