John McLeod (composer)
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John McLeod (8 March 1934 – 24 March 2022) was a Scottish composer who wrote music in many media including film and television.


Biography

He was born in
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, but later settled in
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. He initially studied clarinet at the Royal Academy of Music with Jack Brymer,
Reginald Kell Reginald Clifford Kell (8 June 19065 August 1981) was an English clarinettist. He was noted especially for his career as a soloist and chamber music player. He was the principal clarinettist in leading British orchestras, including the London P ...
, and
Gervase de Peyer Gervase Alan de Peyer (11 April 1926 – 4 February 2017) was an English clarinettist and conductor. Professional career Gervase Alan de Peyer was born in London, the eldest of three children of Everard Esmé Vivian de Peyer, and his wife, Edith ...
, but then switched to composition with Sir Lennox Berkeley. McLeod was Associate Composer of the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is an Edinburgh-based UK chamber orchestra. One of Scotland's five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and S ...
from 1980-1982 and the orchestra commissioned ''Out of the Silence'', premiered in 2015. His works have also been performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, the
Halle Orchestra Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hal ...
and the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the O ...
. The
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional r ...
has broadcast 12 of his major orchestral works, including the London premiere of ''The Sun Dances'' (2000) at the
BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
in 2014. The
National Youth Orchestra of Scotland The National Youth Orchestras of Scotland (NYOS) caters for students aged between 8 and 25, through orchestras, jazz bands, training ensembles and outreach programmes. In addition to organising residential training courses, rehearsals and nati ...
has regularly featured his work in over 20 concerts, including the Piano Concerto (1988) in 2015, when it was conducted by the composer with James Willshire as soloist in Glasgow and Dundee. His Clarinet Concerto (2005) was premiered at the
Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...
in Edinburgh on 13 May 2007 by the Meadows Chamber Orchestra with soloist Jean Johnson. Other notable orchestral works include the Percussion Concerto (1987) (written for, performed and recorded by
Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The in ...
), ''Symphonies of Stone and Water'' (2000), the Guitar Concerto (2009) and the Viola Concerto (2018, written for Scottish Chamber Orchestra principal viola Jane Atkins). McLeod also composed choral music (including a ''Stabat Mater'', 1985 and the cantata ''Chronicle of Saint Machar'', 1998), chamber music (including ''A Moment in Time'' for violin, clarinet, cello and piano in 2002), and numerous songs and song cycles. A double CD of his complete piano music was recorded live from four concerts at Stoller Hall in Manchester, August 2017. It includes the five piano sonatas (1978–2013), the ''Four Impromptus'' (1960), ''Five Hebridean Dances'' (1981) and the ''12 Preludes'' (1984). In 2014, McLeod was rewarded with a
BASCA The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...
Gold Badge Award. This was in recognition of his unique contribution to music. He was appointed Commander of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music. John McLeod died in Edinburgh on 24 March 2022 aged 88, six months after the death of his wife Margaret (1936–2021), who was a respected piano adjudicator and examiner.'Sadness: A fine Scots composer has died', Slipped Disc classical news site, retrieved 25 March 2022
/ref>Margaret Murray McLeod: An Appreciation
/ref>


References

* Kennedy, Michael (2006), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'', 985 pages,


External links


John McLeod's Homepage

''The Sun Dances'', BBC Proms
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, John 1934 births 2022 deaths People from Aberdeen Scottish composers Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music People educated at Aberdeen Grammar School Commanders of the Order of the British Empire