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Composers Bureau Archives
Leon Stein
Dr. Leon Stein passed away on May 9, 2002.
Biography
Leon Stein was associated with the musical life of Chicago for half
a century. A native of the city, he was born in 1910, and studied
at DePaul University, where he taught for 47 years, ultimately serving
as Professor of Music and Dean of the School of Music. He was also
the conductor of the DePaul University Orchestra (1965-77), Director
of the Community Symphony of Chicago (1945-65), Director of the
City Symphony of Chicago (1964-84), and Music Director of Niles
Township Jewish Congregation in Skokie (1956-66), having studied
conducting with Frederick Stock and Hans Lange.
He was the composer of more than one hundred published works, including
four symphonies, two one-act operas, five string quartets, and numerous
solo and chamber works. His music has been performed by the orchestras
of Chicago, Boston, Detroit, and Cincinnati,
among the more than 90 orchestras that have played his compositions,
and his quartets were recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
String Quartet. Dr. Stein was the winner of the American Composers'
Commission Award Contest in 1950 for his Symphony No. 2,
a work described by composer and critic Peggy Glanville-Hicks as
music of "considerable power."
Among his numerous awards and prizes Dr. Stein received both the Distinguished Alumni Award (1976) and the highest faculty
award, the Via Sapientiae Award (1979), from DePaul University,
and was inducted into the City of Chicago's Hall of Fame in 1982.
He was also the author of The Racial Thinking of Richard Wagner,
a book based on his doctoral dissertation, and the books Structure
and Style and Anthology of Musical Forms, and a member
of the American Composers Alliance and the Society
of Composers, Inc.
Dr. Stein is survived by his wife, Anne Helman Stein of Laguna
Woods, California; two sons, Robert of Grand Rapids, Minn., and
Kenneth of Berkeley; and four grandchildren.
Selected Orchestral Works
- Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1977) - 30'
- Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1938-39) - 30'
- Rhapsody for Solo Flute, Harp and String Orchestra (1954)
- 22'
- Symphony No. 4 (1975) Winner of Elkhart International
Competition,1977 - 30'
- Symphonic Movement (1959) - 12'
Selected String Works
- Sonata for Solo Cello (1979) - 17'
- Sonata for Solo Violin (1960) - 20'
- Sonata for Violin and Piano (1932) - 22'
- String Quartet No. 2 (1962) - 24'
- Sonata for Solo Viola (1969) - 18'
- Twelve Preludes for Violin and Piano (1942-49) - 46'
Selected Woodwind Works
- Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra (1986)- 15'
- Quintet for Woodwinds (1936)- 18'
- Suite for Solo Flute (1978) - 7'
Selected Piano Works
- Children's Suite (1953) - 10'
- Berceuse (1961) - 2'
- Toccata No. 1 (1938) - 2'
- Toccata No. 2 (1957) - 9'
- Prelude and Fugue (1931) - 3'
Selected Vocal/Choral Works
- Cantata, "The Lord Reigneth" (Psalm 97) (1953) women's
choir, tenor, with piano - 18'
- Songs of the Night (Bialik) (1952) - 7'
- Deirdre (one-act opera; libretto, W.B. Yeats) (1956)
seven singers with piano - 75'
- The Fisherman's Wife (one-act opera libretto, R. Rosen)
(1954) six singers with piano - 70'
Selected Recordings
- Five String Quartets - Chicago Symphony String Quartet,
Audio Finishers, Universal Recording Studio, Chicago
- Quintet for Saxophone and String Quartet - Brian Minor
and the Chicago Symphony String Quartet; Crystal Records
- Sonata for Solo Violin - David Moll, violin Music Library
Recording
- Three Hassidic Dances for
Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Thor Johnson, conductor; Remington
Records
Further Information
Contact Information
Anne Stein
3405-B Calle Azul
Laguna Woods, CA 92653
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