Leonardo Balada facts for kids
Leonardo Balada Ibáñez (born September 22, 1933) is a famous Catalan American composer. He is well-known for his operas and orchestral music.
Life
Balada was born in Barcelona, Spain. He first studied piano at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. In 1956, he moved to the United States. He received a special scholarship to study at the New York College of Music.
Later, he went to the Juilliard School in New York. He finished his studies there in 1960. He learned how to compose music from teachers like Vincent Persichetti and Aaron Copland. He also studied how to conduct an orchestra. In 1981, he became a citizen of the United States. From 1970 until 2020, he taught at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Some of Balada's students became famous musicians themselves. These include John Zorn and Hankus Netsky. He also taught many courses on music composition in Spain. These courses were held at the Universitat Politècnica de València from 2010 to 2020. The best student in each course had their music performed for the first time.
Music
In the early 1960s, Balada's music was in a style called neoclassicism. This means it was inspired by older, classical music. But he wanted to try something new. By 1966, he started writing more "avant-garde" music. This style was very modern and experimental. An example is his work called Guernica.
Around 1975, Balada changed his style again. He began to mix folk dance rhythms with his modern techniques. Folk music uses traditional melodies and sounds. His new music combined the familiar sounds of folk music with the experimental "atonality" of avant-garde music. Atonality means music without a clear main key or "home" note.
Important pieces from this time include Homage to Sarasate and Homage to Casals. No matter his style, Balada's music always has interesting rhythms. He also uses instruments in unique ways. This often creates a mysterious or "haunting" feeling in his music. Some of Balada's works have been recorded by Naxos Records.
Works
Opera
- Hangman, Hangman!, a small opera (1982)
- Zapata, an opera (1984)
- Christopher Columbus, an opera (1986)
- Death of Columbus, an opera (1996)
- The Town of Greed, a small opera (1997) (a follow-up to Hangman, Hangman!)
- Faust-bal, an opera (2007)
- Resurrection of Columbus, an opera (2013)
Orchestral
- Symphonies
- Symphony No. 1 Sinfonia en Negro, honoring Martin Luther King (1968)
- Symphony No. 2 Cumbres, a short symphony for band (1972)
- Symphony No. 3 Steel Symphony (1972)
- Symphony No. 4 Lausanne (1992)
- Symphony No. 5 American (2003)
- Symphony No. 6 Symphony of Sorrows (2005)
- Guernica (1966)
- Homage to Sarasate (1975)
- Homage to Casals (1975)
- Sardana (1979)
- Quasi un Pasodoble (1981)
- Fantasias Sonoras (1987)
- Zapata: Images for Orchestra (1987)
- Columbus: Images for Orchestra (1991)
- Divertimentos, for string orchestra (1991)
- Celebracio (1992)
- Folk Dreams (1994-8)
- Passacaglia (2002)
- Prague Sinfonietta (2003)
Concertos
Concertos are pieces for a solo instrument and an orchestra.
- Piano
- Piano Concerto No. 1 (1964)
- Piano Concerto No. 2 for piano, wind instruments, and percussion (1974)
- Piano Concerto No. 3 (1999)
- Violin
- Violin Concerto No. 1 (1982)
- Caprichos No. 2 (2004)
- Caprichos No. 3 (2005)
- Viola
- Viola Concerto for viola and wind ensemble (2009–2010)
- Cello
- Cello Concerto No. 1 for cello and nine other players (1962)
- Cello Concerto No. 2 New Orleans (2001)
- Concerto for Three Cellos and Orchestra A German Concerto (2006)
- Flute
- Morning Music for flute and orchestra (1994)
- Music for Flute and Orchestra (2000)
- Clarinet
- Caprichos No. 7 (2009), written for Grup21 and Peter Bacchus, for clarinet and other instruments.
- Guitar
- Guitar Concerto No. 1 (1965)
- Sinfonia Concertante for Guitar and Orchestra Persistencies (1974)
- Concerto for Four Guitars and Orchestra (1976)
- Concierto Mágico for guitar and orchestra (1997)
- Caprichos No. 1 (2003)
- Other Instruments
- Concerto for Bandoneon and Orchestra (1970)
- Concertino for Castanets and Orchestra Three Anecdotes (1977)
- Music for Oboe and Orchestra Lament from the Cradle of the Earth (1993)
- Double Concerto for Oboe, Clarinet and Orchestra (2010)
Vocal and Choral Music
- Maria Sabina (1969)
- La Moradas (1970)
- No-res (1974)
- Ponce de Leon, for a narrator and orchestra (1974)
- Torquemada (1980)
- Thunderous Scenes (1992)
- Dionisio: In Memoriam (2001)
- Ebony Fantasies, a cantata (2003)
See also
In Spanish: Leonardo Balada para niños
