Reflections of an American Harpsichordist Unpublished Memoirs, Essays, and Lectures of Ralph Kirkpatrick

668 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620-2731, USA

PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK

http://www.urpress.com

This collection of unpublished writings by the eminent harpsichordist and scholar

Ralph Kirkpatrick contains his memoirs for the period 1933–77 and essays on a

variety of topics, including his preparation for the first performance of Elliott Carter’s

Double Concerto, thoughts on editing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and reflections

on recording, chamber music, performance, and harpsichords and their transport.

The volume also contains five lectures from a Yale University lecture series

presented between 1969 and 1971, a bibliography of publications by and about

Kirkpatrick, a discography of his recordings, and a foreword by former Kirkpatrick

student and renowned organist William Porter.

“Ralph Kirkpatrick is the most important American harpsichordist of his generation.

This collection of writings reveals his wit as well as his fascinating views on music

and performance. Erudite but never overly technical, Kirkpatrick’s writings should

appeal to a wide readership.”

—Rob Haskins, professor of music, University of New Hampshire

Meredith Kirkpatrick, the niece of Ralph Kirkpatrick, is a librarian and bibliographer

at Boston University and the editor of Ralph Kirkpatrick: Letters of the American

Harpsichordist and Scholar (University of Rochester Press, 2014).

Cover image: Kirkpatrick, ca. 1950, courtesy of Yale University Music Library.

EDITED BY MEREDITH KIRKPATRICK

EDITED BY

M. KIRKPATRICK

Unpublished Memoirs, Essays, and Lectures of Ralph Kirkpatrick

REFLECTIONS OF AN AMERICAN

HARPSICHORDIST

REFLECTIONS OF AN AMERICAN HARPSICHORDIST
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