David Kraehenbuehl Prize

The David Kraehenbuehl Prize, named for the visionary founding editor of the Journal of Music Theory, was established in 2008 and is given biennially for the best article published in JMT by a scholar in early career who is untenured at time of submission. It carries a cash award of $2,000 and is determined by a selection committee of scholars unaffiliated with Yale University, where the journal is edited, or with any of the eligible authors. The two-year cycle on which the current award is based was 2022–23, or volumes 66 and 67 of the journal.The selection committee for the award consisted of Cora Palfy (chair), Fernando Benadon, and Stanley Kleppinger. The editorial board of JMT is grateful to the committee members for their dedicated service.The David Kraehenbuehl Prize for 2022–23 is awarded to Caleb Mutch, for his article “How the Triad Took (a) Root.” The committee provided the following citation: It is not often that music theorists interrogate the etymology of common terminology used in research and in the classroom. In his comprehensive article, “How the Triad Took (a) Root,” Caleb Mutch traces the origins of the triadic “root,” clearly articulating its historical foundations in theoretical treatises dating from early nineteenth-century Britain. After surveying the variety of preceding terms and concepts in use, Mutch's article underscores the impact of John Wall Callcott, who coined the term “root” in his treatise Musical Grammar (1806). Mutch outlines five distinct subconcepts essential to the concept of root, and derives two original requirements (tri-unicity and tri-formality) through which triadic theories can be evaluated. He provides copious examples from texts following Callcott that have impacted the triadic root's pedagogical significance in thoroughbass, composition, and harmony instruction. Mutch's appendix additionally summarizes terminological use and location chronologically, highlighting the evolution of terminology within Britain. Mutch's writing is clear and accessible, creating a fascinating narrative about the evolution of theoretical terminology that sets an impressive standard for future historical work.