Leroy Anderson | Componisten

Leroy Anderson, son of Swedish immigrants, was born 1908 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His musical parents brought him in contact with music quite early and soon his talent showed. In 1925 he composed, orchestrated and conducted his high school orchestra in the class song for his graduation. Leroy Anderson studied, among others, musical harmony, orchestration and composition at Harvard University. Musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra taught him how to play organ and double bass. Later he continued his studies at Harvard, working toward a PhD in German and Scandinavian Languages. He did not see any future in working as a musician/composer, so he wanted to become a language teacher. He mastered Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, French, Italian and Portuguese, in addition to the English and Swedish of his upbringing. At the last moment he decided to give music a final try and sent his regrets to the private school that had offered him a position. This turned out to be an important decision for him. His works were played by the Boston Pops Orchestra, he performed in various popular dance orchestras, he also played on cruise ships crossing between USA and Scandinavia. During World War II Leroy Anderson served first in the Army and later, due to his fluency in languages, in the Military Agency. In those years he also raised a family with Eleanor Firke. He declined a military position in Sweden to focus on his familily and on composing after 1945, when he wrote some of his most famous works, like "Blue Tango", "The Typewriter", "Belle of the Ball", "Bugler's Holiday" and many others. By 1952 Leroy Andersaon had established himself as the pre-eminent American composer of light concert music. Many of his works have been employed in radio, TV and commercials, e.g. "The Syncopated Clock" as theme for the TV program "The Late Show". Leroy Anderson continued working as composer and conductor until his death from cancer in 1975.