Albert Fuller (July 21, 1926 – September 22, 2007) was an American

harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...

, conductor, teacher, impresario, and prominent proponent of

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

. He was the first artist to record the complete keyboard works of

Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of Fr ...

. Fuller was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and started his music studies at the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the cap ...

. He was a boy

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

and studied the organ with Paul Callaway. He later attended the

Peabody Conservatory of Music The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and ...

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

in Baltimore as well as Georgetown. Fuller went on to study harpsichord under

Ralph Kirkpatrick Ralph Leonard Kirkpatrick (; June 10, 1911April 13, 1984) was an American harpsichordist and musicologist, widely known for his chronological catalog of Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas as well as for his performances and recordings. Life ...

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

and theory under

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...

. He graduated in 1954 with an M.Mus. After graduation, Fuller went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on a Ditson Fellowship. On his return in 1957 he gave his first New York recital. In 1964 Fuller was made a professor at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1972 he co-founded the Aston Magna Foundation for Music and Humanities and became its artistic director. The Foundation's aims are to "enrich the appreciation of music of the past and the understanding of the cultural, political, and social contexts in which it was composed and experienced." Following
dispute
with the Aston Magna board, Fuller left the group in 1983. Two years later, he founded th
Helicon Foundation
a New York presenting organization devoted to chamber music performances on original instruments and in period style. Fuller retired as president and artistic director of Helicon at the end of the 2005-2006 season, having led the organization for 21 years. Upon his retirement, James Roe was appointed artistic director and William A. Simon became president. Fuller wrote the memoi

(University of Illinois Press, 1999), and translated, from the French, ''Hugues Cuenod With a Nimble Voice: Conversations With Francois Hudry'' (Pendragon Press, 1999). He is prominently featured in Paul Festa's 2006

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...

documentar
Apparition of the Eternal Church
and in the book based on it

Fuller died at his home of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

References

External links

Aston Magna Foundation websiteHelicon Foundation websiteAlbert Fuller's Rendezvous Lounge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Albert 1926 births 2007 deaths American performers of early music American harpsichordists Musicians from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American musicians 20th-century classical musicians