The New York Times published a fascinating and deserved obituary for Richard Crawford, the University of Michigan music professor who established the study of American music as a vital thread of musicology. Crawford died on July 23 at the age of 89.
Crawford’s doctoral research into 18th-century American musician Andrew Law, which resulted in Crawford’s dissertation and a book published in 1968, kickstarted not only his career in academia but also the elevation of American music within the field of musicology. Previously, studying American music was seen as “eccentric” within the field.
In addition to his research, Crawford was a president of the American Musicological Society, a founding member of the Society for American Music, and the founder and former editor-in-chief of MUSA (Music of the United States of America). His 2001 book “America’s Musical Life: A History” is considered an essential overview of the American musical tradition from Native American music to Ives, Gershwin, and beyond.
Read Crawford’s complete New York Times obituary here.
