Madeleine Forte, widow of renowned music theorist Allen Forte, publishes her memoirs

Allen Forte, who taught at Yale for 44 years, was a renowned music theorist and musicologist. Now his widow, Madeleine Forte, has published her memoirs in German as “Einfach Madeleine” and in Italian as “Semplicemente Madeleine.”

Allen Forte was the author of 12 scholarly books and 100 articles. His book “The Structure of Atonal Music” has been hailed as one of the most important contributions to music theory in the 20th century. 

According to the publisher of “Einfach Madeleine,” “Franco-American pianist Madeleine Forte’s story is one of obstacles and successes, of extraordinary talent, and of a long and fascinating life of international study and performance. After her second divorce, she moved to Connecticut to live near her second son who was a Yale University art history and music student. His adviser was Allen Forte at Silliman College. Forte attended Madeleine’s piano recital at Yale and shortly afterwards, they got married. Together, they collaborated on several artistic projects and performed in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and South Korea.”

The book is available in print and electronic formats on Amazon: German edition and Italian edition.