Leo Smit
1900 - 1943
For a full biography and a complete list of works with links to scores and recordings, visit Forbidden Music Regained
A 4-CD box with the complete works of Leo Smit was re-released by Etcetera Records in 2015.
His music sounds thoroughly French, with bright and blithe notes that seemingly flow easily from his pen. In reality, it took many years before his musical ideas were incorporated into his compositions. And however French it may sound, Leo Smit was in heart and soul hooked to Amsterdam and the Netherlands. His song for women's choir, De bruid (The bride), set to words by Jan Prins is a declaration of love: “The groom was the sunlight and Holland was his bride.” It also took years before his legacy would reach an international audience.
Leo Smit came from a mixed Sephardic Ashkenazi family. His father, Rephaël Smit, was a wealthy shoe merchant descending from the Ashkenazi Smit family. The other three grandparents, two of which were also cousins, descended from the Sephardic Ricardo family. Leo's grandfather, Jozef David Smit, was a teacher and cantor in the synagogue. Leo was raised in a … Continue
The score of Leo Smit’s Quintette can be browsed on line in www.muziekschatten.nl
Selected works
Silhouetten 1922 orchestra
Kwintet 1928 flute, violin, viola, cello and harp
Symphonie in C 1934-36 orchestra
Concerto 1937 piano and winds
Trio 1938 clarinet, viola and piano
Divertimento 1942 piano 4-hands
Sonate 1943 flute and piano
For a complete list of works by Leo Smit visit our website Forbidden Music Regained
Leo Smit’s biography Silhouetten was published in 2001 (in Dutch).
A concise biography in German by Klaus Bertisch was published by Hentrich & Hentrich in 2014.
Let forbidden music sound again
In the Second World War, many composers were silenced because of their Jewish descent or their resistance. Their music was forbidden. The Leo Smit Stichting carries out research, tells composers' stories, makes sheet music available and performs forgotten music. Together with musicians, programmers, researchers and listeners we give composers their rightful place in music history.
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