John Lessard

John Lessard (July 3, 1920 – January 11, 2003) was an American composer and music educator noted among peers for his eloquent and dramatic neo-classical works for piano and voice, chamber ensembles, and orchestra, as well as for his playful pieces for mixed percussion ensembles. He was also an accomplished pianist and conductor.

Early life Born John Ayres Lessard in San Francisco on July 3, 1920, he was raised in Palo Alto by parents with Quebec roots, quickly becoming fluent in both French and English. He began piano lessons at the age of five, then trumpet lessons at nine, and two years later joined the San Francisco Civic Symphony Orchestra. He studied piano and theory with Elise Belenky and also worked briefly with the composer Henry Cowell. At sixteen, he was offered a scholarship to study with Arnold Schoenberg, but felt so repelled by his music and the Vienna School outlook that he refused the scholarship and went to study in France. He then spent the duration of the war back in Europe with a unit assigned to liaison between American troops and allied French fighters and personnel.

Death John Lessard died in East Setauket on January 11, 2003, aged 82.

Awards and grants Lessard received two Guggenheim fellowships (1946, 1953) as well as awards from the Alice M. Ditson Fund (1946) and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1952). He was also given the title of Professor Emeritus of Music at SUNY Stony Brook.

Compositions + John Lessard longer works by date of composition Year Title Description Time (min.) 1940 Piano Sonata No.1 Piano solo 17 1941 Concerto for Violin & Orchestra Chamber orchestra with flute, clarinet and violin 20 1946 Box Hill Overture Orchestra 1946 Cantilena for Oboe & String Orchestra Mixed instrumental ensemble 6 1946 Little Concert: Suite for Piano Piano solo 7 1947 Little Concert for Orchestra Orchestra 12 1948 Three Movements for Violin and Piano Piano and violin 17 1951 Toccata in Four Movements for Harpsichord Large harpsichord – dedicated to Sylvia Marlowe 1952 Concerto for Winds & Strings Chamber orchestra with flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and bassoon 15 1956 Sonata for Violoncello and Piano Piano and cello 1956 Three Songs for St. Cecelia's Day Piano and voice – lyric after W.H. Auden 8 1957 Serenade For Symphony Orchestra Orchestra 11 1959 Suite for Orchestra Orchestra 12 1961 Sinfonietta Concertante Chamber orchestra 15 1963 String Trio Violin, viola and cello 17 1964 12 Mother Goose Songs Piano, voice, violin, viola and cello 18 1966 New Worlds for the Young Pianist I 24 pieces for young pianists 1966 New Worlds for the Young Pianist II 16 pieces for intermediate piano students 1966 Trio in Sei Parti Piano, violin and cello 18 1967 Quodlibets for Brass Trio Trumpets and trombone 8 1969 Fragments from the Cantos of Ezra Pound for Baritone And 9 Instruments 1971 Brass Quintet 1973 Trios of Consanguinity In various combinations: violin or flute, viola or clarinet, cello or bassoon 12 1974 Pastimes and an Alleluia Orchestra 1974 Fantasy for Trumpet and Piano Trumpet and piano 11 1978 Movements for Trumpet & Various Instruments VI Trumpet solo, tom-toms, temple blocks, xylophone and crotales 15 1980 Threads of Sound Recalled Piano solo 20 1982 Concerto for Harp & Orchestra Chamber orchestra with trumpet and harp 22 1984 Movements for Trumpet & Various Instruments VIII Trumpet, vibraphone and marimba 9 1984 Pond in a Bowl Piano, vibraphone, marimba, bongos and voice – lyric after Han Yu 17 1985 Four Pieces for Violin and Percussion Violin, xylophone, marimba, temple blocks and bongos 19 1988 Bagatelle for Piano II Piano solo 7 1989 An Assembled Sequence for a Solo Percussionist Glockenspiel, vibraphone, gongs, tam-tams, castanets, claves and guiro 30 1989 An Assembled Sequence VIII: Making A Collection Vibraphone and marimba 10 1989 Bagatelle for Piano III Piano solo 7 1989 Ten Pieces for Piano Four Hands (Games and Pastimes) Piano four-hands 16 1991 Bagatelle for Piano IV Piano solo 10 1992 The Seasons Piano, percussion and voice – lyric after T’ang Dynasty poems 25 1993 Quintet Piano, flute, clarinet, violin, and cello 19 1994 Gather and Disperse Chamber orchestra with piano, flute, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, violin and percussion 19 1995 Four Songs, on Poems by Claire Nicolas White Piano and voice 19 1996 Three Indian Tales Percussion and voice – lyric by Claire Nicolas White, adapted from American Indian Tales 18 1998 Bagatelle for Piano V Piano solo 7 2000 Music for Solo Harp and Chamber Ensemble Chamber ensemble with piano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, harp and percussion 20