Leonard Gilbert Ratner (July 30, 1916 – September 2, 2011), was an American musicologist, Professor of Musicology at Stanford University, He was a specialist in the style of the Classical period, and best known as a developer of the concept of Topic theory.[1][2]
Leonard Gilbert Ratner | |
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Born | Minneapolis, Minnesota | July 30, 1916
Died | September 2, 2011 | (aged 95)
Nationality | American |
Education | University of California at Berkeley |
Known for | Developer of the concept of Topic theory |
Awards | Guggenheim Fellowship, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Musicology |
Institutions | Stanford University |
Ratner was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After studying the violin and viola, and studying composition with Frederick Jacobi, Arnold Schoenberg, Ernest Bloch, and Arthur Bliss, he received a Ph.D. in musicology in from the University of California at Berkeley under Manfred Bukofzer, the first such degree to be given by that university.[3]
In 1947, he joined the newly formed Department of Music at Stanford University, and continued there until his retirement in 1984 composing, teaching, and conducting research on music theory. He composed a chamber opera, The Necklace, and several chamber works. He taught composition and theory to advanced students and coached chamber music; he also taught elementary music appreciation courses for undergraduates, Stanford alumni, and the general public. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for1962, and elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1998.
His research was devoted to emphasizing "sonata form's harmonic underpinnings as an antidote to the thematic perspective" [3] and developing a theory of musical period and form.