Leslie Bassett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer known for his lush sonorities and ecumenical instrumentation, has died at the age of 93.  Mr. Bassett received the Pulitzer in 1966 for “Variations for Orchestra,” which had been given its United States premiere by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy the year before.

Leslie Raymond Bassett was born on Jan. 22, 1923, in Hanford, Calif., and grew up on ranches in the San Joaquin Valley, where his father raised hogs. As a youth he studied the piano, trombone and cello, as if anticipating the eclectic range of timbres on which his work would draw. During World War II, he served in the United States and in Europe as a trombonist and arranger with the 13th Armored Division Band.

His work first came to critical prominence in the 1950s. Reviewing a 1959 performance at Carnegie Hall of Mr. Bassett’s “Five Pieces for String Quartet” by the Beaux-Arts String Quartet. Among his other laurels are the Rome Prize, a prestigious award for composition; Guggenheim fellowships; and a Fulbright fellowship.