LEO KRAFT Obituary

KRAFT--Leo, died on Wednesday at 92. Prolific composer and Professor Emeritus at Queens College, creative to the end. Survived by companion Drora Pershing Maynard, brother Arthur, sons David and Evan and grandson Sasha Benderly-Kraft.

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Published by New York Times on May 2, 2014.

Memories and Condolences
for LEO KRAFT

9 Entries

Shelley Fontrier

June 1, 2014

Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Love to all, Mary, Bunny,Toni,and Shelley

Shelley Fontrier

May 31, 2014

Leo was a colleague of my father Gabriel Fontrier. He was a very dear friend of the family for many years. My mother Mary and father knew Leo and Amy from the day my parents were married. I remember them coming to our house for parties and dinners. I enjoyed the lunches I had with Leo. Also when my mom and I would go to a concert with Leo and Drora we would go out to dinner before, and always had a wonderful time. Leo was a very kind caring person. He will be missed by many.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family as well as Drora's family.
Love to all,
Mary, Bunny, Toni and Shelley Fontrier

Leo Student

Charlie Greenberg

May 3, 2014

How I wish Leo could read this. The good teachers are the ones you can still hear speaking to you long after the course has ended- but you still need their guidance. I've kept all my papers from Leo's post-graduate course surveying music history (quite technical, of course).

When he called on me in class, he took some delight in referring to me as "Mr. Monteverdi" - which I thought was very cool.

"So you want to be a composer", he said to me one lunch time when I broached the topic during his meal(he was only eating pickled, red peppers, but I was trepidatious, nonetheless).

I had taken his 20th Century Techniques Class as an undergraduate and was quite in awe of him. I had researched his discography and tried to learn "Allegro Giocoso" a piano piece he wrote in 1957.

I never privately studied composition with Leo (and to be clear, I certainly never called him "Leo)", but he greatly influenced and guided me when it came to writing about music with clarity and pointing out "the musical why".

"There were some real howlers in this one", I remember him saying as he passed back another midnight effort on the Smith-Corona.

All this is to say, I'm very sad I didn't tell him how much he compelled me to do better - or how any number of those post-graduate classes were worthy of an audience befitting a very well funded PBS Master series.

Terry-Anne Homan

May 2, 2014

Leo was one of the greats; sensitive, intuitive and funny!! I will always remember the theory classes I had with him! Rest in Peace!!
ASCM Class of 1985

Harold Rosenbaum

May 2, 2014

What a great great man, musician, teacher and colleague. I was a graduate student in his contemporary music class. He gave us an assignment to tap out two simultaneous rhythms from a Stravinsky work. I spent 7.5 hours on it that week over 4 decades ago, and still remember having a ball working through it. His encyclopedic knowledge was very inspiring to me, as was his wonderful personality. I told him just a few weeks ago that I will be conducting (once again) his fabulous Proverbs of Solomon next season. He was thrilled. It will be even more of a special concert for me now. I will see you again, Leo!

Susan Spindelman Greenberg

May 2, 2014

I was blessed to have Prof. Kraft early on while an undergrad at Queens College. A passionate, gentle and gifted professor, who opened my eyes to the possibilities and grandeur of music in general and humanity in particular. He will be greatly missed.

Leonard Lehrman

May 2, 2014

Very sad to learn of Leo's passing. Will be at the funeral 5/2 at 1. First met him in Great Neck, at the library, in January 1989, during a concert he helped Elie Siegmeister organize to benefit musician victims of the Armenian earthquake. (Twenty years later Leo reviewed our Siegmeister centennial concert at the same library.) Have enjoyed hearing, performing, and recording several of his compositions since then, including "Ten Short Pieces" (1976) and "My Autumn Walk" (written for the Bryant Bicentennial in 1994), both on Capstone Records. He was a faithful and ardent supporter of The Long Island Composers Alliance and The New Music Connoisseur and will be sorely missesd. We'll be memorializing him with performances of his music June 28 in Valley Stream, July 2 in Melville.
--Leonard J. Lehrman

Leonard Lehrman

May 2, 2014

Very sad to learn of Leo's passing. Will be at the funeral in Great Neck 5/2 at 1. First met him in Great Neck at a library concert, in Jan. 1989 to benefit musician victims of the Armenian earthquake, that he helped organize with Elie Siegmeister. (Twenty years later, Leo reviewed our Siegmeister centennial concert at that same library.) Have enjoyed hearing, performing and recording several of his works since, including "Ten Short Pieces" (1976) and "My Autumn Walk" (written for the Bryant Bicentennial, 1994), both on Capstone Records. He was an ardent and loyal supporter of The New Music Connoisseur and The Long Island Composers Alliance. We plan to memorialize him with performances of his music in Valley Stream June 28 and in Melville July 2. - Leonard J. Lehrman

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