Harrison Slater

Harrison Gradwell Slater is an American writer, pianist, and educator. Born Harry James Wignall in New Bedford, Mass., he lived in New Bedford while his father, a US Army officer, was a prison of war for three years, held by the Communist Chinese in North Korea. In his youth Harry lived for fours years in Mannheim and Frankfurt, Germany while his father was stationed with the US Army Northern Army Command. He graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mt. Holly, NJ. He changed his name circa the publication of his first book to Harrison Gradwell Slater.

A pianist, he studied with Anthony di Bonaventura and for many years with Paul Doguereau, the noted French pianist who was a pupil of Ravel, Emma Bardac (second wife of Claude Debussy) and Paderewski. In addition to writing and recording, Slater coaches many world-class pianists, and served as chairman and Artistic Director of the Peabody Mason International Piano Competition.

Harrison Gradwell Slater combines the careers of musicologist, pianist and novelist. He has published three books on Mozart, the last of which is the mystery novel NightMusic, which deals with the life and music of Mozart. The sequel, Nocturne, explores Chopin's biography and music within a contemporary narrative.

For his first book, Slater (the author's pen name since 1995) travelled to fifty-five cities in nine European countries and completed his research over three years with correspondence to archives throughout Europe, always posing unresolved questions about Mozart Gedenkstaetten – the palaces, concert halls and salons in which Mozart performed, the houses and taverns in which he lodged, and the churches and public edifices that he visited. The resulting reference book, In Mozart's Footsteps, has been called “an amazing feat of scholarship” by the pianist, Alfred Brendel, while Nicholas Slonimsky described it as "absorbing in its brilliance".

NightMusic was voted "Rising Star of 2003" by nine publishing houses, was on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list for mystery trade paperback for nineteen weeks and was optioned for a film.

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