LEON KIRCHNER, COMPOSER
Kirchner is outstanding for his impassioned conviction and intellectual courage…He belongs to no one school and he writes for no one audience, he simply gives what is in his heart and what is in his head- and it is deeply moving, deeply challenging…The more one listens the more one discovers a firm design in the bewilderingly rich and emotionally vibrant substance of his music.
– Robert Sabin/Musical America
LEON KIRCHNER, COMPOSER
Kirchner is outstanding for his impassioned conviction and intellectual courage…He belongs to no one school and he writes for no one audience, he simply gives what is in his heart and what is in his head- and it is deeply moving, deeply challenging…The more one listens the more one discovers a firm design in the bewilderingly rich and emotionally vibrant substance of his music.
– Robert Sabin/Musical America
Photos by Lisa Kirchner © 2006, © 2019
Lisa Kirchner is a singer, songwriter and actress who has appeared off and on Broadway, on television and at The White House. On Verdant World and Albany Records, she has released six solo vocal albums of cover and original songs, and executive produced six albums of Leon Kirchner works and performances .
Lisa has compiled, edited and published Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World. This anthology about her father is comprised of 69 writings by and about Kirchner.
PREFACE
This anthology of writings by and about my father, Leon Kirchner, includes letters, analyses, interviews, and essays, interleaved with photographs, manuscripts, and art. While compiling the pre-existing materials, I wrote to many of my father’s colleagues expressing my hope that each might contribute an essay illuminating those elements of his aesthetic vision and credo that resonated in their encounters with him. My confidence was rewarded by their generosity and some forty newly minted writings were rendered for inclusion in Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World.
The chapter categories are broad: Kirchner in interviews transcribed to text; essays by performers with whom he collaborated over a lifetime; accounts by composers who are his former students; essays and tributes from colleagues in the arts; letters to and from Kirchner, including his extensive correspondence with Roger Sessions; essays from students in my father’s “performance and analysis” class at Harvard who went on to careers in science and medicine; musical and literary commentary on his works; Kirchner’s published writings; musical commentary in a collection of liner notes by his colleagues; and an analysis of my father’s early works during his rise to prominence. The organization of texts is primarily alphabetical within chapters. Slight deviations occur when interior order defers to aesthetic factors—visual or thematic.
Kirchner wrote the following statement for inclusion in the liner notes to the 1956 Columbia/Epic release of his Piano Trio No. 1 and Sonata Concertante for Violin and Piano. Thereafter, this would become known as his credo:
“I have attested it as true in my deepest soul and I contemplate its beauty with incredible and ravishing delight.” So Kepler greeted the harmonious system of the universe as portrayed by Copernicus. If, in this sense, the quasi-arithmeticians, the new aesthetic engineers of music, were to greet the creative act, what wonderful, aesthetic pleasure we could realize in the imaginative invention of their scores. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It is my feeling that many of us, dominated by the fear of self-expression, seek the superficial security of current style and fad—worship and make a fetish of complexity, or with puerile grace denude simplicity; Idea, the precious ore of art, is lost in the jungle of graphs, prepared tapes, feedbacks, and cold stylistic minutiae.
An artist must create a personal cosmos, a verdant world in continuity with tradition, further fulfilling man’s “awareness,” his “degree of consciousness,” and bringing new subtilization, vision and beauty to the elements of experience. It is in this way that Idea, powered by conviction and necessity, will create its own style and the singular, momentous structure capable of realizing its intent.
My father remained true to his credo in the face of opposing forces. He illuminated its elements in his compositions and in his exchanges with fellow performers, composers, students, and colleagues in the arts and sciences who shared his aesthetic ideals, concerns, and deep awareness.
My debt of gratitude goes to the contributors who have lent subtle hues to the cosmos they so deeply inform with erudition and gift in remembrance of their transformational encounters with Leon Kirchner.
Lisa has compiled, edited and published Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World. This anthology about her father is comprised of 69 writings by and about Kirchner.
PREFACE
This anthology of writings by and about my father, Leon Kirchner, includes letters, analyses, interviews, and essays, interleaved with photographs, manuscripts, and art. While compiling the pre-existing materials, I wrote to many of my father’s colleagues expressing my hope that each might contribute an essay illuminating those elements of his aesthetic vision and credo that resonated in their encounters with him. My confidence was rewarded by their generosity and some forty newly minted writings were rendered for inclusion in Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World.
The chapter categories are broad: Kirchner in interviews transcribed to text; essays by performers with whom he collaborated over a lifetime; accounts by composers who are his former students; essays and tributes from colleagues in the arts; letters to and from Kirchner, including his extensive correspondence with Roger Sessions; essays from students in my father’s “performance and analysis” class at Harvard who went on to careers in science and medicine; musical and literary commentary on his works; Kirchner’s published writings; musical commentary in a collection of liner notes by his colleagues; and an analysis of my father’s early works during his rise to prominence. The organization of texts is primarily alphabetical within chapters. Slight deviations occur when interior order defers to aesthetic factors—visual or thematic.
Kirchner wrote the following statement for inclusion in the liner notes to the 1956 Columbia/Epic release of his Piano Trio No. 1 and Sonata Concertante for Violin and Piano. Thereafter, this would become known as his credo:
“I have attested it as true in my deepest soul and I contemplate its beauty with incredible and ravishing delight.” So Kepler greeted the harmonious system of the universe as portrayed by Copernicus. If, in this sense, the quasi-arithmeticians, the new aesthetic engineers of music, were to greet the creative act, what wonderful, aesthetic pleasure we could realize in the imaginative invention of their scores. Unfortunately, this is not the case. It is my feeling that many of us, dominated by the fear of self-expression, seek the superficial security of current style and fad—worship and make a fetish of complexity, or with puerile grace denude simplicity; Idea, the precious ore of art, is lost in the jungle of graphs, prepared tapes, feedbacks, and cold stylistic minutiae.
An artist must create a personal cosmos, a verdant world in continuity with tradition, further fulfilling man’s “awareness,” his “degree of consciousness,” and bringing new subtilization, vision and beauty to the elements of experience. It is in this way that Idea, powered by conviction and necessity, will create its own style and the singular, momentous structure capable of realizing its intent.
My father remained true to his credo in the face of opposing forces. He illuminated its elements in his compositions and in his exchanges with fellow performers, composers, students, and colleagues in the arts and sciences who shared his aesthetic ideals, concerns, and deep awareness.
My debt of gratitude goes to the contributors who have lent subtle hues to the cosmos they so deeply inform with erudition and gift in remembrance of their transformational encounters with Leon Kirchner.
Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World
Edited by Lisa Kirchner ~ Verdant World Productions, xiv + 375 pages, $27.95 © 2022
www.amazon.com www.verdantworldproductions.com verdantworldrecords.org
Edited by Lisa Kirchner ~ Verdant World Productions, xiv + 375 pages, $27.95 © 2022
www.amazon.com www.verdantworldproductions.com verdantworldrecords.org
“An artist must create a personal cosmos, a verdant world in continuity with tradition, further fulfilling man’s “awareness,” his “degree of consciousness,” and bringing new subtilization, vision and beauty to the elements of experience. It is in this way that Idea, powered by conviction and necessity, will create its own style and the singular, momentous structure capable of realizing its intent.” – Leon Kirchner
This quote, widely recognized, emanates from an artistic affirmation which Kirchner penned for inclusion in the liner notes to the 1956 Columbia/Epic release of his Piano Trio No. 1 and Sonata Concertante for Violin and Piano. The statement in full would be known thereafter as Leon Kirchner’s credo.
Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World in reviews:
Lisa’s “beautifully produced” book is comprised of “interviews with Leon, essays by him, analyses by savvy commentators, and reminiscences by, or letters from, friends and former students. … Any composer would be lucky to have a book like this to help flesh out the portrait that posterity will receive. It’s addictively readable. Again and again, one encounters vivid glimpses of a man whose passion for music and music-making was immense, and who was gifted at conveying that passion to colleagues and students. … Most basically, Kirchner’s music is always intensely expressive, and that’s why it remains vital a half-century later …”
– Ralph Locke/The Arts Fuse (and American Record Guide, abridged review)
“Arriving from the presses in August came just the second major publication on this eminent American composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher, in an account from his daughter Lisa. On first glance flipping through the 375 pages, readers will seize on how editor Lisa has carefully radiused the edges and corners of the professional life of her father in this handsome tribute. … The book comprises essays and tributes from colleagues, letters to and from Kirchner including extensive correspondence with Roger Sessions, essays from students, musical and literary commentary on and analysis of his works, his published writings, and a rich topography of photos and other images … These nine chapters bring to light an ever-widening range of perspectives on major themes with a good number of surprises along the way.” – David Patterson/Boston Musical Intelligencer
“Leon Kirchner was a man of many talents: conductor, pianist, distinguished teacher, but especially a composer who made important contributions to 20th-century music. He was also an articulate writer who inspired his renowned colleagues, pupils, friends, and family to produce intriguing letters, articles, and comments to and about him. Now 69 of these documents have been collected in a fascinating new book, Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World. Edited by the late composer’s daughter, Lisa Kirchner, an accomplished actress, singer, and songwriter in her own right, the book is her loving tribute to her father and includes both Kirchner’s own writings as well as familiar and new essays and reminiscences reflecting upon his music, his character, and most definitely his personality. Whether you are discovering Kirchner (1919-2009) and his music for the first time or are among his lifelong aficionados, this book is an invaluable cornucopia of information and proves to be delightful reading. … It’s an extraordinary book in a unique format that provides insight into the musical outlook and private personality of a major figure in contemporary American music.”
– Mark Evans/Classical Voice North America
Lisa Kirchner is a singer, songwriter and actress who has appeared off and on Broadway, on television, at Gracie Mansion, and at The White House. On Verdant World and Albany Records, she has executive produced and released six solo vocal albums of cover and original songs, and six albums of Leon Kirchner works and performances.
This quote, widely recognized, emanates from an artistic affirmation which Kirchner penned for inclusion in the liner notes to the 1956 Columbia/Epic release of his Piano Trio No. 1 and Sonata Concertante for Violin and Piano. The statement in full would be known thereafter as Leon Kirchner’s credo.
Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World in reviews:
Lisa’s “beautifully produced” book is comprised of “interviews with Leon, essays by him, analyses by savvy commentators, and reminiscences by, or letters from, friends and former students. … Any composer would be lucky to have a book like this to help flesh out the portrait that posterity will receive. It’s addictively readable. Again and again, one encounters vivid glimpses of a man whose passion for music and music-making was immense, and who was gifted at conveying that passion to colleagues and students. … Most basically, Kirchner’s music is always intensely expressive, and that’s why it remains vital a half-century later …”
– Ralph Locke/The Arts Fuse (and American Record Guide, abridged review)
“Arriving from the presses in August came just the second major publication on this eminent American composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher, in an account from his daughter Lisa. On first glance flipping through the 375 pages, readers will seize on how editor Lisa has carefully radiused the edges and corners of the professional life of her father in this handsome tribute. … The book comprises essays and tributes from colleagues, letters to and from Kirchner including extensive correspondence with Roger Sessions, essays from students, musical and literary commentary on and analysis of his works, his published writings, and a rich topography of photos and other images … These nine chapters bring to light an ever-widening range of perspectives on major themes with a good number of surprises along the way.” – David Patterson/Boston Musical Intelligencer
“Leon Kirchner was a man of many talents: conductor, pianist, distinguished teacher, but especially a composer who made important contributions to 20th-century music. He was also an articulate writer who inspired his renowned colleagues, pupils, friends, and family to produce intriguing letters, articles, and comments to and about him. Now 69 of these documents have been collected in a fascinating new book, Leon Kirchner and His Verdant World. Edited by the late composer’s daughter, Lisa Kirchner, an accomplished actress, singer, and songwriter in her own right, the book is her loving tribute to her father and includes both Kirchner’s own writings as well as familiar and new essays and reminiscences reflecting upon his music, his character, and most definitely his personality. Whether you are discovering Kirchner (1919-2009) and his music for the first time or are among his lifelong aficionados, this book is an invaluable cornucopia of information and proves to be delightful reading. … It’s an extraordinary book in a unique format that provides insight into the musical outlook and private personality of a major figure in contemporary American music.”
– Mark Evans/Classical Voice North America
Lisa Kirchner is a singer, songwriter and actress who has appeared off and on Broadway, on television, at Gracie Mansion, and at The White House. On Verdant World and Albany Records, she has executive produced and released six solo vocal albums of cover and original songs, and six albums of Leon Kirchner works and performances.
LEON KIRCHNER SHORT BIO
Leon Kirchner, born in Brooklyn of Russian parents, grew up in Los Angles. A modernist who ascribed to a romantic tenet, Kirchner wrote “An artist must create a personal cosmos, a verdant world in continuity with tradition, further fulfilling man’s “awareness,” his “degree of consciousness,” and bringing new subtilization, vision and beauty to the elements of experience.” Remaining stylistically independent as a composer, never adopting serial techniques, Kirchner studied with formidable mentors, Arnold Schoenberg, Roger Sessions, and Ernest Bloch. He was recipient of Guggenheim and American Academy of Rome fellowships; Friedheim, New York Music Critics Circle, Naumburg, and Kennedy Center awards; the Pulitzer Prize in music; the American Academy of Arts and Letters gold medal; and honorary doctorates from Harvard University and the Peabody and New England conservatories. A formidable pianist and revelatory conductor, revered as teacher and coach, Kirchner was composer-in-residence and performer at Tanglewood Music Center, Tokyo Music Today (Takemitsu Festival); and the Spoleto (Charleston), Aldeburgh, Santa Fe Chamber, and Marlboro Music festivals. Kirchner received commissions from the Ford, Fromm, and Koussevitzky Foundations; the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, St. Paul Chamber and Boston Symphony orchestras; the Spoleto and Santa Fe Chamber Music festivals; the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. He composed works for Yo-Yo Ma, the Orion Quartet, Paula Robison, Joel Fan, Peter Serkin, Carter Brey, and Leon Fleisher. At Harvard, Kirchner directed the Harvard Chamber Players, which included emerging students and seasoned professionals. He then cofounded and directed the Harvard Chamber Orchestra— comprised of Boston’s preeminent freelancers and consistently acclaimed for imaginative and wide-ranging programs of baroque to contemporary music. Soloists who appeared with the orchestra included Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Peter Serkin, and Leon Fleisher. Kirchner is exclusively published by Associated Music Publishers, Inc. (BMI).