author
Walter Raymond Spalding
1865–1962
A longtime Harvard music professor, he wrote clear, practical books that helped generations of readers understand harmony, counterpoint, and musical form. His work bridges scholarship and everyday listening, making serious musical ideas feel approachable.
1 Audiobook
Music: An Art and a Language
by Walter Raymond Spalding
About the author
Born in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1865, Walter Raymond Spalding became a central figure in American musical education. He studied at Harvard, later joined its faculty, and went on to serve for many years as a teacher and as chair of the university's music department.
Spalding was known as a musicologist, organist, choral conductor, composer, and author. His books include Tonal Counterpoint, Music: An Art and a Language, and Music at Harvard, and they reflect his gift for explaining musical structure in a way that was both disciplined and inviting.
He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1962. Remembered for shaping the study of music at Harvard and for writing books that opened classical music to students and general readers alike, he left behind a legacy of patient teaching and musical clarity.