Harrison Gradwell Slater Wignall was an American writer, pianist, and educator. Born Harry James Wignall in New Bedford, Mass., he lived in New Bedford while his father, a US Army officer, was a prisoner of war for three years, held by the Communist Chinese in North Korea. In his youth Harry lived for four years in Mannheim and Frankfurt, Germany while his father was stationed with the US Army Northern Army Command. He graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mt. Holly, NJ. He changed his name circa the publication of his first book to Harrison Gradwell Slater.
A pianist, he studied with
Anthony di Bonaventura and for many years with
Paul Doguereau
Paul René Doguereau (September 8, 1908 – March 3, 2000) was a French pianist and piano teacher. He spent most of his career in Boston, United States, where he was a well-respected cultural figure.Richard Dyer, 10-Mar-2000, ''The Boston Globe'' ...
, the noted French pianist who was a pupil of
Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...
, Emma Bardac (second wife of
Claude Debussy) and
Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versail ...
. In addition to writing and recording, Slater coached many world-class pianists, and served as chairman and Artistic Director of the
Peabody Mason International Piano Competition
The early Peabody Mason Piano Competitions were organized by Fanny Peabody Mason's longtime friend, pianist Paul Doguereau. The piano competition was inspired by Mason’s commitment to, and aspirations for, the arts and serves to showcase and ...
.
Biography
Harrison Gradwell Slater Wignall combined the careers of musicologist, pianist and novelist. He has published three books on
Mozart, the last of which is the mystery novel ''NightMusic'',
which deals with the life and music of Mozart. The sequel, ''Nocturne'',
[Slater, Harrison Gradwell, ''Nocturne'', Editions Peabody Mason, 2010] explores
Chopin's biography and music within a contemporary narrative.
For his first book, Slater (the author's pen name since 1995) traveled to fifty-five cities in nine European countries and completed his research over three years with correspondence to archives throughout Europe, always posing unresolved questions about Mozart Gedenkstaetten – the 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 reference book, ''In Mozart's Footsteps'', has been called "an amazing feat of scholarship" by the pianist,
Alfred Brendel
Alfred Brendel KBE (born 5 January 1931) is an Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer, and lecturer who is known particularly for his performances of Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg, and Beethoven.Stephen Plaistow"Brendel, Alfred" ' ...
,
[''Ibid.'', Jacket inscription] 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 & 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 issues of recent Mozart research. He has also written entries for the latest editions of ''
The New Grove
''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and th ...
'', ''Die
Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart
''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik (MGG)'' is one of the world's most comprehensive encyclopedias of music history and musicology, on account of its scope, content, wealth of research areas, and reference t ...
'', ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...
'' and has published articles in ''
Perspectives of New Music'', ''
Indiana Theory Review
The ''Indiana Theory Review'' () is a peer-reviewed academic journal specializing in music theory and analysis. It began publication in 1977, under the auspices of graduate students in music theory at the Jacobs School of Music, making it the seco ...
'', and the ''Nuova rivista musicale italiana''.
Slater's discovery in 1993 of the
vocal nocturne tradition, and its influence on Mozart and Chopin are found in his seminal work ''Mozart and the Duetto Notturno Tradition'',
[''Op. Cit.''] and his entry "Duetto Notturno" in ''The New Grove''.
His present musicological work on the influence of the vocal nocturne on Chopin's piano music continues that research.
Slater accepted a full academic scholarship to Boston University, where he graduated first in his class, Bachelor magna cum laude, 1972, followed by a Master of Arts, Boston University, 1987 and a certified advisory study, Harvard University, 1987. In 1995, he was awarded a PhD in musicology from
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, ...
with a dissertation on Mozart's opera
Mitridate.
Slater worked in various music capacities: a music theory instructor at Massasoit Community College, Brockton, Massachusetts, 1975–1980; music specialist, Munich (Germany) International School, 1980–1982, and International School of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, 1984–1985; ballet pianist, National Theatre, Munich, 1982–1984; and as a ballet pianist at La Scala, Milan, 1985–1986. He performed numerous concerts during this period. He was a member of the American Musicological Society, Society Music Theory, Harvard Club, and Phi Beta Kappa.
Slater studied music and languages at
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, ...
,
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
,
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...
in Munich and
Harvard, and was fluent, in addition to English, German, French and Italian. He was active as a music instructor in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Munich,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, and Tokyo and worked at the
National Theatre Munich
The National Theatre (german: link=no, Nationaltheater) on Max-Joseph-Platz in Munich, Germany, is a historic opera house, home of the Bavarian State Opera, Bavarian State Orchestra and the Bavarian State Ballet.
Building
First theatre ...
and
La Scala in Milan as a ballet pianist, performing numerous concerts.
Slater 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 unpublished 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 resided in an historic apartment in ]Back Bay, Boston
Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...
, as well as in Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Paris and Mount Holly Township, New Jersey
Mount Holly is a township that is the county seat of Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth largest city as of 2020, As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population ...
.
He died on April 6, 2017, in Mt. Holly, NJ at the age of 66.
Works
Books
* Wignall, Harrison James, "In Mozart's Footsteps", New York: Paragon House, 1991.
* Slater, Harrison Gradwell, "NightMusic", New York: Harcourt, 2002, hardcover.
* Slater, Harrison Gradwell, "Night Music", Penguin Putnam, 2003, softcover.
* Slater, Harrison Gradwell, "Nocturne", Editions Peabody Mason, 2010.
* Slater, Harrison Gradwell, "Chopin and the Vocal Nocturne", Editions Peabody Mason, 2011.
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 of 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"
* (2012)
Concerto Paradiso
Chopin 2nd Concerto in Fm, Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 in Bb Minor. (Conductor) Slovak Sonfonietta,
References
Sources
*
External links
Harrison Slater website
Nocturne website
Peabody Mason International Piano Competition website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Harrison
American LGBT musicians
21st-century American novelists
American classical pianists
Male classical pianists
American male pianists
American male novelists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
People from Mount Holly, New Jersey
Harvard University alumni
Brandeis University alumni
Boston University alumni
Musicians from Massachusetts
Musicians from New Jersey
Mozart scholars
21st-century American male writers