Leslie Spelman, of La Jolla, California, died on May 28 at the age of 97. He taught at the University of Redlands from 1937-1968 and was Director of the Division of Arts and School of Music 1952-68. After retiring from Redlands, he served as Dean of the School of Music at California Institute of the Arts (1967-70), and taught at San Diego State University. Prior to his Redlands career, he taught at William Woods College (1928-30) and Meredith College (1932-37). From 1930-32 he was organist/choirmaster at the American Church in Paris. Spelman was born on March 7, 1903 in Covert, Michigan, and showed an early interest in music. He earned the BA, BMus, and MA at Oberlin College, did graduate study at the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, and Yale University, and received the PhD from Claremont Graduate School. He held the AAGO and FAGO certificates and studied organ and theory with Nadia Boulanger and Joseph Bonnet in Paris 1930-32. He played recitals at five national conventions and led tours in the USA and Europe. He was the author of numerous articles in many journals in America and Europe, and edited two volumes of American organ music. Because of the success of his book, Organ Plus--a Catalogue of Ensemble Music for Organ and Instruments, he was in demand for conducting concerts of organ with instruments. He was also a member of the American Society for Aesthetics and lectured for that group and for the Netherlands Association for Aesthetics. In 1957 he spoke on "Organ Teaching--Methods and Materials" at the First International Congress of Organists. The list of his former students includes Max Miller, Gerhardt Krapf, George Ritchie, and the late Larry King.
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