Percussive Notes The journal of the Percussive Arts Society • Vol. 48, No. 6 • November 2010 2010 Hall of Fame Jack DeJohnette Stanley Leonard Walter Rosenberger Stanley Leonard By Lauren Vogel Weiss

Stanley Leonard is best known as the principal timpanist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, a position he held for almost four decades. But he is also a prolific composer and a dedicated educator. From over 50 PSO recordings to compositions such as “Circus,” Leonard has left an indelible musical footprint for musicians, especially percussionists. percussive notes 10 NOVEMBER 2010 USICAL INHERITANCE Stan Leonard was born on For links to videos featuring MSeptember 26, 1931 in Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania. His mother was Stanley Leonard as well as a list Web Extra a pianist and his father a singer, so there was always music in the Leonard of Leonard’s compositions, visit house. Stanley The family moved from Pennsylvania www.pas.org/publications/November2010webextras.aspx to Independence, Missouri—a suburb of Kansas City—where Stan started taking snare drum lessons from a tuba By the time Stan was in 10th grade, Symphony—Leonard moved to Lamoni, player who owned the local music McNary suggested that he take lessons Iowa to be near his childhood sweet- store. “But he did show me how to hold from the orchestra’s timpanist, Ben heart, Peggy, to whom he has been the sticks,” Leonard says. “And since I Udell. “He was a former student of Saul married 58 years. While there, he at- had been playing piano from the age of Goodman,” explains Leonard. “He and tended Graceland College (now Grace- six, I could read music.” Goodman were my idols and I tried to land University) for a semester. Leonard His junior high school band director, a imitate the way they played, so I didn’t “One of the faculty members at By Lauren Vogel Weiss violinist in the Kansas City Philharmon- sit down; I stood up and danced around Graceland had his doctorate from ic, suggested that Stan study with the and tried to be Saul Goodman! Eastman and suggested I go there,” principal percussionist of the orchestra, “I would go to the library in downtown Leonard explains. “I was accepted as Vera McNary (now Vera Daehlin). For Kansas City to research all the scores a sophomore and was at Eastman for the next six years, he studied with Vera that had big percussion parts in them. I three years.” While in Rochester, Leon- Stanley Leonard is best and would eventually join her in the would write the parts down by hand—I ard studied under the legendary William KCP percussion section. still have the notebook—and that’s one Street. Among his classmates were two known as the principal “I played percussion in the band at of the ways I learned repertoire. I also other future PAS Hall of Fame mem- William Chrisman High School,” Leon- used to listen to the New York Philhar- bers: John Beck and Gordon Peters. ard recalls. “And there was an orches- monic on the radio Sunday afternoons. Leonard was a charter member of the timpanist with the tra in Independence called the Little I would put two pillows on the dresser in first Eastman Wind Ensemble as well Symphony. My parents were friendly my bedroom and play along with Saul as a member of the famous Marimba with the conductor, so I auditioned for Goodman.” Masters percussion ensemble. “There Pittsburgh Symphony, him.” Following a short performance were only six percussion majors in the on the snare drum, the conductor took ORTHWESTERN, whole school, and there were three a position he held for Stan downstairs to a rehearsal hall to GRACELAND, AND EASTMAN orchestras, a wind ensemble, plus two see a primitive set of hand-tuned tim- NLeonard started playing percus- bands,” he remembers. “We were just pani that had come from Belgium at the sion with the Kansas City Philharmonic playing like crazy, which is what I want- almost four decades. But turn of the previous century. during his senior year in high school. “I ed.” “Even though we didn’t have any played with them for two years, earning Leonard graduated from Eastman in timpani at the high school, I knew what enough money to help pay for school,” 1954 with a Bachelor of Music degree he is also a prolific they were,” Leonard says. “The con- he recalls. Following a semester at and a Performer’s Certificate in Per- ductor showed me that if you tighten Northwestern University in Evanston, cussion. Following a 21-month stint in composer and a the head, it makes the note go up, and Illinois—where he studied with Edward the 19th Army Band at Fort Dix, New if you loosen the head, the pitch goes Metzinger, timpanist with the Chicago Jersey, where he served as timpanist, down. He gave me a pair of sticks and dedicated educator. From told me to come to the next rehearsal. “I vividly remember it. We played Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony.’ I over 50 PSO recordings had to ask one of the horn players to play a B-natural for me because I didn’t yet own a pitchpipe! Eventually our high to compositions such as school bought a set of Leedy pedal tim- pani and I was in heaven. It was 1947 “Circus,” Leonard has left and I bought a copy of The Ludwig Timpani Instructor book that had been published in 1930. I still have that book. an indelible musical There was a section in there by Joseph Zettleman, who was the timpanist in the footprint for musicians, Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the early 20th century. He had written exer- Percussionists in the Eastman Wind Ensemble (1954) cises for pedal timpani and I practiced L–R: James Dotson (deceased), John Beck, Mitch Peters, Stan Leonard (on timpani), and Gordon especially percussionists. all of them.” Peters.

percussive notes 11 NOVEMBER 2010 assistant conductor, and chief clerk, he vin Hamlisch, Paul Hindemith, Witold and I traveled all over the country auditioned for the Pittsburgh Symphony Lutislowski, Henry Mancini, Kristof looking for places to retire. And I didn’t and won the job as principal timpanist Penderecki, and John Williams. With miss playing at all. It had been a little in 1956. thousands of concerts under his belt, test. I’m not like some of my colleagues does Leonard have any favorite com- who can’t stand not to play. I love play- ITTSBURGH SYMPHONY posers? “I always loved Beethoven ing—and I still play a little bit—but the (1956–1994) and Brahms symphonies,” he says. playing job that I had been doing for 38 PLeonard’s audition differed from “Steinberg was a master at that. I didn’t years left me fulfilled.” contemporary ones. “There were three know much about Bruckner and Mahler of us,” he recalls, “and we played in before I took the job, but Mahler One ARNEGIE MELLON AND front of each other on the stage. There and Five are now two of my favorites.” DUQUESNE were three people on the committee: While he was timpanist, the Pitts- CAs most symphony players do, the conductor [William Steinberg], the burgh Symphony played concerts all Leonard decided to share his musi- assistant conductor, and the personnel over the world, including a two-and-a- cal knowledge through teaching. He manager. They must have listened to half month State Department tour of began his career in education in 1958 me play for two or three hours.” And Europe and the Middle East in 1964. at Carnegie Mellon University in Pitts- that was the beginning of his 38-year Leonard also made five solo appear- burgh and stayed there for 20 years. career in the Steel City. ances with the symphony, including two Afterwards, he taught privately in his During his long tenure, Leonard American premieres and two pieces home studio. In 1988, he decided to go played under the batons of PSO music commissioned for him. In 1958, he back to the collegiate world, this time at directors Steinberg (1956–76), Andre played Darius Milhaud’s “Concerto for Duquesne University, where he stayed Previn (1976–84), and Lorin Maazel Percussion and Small Orchestra,” and for more than a decade. (1985–96), as well as Sir Thomas Bee- in 1964 he gave the American premiere Over the years, his students have cham, Edo DeWart, , of Werner Tharichen’s “Concerto for performed with orchestras, taught at all Christoph Eschenbach, Erich Leins- Timpani and Orchestra.” levels, and been involved in the music dorf, James Levine, Pierre Monteaux, “In 1973,” Leonard recalls, “a friend industry. One of his former students at Charles Munch, Seiji Ozawa, Leonard of mine in the orchestra, Byron Mc- Carnegie Mellon, Michael Kumer, be- Slatkin, George Solti, Leopold Sto- Culloh, wrote a four-movement piece came the Dean of the School of Music kowski, and Michael Tilson Thomas, for me called ‘Symphony Concertante at Duquesne. Tony Ames joined the among others. for Timpanist and Orchestra.’ The in- National Symphony in 1968 and is the “One of my favorites was Eugene strumentation was for eight tom-toms principal percussionist. Tom Wetzel Ormandy,” Leonard says. “In the early in one movement and five timpani plus serves as principal percussionist with 1960s, he told me that the Pittsburgh four Roto-toms in another. The intro- the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Symphony was the only orchestra his duction to the last movement included Brian Del Signore is principal percus- manager would allow him to guest con- a prerecorded timpani recitative that I sionist of the . And duct! I enjoyed his and the played with, so I was playing this duet Ed Stephan, principal timpanist of the way he shaped the orchestra’s sound.” with myself. It was unique.” Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for the He also played under the baton of Leonard also gave the American past nine years, became the principal several composer/conductors, includ- premiere of “Concertino for Timpani, timpanist with the Dallas Symphony ing , , Percussion, and Strings” by Andrzej Orchestra this season. Carlos Chavez, Aaron Copland, Mar- Panufnik in 1981, followed three years Another former student is Ruth later by the world Cahn, former percussionist with the premiere of Ray- Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and mond Premru’s now Jack Frank Instructor of Percus- “Celebration sion in the Eastman Community Music Overture for Solo School and Summer Session Director Timpani and Or- of the Eastman School of Music. She chestra.” studied with Leonard when she was After almost a high school student in Pittsburgh. “I forty seasons in well remember my Saturday lessons at Pittsburgh, Leon- their home,” she says. “I am eternally ard retired in 1994, grateful to Stan’s career guidance that and subsequently sent me to Eastman to study with his moved to Naples, mentor, William Street. Stanley Leon- Florida. “I felt that ard encouraged me to go further with I was at the top percussion at a time when very few of my game,” he women were accepted in the percus- says. “I took a sion performance world.” three-month sab- Leonard has taught clinics and Stanley Leonard Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra 1959 batical while Peggy master classes at some of the finest

percussive notes 12 NOVEMBER 2010 schools across the country: Curtis In- stitute, Interlochen, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, University of North Texas, and his alma mater, Eastman, to name a few. And during some of the PSO’s international tours, he taught at the Royal Conser- vatory of Music in Copenhagen, Den- mark, and at the Komaki Academy of Music in Tokyo, Japan. “I took my education job very seri- ously,” he says. “In my early university days (late 1950s), the students were fairly talented but you were teaching them almost from scratch. Later on the students coming to college were so Recording Collage CD with Louisiana State University Percussion Group Hamirouge (Stan Leonard con- much better prepared. For example, I ducting) recently heard a senior in high school play both movements of my ‘Canticle wasn’t a whole lot of music for percus- generations how I played my own com- for Timpani,’ which would never have sion ensembles to play at that time,” he positions,” he says. happened back in the 1970s when I says. “So I wrote pieces that fit my stu- Leonard’s second CD, Collage (C. wrote it.” dents’ skills and interest. I also started Alan Publications), was recorded in Leonard has also been a regular per- writing timpani solos as well as gather- 2007 at Louisiana State University. He former at PASIC since his retirement ing material for my book, Pedal Tech- conducted several ensemble works, from the symphony. At PASIC ’96 in nique for the Timpani, which wasn’t as did LSU Professor (and former stu- Nashville he gave a clinic/performance published until 1988.” Over forty of his dent) Brett Dietz. This recording also with Tempus Fugit percussion ensem- pieces for percussion and timpani are features Leonard playing the solo “Col- ble; taught a timpani master class at published by Bachovich Music, Boosey lage” on his personal Hinger timpani. PASIC ’98 in Orlando; gave a clinic with and Hawkes, C. Alan Publications, His third CD, Acclamation, was re- Sal Rabbio at PASIC 2001 in Nashville; drop6 Media, Ludwig Masters Music leased this fall. Recorded at Vanderbilt presented a Timpani FUNdamentals (formerly Ludwig Music Publishing), Presbyterian Church in Naples, Florida, session with Ruth Cahn at PASIC 2002 Marimba Productions, PerMus Publica- it features James Cochran on organ, in Columbus; and led a Symphonic Lab tions, and Row-Loff. Another four doz- Matt Sonneborn on trumpet, and Leon- and judged the Mock Timpani Audition en pieces are listed in his own catalog. ard on timpani. “It’s a departure from at PASIC 2004 in Nashville. He also One of his favorite and most popular my usual percussion music,” he states. played as part of the Symphonic Emeri- compositions is one of the first he ever “It brings the organ and timpani togeth- tus clinic/performances in 2001, 2002, wrote: “Circus.” His “Symphony for Per- er as musical companions.” 2004, 2007, and 2009. cussion” is also very popular and was recently republished by drop6. THE FUTURE OMPOSER What would Stan Leonard say to Starting in the late 1950s, Leon- ECORDING ARTIST young percussionists in today’s com- Card began yet another aspect of During his tenure with the Pitts- petitive environment? “There are so his varied career: composing. “There Rburgh Symphony Orchestra, many fine players out there that they Leonard played need to really hone their musical skills on more than four and their ability to interpret the music, dozen recordings, as well as having excellent technique,” including all the he advises. “That’s the thing that sets symphonies by you apart—your ‘musical personal- Beethoven and ity,’ as Steinberg used to call it. It’s the Brahms. He also most important thing—the way in which has three “solo” you are able to communicate the mu- CDs to his credit. sic. Canticle (Ludwig “I am very thankful that percussion Masters Music) has gone from the times of Liszt—who was recorded in was criticized because he used a tri- 1996 and features angle in one of his piano concertos—to all his own music. our great world of percussion today. “I wanted to be You know,” he says with a smile, “they able to demon- can’t live without us anymore!” PN Stan Leonard recording timpani solos for Canticle CD strate for future

percussive notes 13 NOVEMBER 2010