Harrison Slater
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Harrison Gradwell Slater (birthdate unknown) is an American writer, pianist, and educator.
Biography
Harrison Gradwell Slater combines the versatile careers of musicologist, pianist and novelist. Of his three books on Mozart, the last is the mystery novel, ‘’NightMusic’’, which opens the world of Mozart’s life and music to a worldwide audience. The sequel, ‘’Nocturne’’ (2010), explores Chopin’s biography and music within a contemporary narrative of obsession and romance.
For his first book, Slater (the author’s pen name since 1995) traveled to fifty-five cities in nine European countries and completed his exhaustive research over three years with correspondence to archives throughout Europe, always posing previously unresolved questions about Mozart Gedenkstaetten -- the sumptuous palaces, concert halls and salons in which Mozart performed, the houses and taverns in which he lodged, and the churches and public edifices that he visited. The resulting comprehensive reference book, ‘’In Mozart’s Footsteps’’, has been called “an amazing feat of scholarship” by the pianist, Alfred Brendel, while Nicholas Slonimsky described it as “absorbing in its brilliance.”
‘’NightMusic’’ was voted "Rising Star of 2003" by nine publishing houses, was on the Barnes and Noble bestseller list for mystery trade paperback for nineteen weeks and was optioned for a film.
Scholarly articles by Slater (a.k.a. Harrison James Wignall) have appeared in the journals ‘’Mozart-Jahrbuch’’, ‘’Opera Quarterly’’ and ‘’Mozart Studien’’, among others. Some of his recent discoveries include previously unknown Mozart documents and manuscripts that have shed light on key issues of recent Mozart research. He has also written entries for the latest editions of ‘’The New Grove’’ and ‘’Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart’’, and ‘’The New Grove Dictionary of Opera’’, and has published articles in ‘’Perspectives of New Music, Indiana Theory Review’’ and the ‘’Nuova rivista musicale italiana’’.
Slater’s discovery in 1993 of the vocal nocturne tradition, and it’s influence on Mozart and Chopin are found in his seminal work “Mozart and the Duetto Notturno Tradition,” and his entry “Duetto Notturno” in ‘’The New Grove’’, 2000. His present musicological work on the influence of the vocal nocturne on Chopin's piano music continues that research.
A pianist, he studied with Anthony di Bonaventura and for many years with Paul Doguereau, the noted French pianist who was a pupil of Ravel, Emma Barzac (second wife of Claude Debussy) and Paderewski. In addition to writing and recording, Slater coaches many world-class pianists, and is Chairman and Artistic Director of the Peabody Mason International Piano Competition.
Slater studied music and languages at Brandeis, Boston University, Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich and Harvard, and speaks, in addition to English, German, French and Italian. He was active as a music instructor in Boston, Munich, Milan, and Tokyo and worked at the Munich National Theater and La Scala in Milan as a ballet pianist, performing numerous concerts.
In 1995, he was awarded a Ph. D. in musicology from Brandeis University with a dissertation on Mozart’s opera, Mitridate. For over twenty years, he lived abroad, in Munich, Tokyo, and primarily Milan.
Presently, Slater has finished recordings featuring the music of Mozart and Chopin, and has completed the sequel to ‘’NightMusic’’, entitled ‘’Nocturne’’ (based on rediscovered diaries related to Chopin). His research and writing of the monograph, “Mozart in Milan” continues and includes, "Mozart and Sacred Music in the Ambrosian Capital" and "Mozart's Singers in Ascanio in Alba," articles which incorporate two handwritten diaries from 1771 found by Slater in archives in Milan.
He resides in a historic apartment in Back Bay, Boston that was the basis for the interiors in ‘’NightMusic’’, as well as in Milan, Paris and historic Mount Holly, NJ.
Works
Books
- Wignall, Harrison James, In Mozart’s Footsteps]', New York: Paragon House, 1991. ISBN 1-55778-494-9
- Slater, Harrison Gradwell, “NightMusic”, New York: Harcourt, 2002, hardcover. ISBN 0-150100580-X
- Slater, Harrison Gradwell, “Night Music”, Penguin Putnam, 2003, softcover. ISBN 0-451-20972-9
- Slater, Harrison Gradwell, “Nocturne”, Editions Peabody Mason, 2010. ISBN 978-0-615-31304-7
Articles
- "And Mozart Came In Search of Work", La Stampa, Year 130, No. 208, July 30, 1996
- "Mozart in Turin", Mozart Studien, 1997
- "Mozart and the 'Duetto Notturno' Tradition", Mozart-Jahrbuch, 1993
- "The Genesis of 'Se di Lauri'", Mozart Studien, 1994
- "Mozart's Imperial Opponent" (Italian and English), Nuova rivista musicale italiana, 1994
- "Mozart in Milan: Between Triumph and Disappointment", Mozartwoche und Salzburger Festpiele, 1997
- "Guglielmo d'Ettore: Mozart's First Mitridate", The Opera Quarterly, 1994
- "Rameau's Treatment of Suspensions", Indiana Theory Review, 1992
- "Current Trends in Italian Opera", Perspectives in New Music, 1991
- "Chickering's 'Old Ironsides'", Piano Quarterly, 1988
- "Behind Closed Doors", Keyboard Classics, 1987
- "The Development of Music in Boston, Part I: The Boston of Psalm-singers & Singing Schools", Massachusetts Music News, 1988
- "The Development of Music in Boston, Part II: Lowell Mason - A Sesquicentennial Perspective", Massachusetts Music News, 1988
- "The Development of Music in Boston, Part III: Pianos, Pedagogy & Performance", Massachusetts Music News, 1989
- "The Development of Music in Boston, Part IV: Chickering's Victory of the Ironclads", Massachusetts Music News, 1989
- "The Development of Music in Boston, Part V: A Taste for the Monumental", Massachusetts Music News, 1990
Recordings
- (2003) “NightMusic: Piano Music of Mozart”, Newton Symphony Orchestra, Jeffrey Rink, Conductor
- (2010) “Nocturne: Piano Music of Chopin”
External links
{{Persondata
|NAME= Slater, Harrison Gradwell
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Slater, Harrison
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Wignall, Harrison
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Wignall, Harrison James
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Musicologist, pedagogue, pianist, impresario, writer, author, educator
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- LGBT musicians from the United States
- American classical pianists
- American novelists
- American recording artists
- Living people
- People from Shirley, Massachusetts
- Harvard University alumni
- Brandeis University alumni
- Boston University alumni
- Peabody Mason Award for Musicology winners