Researching Leonard Salzedo

Many people begin their exploration of a composer by examining the listing in Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians. The online edition gives a short entry of only 142 words for Leonard Salzedo. Additionally, there is a (very) selective list of his compositions. Unfortunately, this ‘starting point’ does not give a bibliography. Turning to the next port of call, Wikipedia is a little more helpful, always bearing in mind the dangers of assuming that this platform has been peer reviewed. In this case, it gives a good biographical sketch of the composer. One or two of the links do not work.  As of September 2020, there is no entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 

For a detailed exploration of Leonard Salzedo’s music the listener can do no better than turn to Paul Conway’s 20-year-old essay on MusicWeb International.  It begins with a biographical overview of the composer followed by a detailed discussion of some 15 works including the Symphony No.2 and the ballet The Witch Boy. The final part of this paper incorporates a ‘complete’ list of works which includes all the film scores and incidental music, with and without opus numbers.

Of great interest is a linked article by the oboist, publisher, lecturer, and author Jennifer Paull. This contains an appreciation of the composer as friend and collaborator as well as a discussion of ‘the brouhaha surrounding Leonard Salzedo’s final composition [performed] on the second anniversary of his death.’ It concerns the ‘pirating’ of the premiere performance of Salzedo’ Improvisations for Musette and Piano, op.143 (1997). It makes a fascinating read. The work in question was written for Paull and showcased the ‘musette’ which is the ‘piccolo’ member of the oboe family. After the shenanigans, on both sides of the Atlantic, the work was renamed Iberian Improvisations.

Finally, Conway’s essay links to the Impulse Music website entry for the composer: this is a blind link. The ‘Salzedo’ page is now located at their new website. This includes a concise biography of the composer, his catalogue of works, details of publishers and an incomplete list of recordings. There is also information about ‘recent’ concert performances. These finish in 2018, long before ‘lockdown.’ This seems to be a joint effort with the Leonard Salzedo Society (founded in 2018).

One of the main tasks of the Society is to digitalise Salzedo’s scores on Sibelius. To this end, all ten string quartets have been published. Over the years, several of these quartets have been recorded by the Archaeus Quartet. However, this ensemble have now disbanded, so the Society is investigating other avenues to bring this project to a conclusion. Another venture is organising for the composer’s centenary during 2021 (24 September) where it is hoped to have at least one London-based concert devoted to his music.

Of major importance, are the web resources linked from the Impulse webpage to the Society’s social media pages. From this unassuming homepage, the reader can be directed to Facebook which includes a considerable amount of information, facts, and photographs. There are also links to the Society Instagram account and Twitter page. I guess this is a good place for browsing. On the other hand, I always find that Facebook (and the other platforms) can be quite clunky for formal research purposes. And there appear to be no essays or articles about the music. A bibliography would be of great interest. One wonders if the information on these social media pages is ‘backed up’ and available for all time.  The Society subscription is £30. Members receive a regular newsletter and a free copy of the latest Archaeus CD of Salzedo’s String Quartets.