Richard Crawford (music historian)

Richard Crawford (1935-2023) was an American music historian, considered a leading scholar of American music, particularly early American music and vernacular traditions. He was known for his meticulous research, insightful interpretations, and contributions to the understanding of American musical identity.

Crawford received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1965. He taught at the University of Michigan from 1963 to 1989, and then at the University of California, Davis, from 1989 until his retirement. Throughout his career, he held visiting professorships at numerous institutions.

His major publications include Andrew Law, American Psalmodist (1968), A Bibliography of Early American Secular Music (1969), William Billings of Boston: Eighteenth-Century Composer (1971), American Studies and American Musicology: A Point of View and a Case in Point (1975), The Core Repertory of Early American Psalmody (1984), Studying American Music (co-authored with Jeffrey Magee, 2005), and America's Musical Life: A History (2001). America's Musical Life is considered a landmark work, providing a comprehensive overview of American music history from its earliest roots to the present day, emphasizing the diversity and complexity of American musical culture.

Crawford's work was characterized by a commitment to understanding music within its social and cultural context. He emphasized the importance of studying vernacular music traditions alongside art music, and his scholarship helped to broaden the definition of what constitutes "American music." He received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the field, including the Otto Kinkeldey Award from the American Musicological Society for America's Musical Life. His work has had a profound influence on generations of music historians and continues to shape the field of American music studies.