Carl B. Schmidt

Musicologist Carl B. Schmidt received his PhD from Harvard, his BA from Stanford, and studied conducting and harmony with Nadia Boulanger in France. He has written extensively on French and Italian opera and ballet by Jean-Baptiste Lully and Antonio Cesti. Work on two members of Les Six—Francis Poulenc and Georges Auric—has resulted in catalogues establishing numbering systems for each that have been universally adopted, and his Entrancing Muse remains a significant English-language Poulenc biography. He has also lectured extensively in Europe and the United States.

Schmidt also works in American studies. His book on Randall Thompson’s iconic Alleluia was published by ECS in 2010. The Music of Randall Thompson (1899-1984): A Documented Catalogue (2015: ECS) and The Road Not Taken: A Documented Biography of Randall Thompson (2018: Pendragon) were co-authored with his wife Betsey. He has also published A History of the Handel Choir of Baltimore (1935-2013) with Lexington Books and a biography of his father, Harold C. Schmidt (1909-1993): A Choral Conductor’s Life and Legacy (2022) with The Edwin Mellen Press. He has edited works by Bouzignac, Cesti, DuMont, Lully, Piston (Ione Press), Poulenc, and Thompson (ECS), and contributed numerous articles to peer-reviewed journals and Festschriften.