Leonard Gregory Kastle (February 11, 1929 – May 18, 2011)
from the

University at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

Grimes, William (May 21, 2011)
"Leonard Kastle, Composer and Filmmaker, Dies at 82"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' was an American

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, librettist, and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

, although he is best known as the

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

of the 1969 film '' The Honeymoon Killers'', his only venture into the cinema, for which he did all his own research. He was an adjunct member of the SUNY Albany music faculty. Following his high school education in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of t ...

, Kastle began his musical training at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

of Music (1938–40). From 1940 to 1942, he attended the

Mannes School of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School cam ...

and later studied composition at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

in Philadelphia (1944–50), earning a B.A. in 1950. While at the Curtis Institute, he held scholarships in composition with

Rosario Scalero Natale Rosario Scalero (24 December 1870 in Moncalieri - 25 December 1954 in Montestrutto) was an Italian violinist, music teacher and composer. Life and career By the age of six, Scalero was under the tutelage of Pietro Bertazzi, a violinis ...

, Gian-Carlo Menotti and

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

, and a piano scholarship with

Isabelle Vengerova Isabelle Vengerova ( be, Ізабэла Венгерава; 7 February 1956) was a Russian, later American, pianist and music teacher. She was born Izabella Afanasyevna Vengerova (Изабелла Афанасьевна Венгерова) in M ...

. He attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

from 1947 to 1950. In 1956, Kastle composed a thirteen-minute "made-to-measure" opera, titled ''The Swing'', for two singers, a speaking part, and piano accompaniment. It was commissioned by and broadcast on the NBC television network on Sunday, June 10, 1956, at noon. He also wrote ''The Pariahs'', about the sinking of the whaler ''

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

'', a trilogy of operas about the

Shakers The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a Millenarianism, millenarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian sect founded in England and then organized in the Unit ...

known under the collective title ''The Passion of Mother Ann: A Sacred Festival Play'', a children's opera called ''Professor Lookalike and the Children'', a

piano concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...

sonata Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cant ...

s for piano and violin, and three unproduced

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

s, ''Wedding at Cana'', ''Change of Heart'', and ''Shakespeare's Dog''. In a 2003 interview for the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

, he said that no producer wanted ''Wedding at Cana'', just another ''Honeymoon Killers'', which he did not want to do. After ''The Honeymoon Killers'', Kastle returned to teaching and composing. After the Criterion release of the film, he was rediscovered by a new generation of cult film enthusiasts and occasionally attended film-related events such as the Ed Wood Film Festival in 2007, where he served on the panel of judgesCasey Seiler
Kastle keeps court
TimesUnion.com, September 14, 2007 Kastle died May 18, 2011, at his home in

Westerlo, New York Westerlo is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 3,194 at the 2020 census. The town is on the southern border of Albany County and is served by New York State Route 143. History Westerlo was formed from ...

, at the age of 82.

References

External links

*
Leonard Kastle's Obituary
& Condolence Book

October 23, 1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kastle, Leonard G. 1929 births 2011 deaths 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers American opera composers Male opera composers American people of Russian-Jewish descent American male classical composers American classical composers American male screenwriters American classical pianists Male classical pianists American male pianists University at Albany, SUNY faculty Curtis Institute of Music alumni People from Albany County, New York People from Westchester County, New York 20th-century classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American composers Film directors from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) Classical musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians