Kenneth Leighton was Prof of Theory at a Royal Naval School of Music (1952-53) and Gregory Fellow within Music at a University of Leeds (1953-55). Around 1955 he was appointed Lecturer around Music at a University of Edinburgh, where he wwhen processed Senior Lecturer then Reader; inside 1968, he returned to Oxford as University Lecturer inside Music & Fellow of Worcester College. Witharound October 1970, he was appointed Reid Prof of Music at the University of Edinburgh, a post which he held until his dying in 1988.

Kenneth Leighton was one of a virtually all distinguished of the British post-war composers; ended Centred compositions come published, several of which were written to commission, & his operate is often performed & broadcast each around Britaaround & in more countries. Among A numerous prizes for composition awarded to him since 1950 were a Busoni Prize (1956), A National Federation of Music Societies Prize for a better choral act of a month (1960), the City of Trieste Foremost Prize for a fresh symphonious act (1965), The Bernard Sprengel Prize for chamber music (1966) & the Cobbett Medal for distinguished services to chamber music (1967). Witharound 1970 he was awarded a Doctor's degree inside Music per University of Oxford, & in 1977 was mass produced an Honorary Doctor of the University of St. Andrews for his work as a composer. He was mass produced an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Music in 1982.

the works of his early maturity indicate a continuing want to choose freshly forms, & to increase & crystallise his contrapuntal mastery by having ever greater expressive click. A wow emotional tension he produced was universally organically generated & devoid of gesture. Late scores displayed the greater concern by using vertical methods, however by owning there are no diminution of his command of contrast. By owning a pieces of his previous years, it became other & sir thomas more noticeable that the more relaxed and caring element got entered into his compositions, the recently lyrical vein: non the reduction of nature and severity or even purpose, more the shedding of a select few of the unbearable retrospection which was such a feature of occasionally of the scores from either the late 1960s forrader. This broadening of emotional range might single produce a states ruefulness that he did non complete a For Symphony which he was contemplating at the instance of his demise. His contribution to the Anglican church music repertoire is frequently performed.

As the piano player Kenneth Leighton was a frequent recitalist & broadcaster, two as a soloist & inside chamber music. He recorded his soft music for the British Music Society & conducted numerous performances & broadcast of his have music.