Leslie Bassett
Leslie Raymond Bassett (22 January 1923 – 4 February 2016) was an American
Biography
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Early life and education
Leslie Bassett was born in 1923 in Hanford, California.[1] He was a member of the Gamma Pi chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at California State University-Fresno, 1942. After studying piano, cello, and trombone, Bassett served in the U.S. military during World War II. Bassett served as a trombonist, composer and arranger with the 13th Armored Division Band.[2]
After his military service, Bassett attended the University of Michigan where he studied composition with Homer Keller and Ross Lee Finney. A Fulbright fellowship in 1950 supported study in Paris at the Ecole Normale de Musique with Arthur Honegger and also with Nadia Boulanger.[2] He went on to teach for more than forty years at the University of Michigan.
University of Michigan Career
Bassett's compositional and academic career was made largely at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Bassett first joined the U-M faculty in 1952. He chaired the composition department in 1970, and was named Albert A. Stanley Professor in 1977.[3] In 1984, Bassett was named the Henry Russell Lecturer at the University of Michigan, that University's "highest faculty honor."[4] Bassett was a founding member of the U-M electronic music studio, as well as director of the Contemporary Directions Performance Project until his retirement in 1991.[3] At his death, Bassett was the University of Michigan's Albert A. Stanley Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Composition.[1]
Compositional work and achievements
Bassett received the Prix de Rome (1961-63) and 1966
In 1968, Bassett received a grant from the Koussevitzky Foundation, which provided funds for the Sextet for strings and piano, commissioned by the Library of Congress' Koussevitzky commissions program.[7] Bassett was one of 16 composers to receive a commission supported by the National Endowment for the Arts' Bicentennial Commissioning Grant program, which resulted in the premiere of Bassett's Echoes from an Invisible World by the Philadelphia Orchestra as part of the Bicentennial.[8][3]
See also
See: List of music students by teacher: A to B#Leslie Bassett. for notable students.
References
- ^ a b "Professor Emeritus Leslie Bassett Has Died". University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. University of Michigan. 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ^ a b c "Leslie Bassett Biography". Leslie Bassett - Composer. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ ISBN 9781561592630.
- ^ Bassett, Noel; Baker, Wendy Bratton (2016-02-10). "Obituary: Leslie Raymond Bassett". The University Record. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ISBN 978-3631596081.
- ISBN 1573561118.
- ^ "Complete Koussevitzky Commissions List, Koussevitzky Music Foundation Commissions for Composers, Library of Congress". Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ISBN 978-0-615-23248-5.
External links
- Free scores by Leslie Bassett at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Leslie Bassett official site
- Leslie Bassett page
- Complete list of Leslie Bassett's classical compositions
Interviews
- Interview by Bruce Duffie, June 11, 1987