Ralph Kirkpatrick

Ralph Kirkpatrick (June 10th 1911 - April 13rd 1984) was a Musicien, musicologist and Claveciniste American, born with Leominster (Massachusetts).

He studied the musical theory and the piano with the Université of Harvard and continued a more thorough teaching with Paris with Nadia Boulanger as well as the harpsichord with the virtuoso pionnière of this instrument, Wanda Landowska like with Arnold Dolmetsch with Haslemere, Heinz Tiessen with Berlin and Günther Ramin with Leipzig. From 1933 to 1934, he taught with the Mozarteum Salzburg. It was a purse poured by the Fondation Guggenheim which enabled him to study in Europe.

As from 1940, he was professor with the Université Yale where he published his biography of Domenico Scarlatti as well as a critical edition of the integral of the 555 sonatas of this type-setter for the harpsichord (1953). The classification of Kirkpatrick is used for today in a standard way to identify the sonatas of Scarlatti, even if it is not only, and he showed that many these parts had the role to be played per pairs.

Kirkpatrick also played of the modern music, including the Concerto for harpsichord and orchestra of Quincy Porter, the Sonate for violin and harpsichord of Darius Milhaud and the double concerto for harpsichord, piano and chamber orchestra of Elliott Carter, which was dedicated to him.

Like virtuoso, in concert and recording, its independent source of notoriety was its interpretation with the harpsichord of the integral of works of Johann Sebastian Bach and a great number of sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. It also recorded with the Clavicorde the two books of the Keyboard well moderated and the inventions and sinfonies of J.S. Bach, as well as works of Mozart to the Piano-forte.

Ralph Kirkpatrick is deceased with Guilford in the Connecticut at the 72 years age.

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