Alfred Whitford (Fred) Lerdahl (born March 10, 1943) is an American music theorist and composer. Best known for his work on musical

grammar In linguistics, grammar is the set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers. Grammar rules may concern the use of clauses, phrases, and words. The term may also refer to the study of such rul ...

cognition Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

, rhythmic theory, and

pitch space In music theory, pitch spaces model relationships between pitches. These models typically use distance to model the degree of relatedness, with closely related pitches placed near one another, and less closely related pitches farther apart. Depe ...

, he and the linguist

Ray Jackendoff Ray Jackendoff (born January 23, 1945) is an American linguist. He is professor of philosophy, Seth Merrin Chair in the Humanities and, with Daniel Dennett, co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He has always str ...

developed the

Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

-inspired generative theory of tonal music. Lerdahl has written numerous orchestral and chamber works, three of which were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Music: ''Time after Time'' in 2001, String Quartet No. 3 in 2010, and ''

Arches An arch is a curved vertical structure span (engineering), spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th mill ...

'' in 2011. He is a Professor Emeritus of Musical Composition at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Life

Alfred Whitford "Fred" Lerdahl was born on March 10, 1943, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. His maternal uncle was the astronomer Albert Whitford. Lerdahl studied with James Ming at

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a Private college, private liberal arts college and Music school, conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second colle ...

, where he earned his BMus in 1965, and with Milton Babbitt, Edward T. Cone, and

Earl Kim Earl Kim (1920–1998; né Eul Kim) was an American composer, and music pedagogue. He was of Korean descent. Early life, education, and training Kim was born on January 6, 1920, in Dinuba, California, to immigrant Korean parents. He began pia ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he earned his MFA in 1967. At Tanglewood he studied with Arthur Berger in 1964 and Roger Sessions in 1966. He then studied with

Wolfgang Fortner Wolfgang Fortner (12 October 1907 – 5 September 1987) was a German composer, academic composition teacher and conductor. Life and career Fortner was born in Leipzig. From his parents, who were both singers, Fortner very early on had intense ...

at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg/Breisgau in 1968–69, on a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

. From 1991 to 2018 Lerdahl was Fritz Reiner Professor of Musical Composition at Columbia University; before that, he taught at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

. Lerdahl was awarded an honorary doctorate from

in 1999. He is a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

. Lerdahl has written three books: '' A Generative Theory of Tonal Music'' (1983, second edition 1996, with linguist

MIT Press The MIT Press is the university press of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT Press publishes a number of academic journals and has been a pioneer in the Open Ac ...

), ''Tonal Pitch Space'' (2001,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

), and ''Composition and Cognition'' (2019,

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

). He has also written numerous articles on music theory, music cognition, computer-assisted composition, and other topics. Lerdahl's music is published by Schott, and Bridge Records is producing an ongoing series of recordings of it. Lerdahl's students include composers Christopher Buchenholz, Zosha Di Castri, R. Luke DuBois, John Halle, Huck Hodge, Arthur Kampela, Alex Mincek, Paul Moravec, Matthew Ricketts,

Allen Shearer Allen Raymond Shearer (born October 5, 1943, in Seattle, Washington) is an American composer and baritone. Life Shearer’s early musical experiences were as a singer; the majority of his works are for the voice or voices, with a later emphasis ...

, Kate Soper, Tyshawn Sorey, Christopher Trapani, Carl Voss, Wang Lu, Eric Wubbels, and Nina C. Young; and music theorists Elizabeth Margulis and David Temperley.

Music

Lerdahl's influences include the German classics, Sibelius, Schoenberg, Bartók, Stravinsky, Carter, Messiaen, and Ligeti. He has said he "always sought musical forms of isown invention", and to discover the appropriate form for the intended expression.Schweitzer, Vivien (November 21, 2010).
Spiral Form and Other Compositional Modes of Fred Lerdahl
, ''NYTimes.com''. In '' Fanfare'', Robert Carl wrote: "Lerdahl is a profoundly musical composer, engaged in all his work in a rigorous and respectful dialogue with tradition, eager to imbue his pieces with the maximum of both information and clarity." Of Lerdahl's composition ''Waves'', Phillip Scott wrote, "''Waves'' is an orchestral

scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often r ...

. It conjures up (rather than depicts) the motion and the sense of waves, not merely of the oceanic variety but also those found on graphs: sound waves, heartbeats, and so on. It begins with a surge of activity and never lets up in its cascading scales and rapid figuration. Unlike Debussy's '' La mer'', whose deep-sea swells it recalls only fleetingly, it has no moments of repose."

List of compositions

Source:

Orchestral

* ''Chords'', large orchestra (12 winds, 11 brass, harp, piano, percussion, violas, cellos, double basses), 1974–83 * ''Cross-Currents'', large orchestra (12 winds, 10 brass, harp, piano, percussion, strings), 1987 * ''Waves'', small orchestra (8 winds, 2 French horns, strings), 1988 * ''Without Fanfare'', small orchestra (12 winds, 11 brass, 3 percussion), 1994 * ''Quiet Music'', large orchestra (12 winds, 11 brass, harp, piano, percussion, strings), 1994 (also version for 2 pianos) * ''Spirals'', orchestra (8 winds, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, piano, percussion, strings), 2006 * ''Arches'', cello, small orchestra (22 players), 2011 * ''Time and Again'', small orchestra, 2014

Chamber music

* String Trio, violin, viola, cello, 1966 * ''Imitations'', flute, harp, viola, 1977, revised 2001 * String Quartet No. 1, 1978, revised 2008 * ''Waltzes'', violin, viola, cello, double bass, 1981 * ''Episodes and Refrains'', flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1982 * ''Fantasy Etudes'', flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1985 * ''Marches'', clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1992 * ''Time after Time'', flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2000 * ''Imbrications'', flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2001 * Oboe Quartet, oboe, violin, viola, cello, 2002 * Duo, violin, piano, 2005 * String Quartet No. 2, 1982–2010 * String Quartet No. 3, 2008 * ''Arches'', cello, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, harp, 2 violins, viola, double bass, piano, 2 percussion), 2010 (also version for cello, small orchestra 2 players * ''There and Back Again'', cello, 2010 * ''Times 3'', violin, cello, piano, 2012 * ''Give and Take'', violin, cello, 2014 * ''String Quartet no. 4 "Chaconne"'', 2016 * ''Three Bagatelles'', violin, guitar, 2016 * ''Duo'', cello, piano, 2017 * ''Chords'', version for 13 instruments, 2018 * ''Cyclic Descent'', piano and large ensemble, 2018 * ''Reflection'', flute, clarinet, piano, 2020

Choral

* ''Cornstalks'' (text by Richard Wilbur), 16 mixed voices, 2012

Vocal

* ''Wake'' (text by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

), soprano, harp, violin, viola, cello, 3 percussion, 1967–68 * ''Aftermath'' (dramatic cantata, text by the composer), soprano, alto, baritone, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, harp, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass), 1973 * ''Eros'' (text by

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...

), mezzo-soprano, alto flute, harp, electric guitar, viola, bass guitar, piano, 2 percussion, 1975 * ''Beyond the Realm of Bird'' (text by

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

), soprano, orchestra (8 winds, French horn, trumpet, trombone, harp, piano, percussion, strings), 1984 * ''The First Voices'' (text by

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

, translated by John H. Moran and Alexander Gode), soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, 8 percussion, 2007 * ''Fire and Ice'' (text by

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

), high soprano, double bass, 2015

Piano

* ''Piano Fantasy'', 1964 * ''Quiet Music'', two pianos, 2001 (version of orchestral work) * ''Three Diatonic Studies'', 2004–09 * ''Inner Life'', two pianos, 2022

Discography

* String Quartet No. 1 (original version).

Juilliard String Quartet The Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York by William Schuman and Robert Mann. Since its inception, it has been the quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School. ...

(Composers Recordings, Inc.: CRI 551, 1987 eissued as New World Records: NWCR551, 2007">New_World_Records.html" ;"title="eissued as New World Records">eissued as New World Records: NWCR551, 2007 * Waltzes; Fantasy Etudes; Eros; Wake. Bethany Beardslee, soprano; Beverly Morgan, mezzo-soprano; Rolf Schulte, violin; Scott Nickrenz, viola; Fred Sherry, cello; Donald Palma, double bass; Robert Beaser/Musical Elements; David Epstein (conductor), David Epstein/ Boston Symphony Chamber Players; Fred Lerdahl/

Collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

( Composers Recordings, Inc.: CRI 580, 1991 eissued as New World Records: NWCR580, 2007; Bridge Records: 9269; Bridge Records: 9391; and New World Records: NWCRL378 * Waves.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (founded in 1972) is a classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. They have won several Grammy Awards, and are known for their collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, i ...

(

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

: 435 389–2, 1992, reissued as Bridge Records: 9191) * Fantasy Etudes. eighth blackbird (eighth blackbird, 1999) * Time after Time; Marches; Oboe Quartet; Waves. Antares; La Fenice; Jeffrey Milarsky/Columbia Sinfonietta;

(Bridge Records: 9191, 2006, reissue of Deutsche Grammophon: 435 389-2) * Cross-Currents; Waltzes; Duo; Quiet Music (original version). Rolf Schulte, violin; Scott Nickrenz, viola; Fred Sherry, cello; Donald Palma, double bass; James Winn, piano; Paul Mann/ Odense Symphony (Bridge Records: 9269, 2008 artial reissue of Composers Recordings, Inc.: CRI 580, New World Records: NWCR580 * String Trio; Piano Fantasy. Robert Miller, piano; members of The Composers Quartet (New World Records: NWCRL319, c. 2009) * String Quartets Nos. 1–3. Daedalus Quartet (Bridge Records: 9352, 2011) * The First Voices. Frank Epstein/New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble (

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

: 8.559684, 2011) * Eros. Beverly Morgan, mezzo-soprano; Fred Lerdahl/Collage (New World Records: NWCRL378, 2011, reissue of Composers Recordings, Inc.: CRI 580) * Spirals; Three Diatonic Studies; Imbrications; Wake; Fantasy Etudes. Bethany Beardslee, soprano; Mirka Viitala, piano; eighth blackbird; Michel Galante/Argento Ensemble; David Epstein/Boston Symphony Chamber Players; Scott Yoo/Odense Symphony (Bridge Records: 9391, 2013, reissue of Composers Recordings, Inc.: CRI 580, New World Records: NWCR580) * There and Back Again. Anssi Karttunen, cello ( Toccata Classics: TOCC0171, 2013) * There and Back Again, String Quartet no. 4 "Chaconne", Fire and Ice, Three Bagatelles, Arches (orchestral version). (Bridge Records: 9522, 2020)

Awards

*1966, Koussevitzky Composition Prize *1967, MacDowell Colony Fellowship *1971, 1988 Composer Award from the

*1974,

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

*1977, Naumburg Recording Award *1982, Martha Baird Rockefeller Recording Award *1991,

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

Fellowship *1999, Doctor of Fine Arts (honorary degree),

*2001, Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Music (for ''Time after Time'') *2002, ASCAP-Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award (for ''Tonal Pitch Space)'' *2003, Wallace Berry Distinguished Book Award (for ''Tonal Pitch Space)'' *2010, Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Music (for ''String Quartet No. 3'') *2010, Member, American Academy for Arts and Letters *2011, Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Music (for ''

'')

Bibliography

*Lerdahl, Fred (1992). Cognitive Constraints on Compositional Systems, Contemporary Music Review 6 (2), pp. 97–121. *Lerdahl, Fred and Jackendoff, Ray (1983)
''A Generative Theory of Tonal Music''

. . *Lerdahl, Fred (2001)
''Tonal Pitch Space''

. *Lerdahl, Fred (2019). ''Composition and Cognition: Reflections on Contemporary Music and the Musical Mind''.

References

External links

Fred Lerdahl at Schott MusicFred Lerdahl at Project Schott New YorkFaculty Page at Columbia UniversityFred Lerdahl's Homepage"Fred Lerdahl"
''bussigel''
New Music Box asks Fred Lerdahl: What role has theory played in your compositions and how important is it for people to know the theory behind the music in order to appreciate it?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lerdahl, Fred American male classical composers 21st-century American classical composers 1943 births Living people American music theorists Lawrence University alumni Princeton University alumni Pupils of Roger Sessions Pupils of Wolfgang Fortner University of Michigan faculty 21st-century American male musicians Columbia University faculty Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters