Albert Fuller
Encyclopedia
Albert Fuller was an American
harpsichordist
, conductor, teacher, impresario, and prominent proponent of early music
. He was the first artist to record the complete keyboard works of Jean-Philippe Rameau
.
Fuller was born in Washington, D.C.
and started his music studies at the Washington National Cathedral
. He was a boy soprano
and studied the organ
with Paul Callaway
. He later attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music
at John Hopkins
in Baltimore as well as Georgetown
. Fuller went on to study harpsichord under Ralph Kirkpatrick
at Yale
and theory under Paul Hindemith
. He graduated in 1954 with an M.Mus.
After graduation, Fuller went to Paris
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 a dispute with the Aston Magna board, Fuller left the group in 1983. Two years later, he founded the 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 memoir Alice Tully: An Intimate Portrait (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 documentary Apparition of the Eternal Church, and in the book based on it, OH MY GOD: Messiaen in the Ear of the Unbeliever.
Fuller died at his home of congestive heart failure
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
harpsichordist
Harpsichordist
A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord.Many baroque composers played the harpsichord, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, George Frideric Handel, François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau...
, conductor, teacher, impresario, and prominent proponent of early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
. He was the first artist to record the complete keyboard works of Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
.
Fuller was born in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and started his music studies at the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
. He was a boy soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and studied the organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
with Paul Callaway
Paul Callaway
Paul Smith Callaway was a prominent American organist and choral conductor, particularly well-known for his thirty-eight years at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., between 1939–1977...
. He later attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
at John Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Baltimore as well as Georgetown
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. Fuller went on to study harpsichord under Ralph Kirkpatrick
Ralph Kirkpatrick
Ralph Kirkpatrick was an American musician, musicologist and harpsichordist. He is most famous for his chronological catalog of Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas.-Life and work:...
at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and theory under Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
. He graduated in 1954 with an M.Mus.
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
After graduation, Fuller went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
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
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
. 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 a dispute with the Aston Magna board, Fuller left the group in 1983. Two years later, he founded the 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 memoir Alice Tully: An Intimate Portrait (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
Paul Festa
Paul Festa is a San Francisco-based writer, filmmaker and violinist. He was born and raised in San Francisco where he currently lives with his husband James Harker.- Writing :...
's 2006 Messiaen documentary Apparition of the Eternal Church, and in the book based on it, OH MY GOD: Messiaen in the Ear of the Unbeliever.
Fuller died at his home of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
.