Leonardo Balada Ibáñez (born September 22, 1933) is a Catalan American classical composer, who is noted for his operas and orchestral works.

Life

Balada was born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. After studying piano at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona, Balada emigrated to the United States in 1956 to study at the

New York College of Music The New York College of Music was an American conservatory of music located in Manhattan that flourished from 1878 to 1968. The college was incorporated under the laws of New York and was empowered to confer diplomas and degrees ranging from a ...

on scholarship. He left that institution for the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

in New York, from which he graduated in 1960.Wright, David (2007–2012)
"Balada, Leonardo"
In: ''Grove Music Online''. Oxford Music Online, accessed 26 March 2012. He studied composition with Vincent Persichetti, Alexandre Tansman and

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

, and conducting with Igor Markevitch. In 1981, he became a

naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

of the United States. He taught at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

starting in 1970, and retired in 2020. Balada's notable students include

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

(who studied with him at the

United Nations International School The United Nations International School (UNIS) is a private international school in New York City which was established in 1947. Many members of the United Nations staff arriving with young families found unexpected difficulties with the school s ...

), Hankus Netsky and Victor Padilla. He has taught 10 courses on musical composition at the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain from the year 2010 to the year 2020, in which the prize has been the premiere of the musical work. Some of the awarded composers are Victor Padilla, Pedro Astasio, and Antonio Manuel Martínez Heredia.

Music

Balada's works from the early 1960s display some of the characteristics of

neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

, but he was ultimately dissatisfied with this technique, and in 1966 began to move towards a more avant-garde style, producing works such as ''Guernica''. Balada felt a need for a change again in 1975, his work from then onward being characterized by the combination of folk dance rhythms with the avant-garde techniques of the previous period. Harmonically, Balada's mature period work displays a combination of the tonality of folk music with atonality. Compositions representative of this period include ''Homage to Sarasate'' and ''Homage to Casals''. No matter the stylistic phase, Balada's music features extensive rhythmic variance and unique orchestration, often in service of a haunting atmosphere. Some of Balada's works have been recorded by

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

Works

Opera

*''Hangman, Hangman!'', chamber opera (1982) *''Zapata'', opera (1984) *''Christopher Columbus'', opera (1986) *''Death of Columbus'', opera (1996) *''The Town of Greed'', chamber opera (1997) (sequel to ''Hangman, Hangman!'') *''Faust-bal'', opera (2007) *''Resurrection of Columbus'', opera (2013)

Orchestral

*Symphonies ** Symphony No. 1 ''Sinfonia en Negro'', a homage to 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)

Concertante

;Piano *Piano Concerto No. 1 (1964) *Piano Concerto No. 2 for piano, winds, 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 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), Composed for and dedicated to Grup21;Grup XXI
collection published b
DINSIC
/ref> Peter Bacchus, artistic director - for clarinet and instrumental ensemble. ;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) ;Others *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/choral

*''Maria Sabina'' (1969) *''La Moradas'' (1970) *'' No-res'' (1974) *''Ponce de Leon'', for narrator and orchestra (1974) *''Torquemada'' (1980) *''Thunderous Scenes'' (1992) *''Dionisio: In Memoriam'' (2001) *''Ebony Fantasies'', cantata (2003)

References

External links

Leonardo Balada's website with Carnegie Mellon University
*

April 19, 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Balada, Leonardo 1933 births 20th-century American classical composers 20th-century Spanish musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American classical composers 21st-century Spanish musicians American male classical composers American people of Catalan descent Carnegie Mellon University faculty Composers from Catalonia Opera composers from Catalonia Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu alumni Juilliard School alumni Living people New York College of Music alumni Pupils of Vincent Persichetti Spanish classical composers Spanish emigrants to the United States Spanish male classical composers 20th-century American male musicians