Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Leonhardt (* May 30, 1928 in 's- Graveland, † January 16, 2012 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch conductor, harpsichordist and organist.
Life
Leonhardt grew up in a musical environment and began to refer to his parents' house interest in a harpsichord, which should say in his life as well as the study of historic organs which began to interest him at the same time at the age of 15 years. After graduating from high school in the Netherlands in 1947, he began the study of organ and harpsichord with Eduard Müller at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, where he graduated in 1950 with a soloist diploma cum laude.
In the next few years, Leonhardt musicological studies devoted in Vienna and in 1952 to professor at the State Music Academy, now the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, appointed. In 1954 he became professor of harpsichord at the Amsterdam Conservatory, in addition, he was also organist at the local Waalsekerk.
He founded in 1955 the Leonhardt Consort and became known as an interpreter of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Together with Nikolaus Harnoncourt Leonhardt considered as one of the pioneers of historical performance practice. In 1969 he was appointed to a visiting professorship at Harvard University in the United States. Between 1971 and 1990 he produced together with Harnoncourt 's extensive project including all the church cantatas of JS Bach. From 1988 he also taught at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.
In the film Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach by Jean -Marie Straub (1967 ), he worked not only as with the artist, but also as an actor in the role of Bach.
In December 2011, he announced his withdrawal from public concert life.
Gustav Leonhardt died on 16 January 2012 in Amsterdam. He was married to the violinist Marie Leonhardt - Amsler.