Pulitzer winning composer Leslie Bassett passes away

Pulitzer winning composer Leslie Bassett passed away on 4 February 2016 in Oakwood, Georgia. He was 93.
As a master composer he was known for his lush sonorities and ecumenical instrumentation and for compositions of coaxing a vast range of tonal colours from the bits of wood and brass.

About Leslie Bassett

• Bassett was born in Hanford, California on January 22, 1923.
• During his childhood, he played piano and trombone as child. He had served as trombonist, composer and arranger in the US Army and Europe during World War II.
• In his work, he strongly favoured chromatic language mainly at the intersection of tonality and atonality. His music offered a lucid clarity of means and expression.
• His music has been recorded on many labels some of them are Composers Recordings (CRI), New World, Crystal, Albany and MMC.
• At the University of Michigan, he was serving as Albert A. Stanley Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Composition.
• Awards: Bassett was bestowed with the Pulitzer in 1966 for Variations for Orchestra.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016