Alfonso Leng

Who was Alfonso Leng?

Alfonso Leng Haygus was a post-romantic composer of classical music. He was born in Santiago, Chile. He wrote the first important symphonic work in Chilean tradition, "La Muerte de Alcino", a symphonic poem inspired by the novel of Pedro Prado. He composed many art songs in different languages and important piano pieces, like the five "Doloras", which he later orchestrated and are normally played in concerts in Chile and Latin America. He won the Nacional Art Prize in 1957.

Leng was also an accomplished dentist in Santiago. As a dentist, he was the main founder of the dentistry faculty of the Universidad de Chile, and he was eventually elected as the first dean.

Leng was the nephew of composer Carmela Mackenna.