Ralph Kirkpatrick facts for kids

Ralph Leonard Kirkpatrick (pronounced ker-k-PAT-rik; June 10, 1911 – April 13, 1984) was an American musician and expert in music history. He was famous for playing the harpsichord and for creating a special way to list all the keyboard pieces by Domenico Scarlatti. Many people also loved his performances and recordings.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Ralph Kirkpatrick was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, in 1911. He started learning to play the piano when he was very young. Later, he went to Harvard University to study art history. While there, he became very interested in the harpsichord. He gave his first harpsichord concert at Harvard in 1930.

After finishing college in 1931, he traveled to Europe. He studied with famous music teachers like Nadia Boulanger and Wanda Landowska in Paris. He also learned from other experts in places like Berlin and Leipzig. In 1933, he played his first concert in Europe. He performed Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations in Berlin. He also taught music in Salzburg, Austria, during the summers of 1933 and 1934.

Studying and Sharing Music

In 1936, Ralph Kirkpatrick received a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship. This allowed him to study old music papers from the 1600s and 1700s in Europe. In 1938, he helped start a festival for Baroque music in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was a main performer and advisor for many years.

In the late 1930s, he began studying the music of Domenico Scarlatti. Scarlatti was a famous composer from a long time ago. In 1953, Kirkpatrick published an important book about Scarlatti's life. This book was so good that it was translated into many languages.

Kirkpatrick Numbers for Scarlatti's Music

Ralph Kirkpatrick also created a special list of 60 sonatas (music pieces) by Scarlatti. Today, when people talk about Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas, they often use their Kirkpatrick numbers. These numbers are usually written as Kk. -- or just K. --. This system is now the main way to identify Scarlatti's sonatas. You can learn more about them in the List of solo keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti.

Teaching and Performing

In 1940, Ralph Kirkpatrick started teaching music at Yale University. He taught there until he retired in 1976. Sadly, he became blind in the same year. Even after losing his sight, he continued to perform. He gave concerts in the United States and Europe from the 1930s to the early 1980s. One of his last concerts was in 1981 at the first Boston Early Music Festival.

Recording Bach's Music

During the 1960s, Kirkpatrick recorded all of the harpsichord music by Johann Sebastian Bach. He used special harpsichords made by a company called JC Neupert. These instruments are now known as "revival" style instruments. They were built in a strong way and helped show off Kirkpatrick's amazing playing skills. He also made sure to play almost all the repeated sections in the music, which was unusual for recordings at that time. He recorded Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier using both the harpsichord and the clavichord.

Playing Different Instruments and Composers

While he was best known for playing Bach and Scarlatti on the harpsichord, Kirkpatrick also played music by other composers. These included Rameau, Couperin, Handel, Byrd, and Purcell. He recorded music on the clavichord and even the fortepiano, which is an early version of the piano. He also played some Mozart piano concertos on a modern piano. He often toured with the violinist Alexander Schneider, and they recorded violin and harpsichord sonatas together.

Kirkpatrick was also interested in modern music. He played pieces written by composers like Quincy Porter, Darius Milhaud, and Elliott Carter. Some of these modern pieces were even written especially for him! He also played the Manuel de Falla Harpsichord Concerto and played piano in a recording of a piece by Igor Stravinsky.

Books and Legacy

Besides his famous book on Scarlatti, Kirkpatrick also wrote other books. One was about how to play Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Another was his own memories called Early Years. His niece, Meredith Kirkpatrick, also edited and published some of his letters and writings.

Ralph Kirkpatrick passed away in Guilford, Connecticut, when he was 72 years old. He was a respected member of important groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1999, an asteroid was even named after him: 9902 Kirkpatrick!

His brother, Clifford Kirkpatrick, was a sociologist. His niece, Meredith Kirkpatrick, wrote a book about him.

See also

In Spanish: Ralph Kirkpatrick para niños

• List of solo keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti