Leonhard Lechner studied under Orlando di Lasso during his youth while serving as a choirboy in the Bavarian ducal court chapel in Munich. Sources indicate that he sang in the chapel under Lasso’s direction between approximately 1564 and 1568, and German records specify that from 1566 to 1570 he was formally a pupil of both Orlando di Lasso and Ivo de Vento. During this period, Lasso oversaw his musical training and Lechner acquired contrapuntal skills of Italian origin that remained evident throughout his later works.
Lechner revered Orlando di Lasso throughout his life and regarded him as his principal teacher. Contemporary accounts describe him as Lasso’s most distinguished pupil, and stylistic features in his compositions, including polyphonic techniques and handling of German texts, reflect this formative apprenticeship in Munich.
