Carlos Salzédo (born 1885, Arcachon, France - died 1961, Waterville, Maine) was a renowned harpist, composer, and teacher, who was considered the foremost musician/composer for the harp of his generation. Salzédo was born in France of Basque descent, studied music at the Paris Conservatory, where he graduated in 1901 with first prizes in both harp and piano, and became a citizen of the United States in 1923. In 1909, he became the principal harpist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under conductor Arturo Toscanini, and remained with the Orchestra until 1913. Salzédo then formed an ensemble called the Trio de Lutèce, which toured the United States and Europe. He formed the Salzédo Harp Ensemble in 1917.

In 1921, Salzédo co-founded the International Composers Society with Edgard Varèse, a fellow French-born American composer. Salzédo also wrote several works for the harp, including his Sonata for Harp and Piano (1925) and his Concerto No. 1 for Harp and Seven Winds (1925-1926). His works are notable for their virtuosic technical demands and innovative ideas, influenced by French impressionism.

In 1928, Salzédo married his second wife, Lucile Lawrence, who was also his long-time student. The couple divorced eight years later, but they remained friends and musical collaborators. Lawrence became a noted harp soloist, and was a member of the harp faculty of Mannes School of Music from 1942 to 2000. She and Salzédo co-authored several books on harp technique, including Method for the Harp (1929), and The Art of Modulating (1950).

Salzédo taught at The Juilliard School, and at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he established the harp department in 1924. He also established the Salzédo Harp Colony in Waterville, Maine, in 1931, as a summer school for harp students and teachers. Salzédo continued to teach at Juilliard and Curtis in winter and at the Harp Colony in summer, and his last performance in New York was in 1959, two years before his death in Maine at the age of 76.

Bibliography

Batt Archambo Wiest, Shelley. “Salzédo [Salzedo; Salcedo], Carlos (Léon).” In Grove Music Online. Accessed February 5, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.24438

“Carlos Salzedo, Harpist, 76, Dead.” The New York Times, August 18, 1961. https://www.nytimes.com/1961/08/18/archives/carlos-salzedo-harpist-76-dead-composer-and-teacher-led-maine.html.

Course Catalogs. “Mannes College of Music.” College of Performing Arts Course Catalog Collection. 1942-2000. The New School Archives Digital Collections, New York, New York.

Fifield, Christopher. “Salzedo [Salzédo, Salcedo], Carlos (Léon).” The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham. Accessed February 5, 2021. https://www-oxfordreference-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/view/10.1093/acref/9780199579037.001.0001/acref-9780199579037-e-5875?rskey=7SLmGB&result=1. “Heart-Strings and Harp-Strings.” The Minneapolis Morning Tribune, July 28, 1929: 68. https://login.libproxy.newschool.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/historical-newspapers/july-28-1929-page-68-80/docview/1846663181/se-2?accountid=12261.

Pfeifer, Ellen. “Students, Colleagues Honor ‘Miss Lawrence.’” Boston Globe, October 11, 2000. https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/docview/405354992/89EDC8827E45440EPQ/15?accountid=12261.

“Salzedo Centennial Fund.” American Harp Society. Accessed February 5, 2021. https://harpsociety.org/about/programs/salzedofund.html.

Staff, Rovi. “Carlos Salzédo.” Allmusic.com. Accessed February 5, 2021. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Carlos-Salzedo/Composer/10607-1#drilldown_overview