The Aston Magna Foundation wishes to express its sorrow at the recent passing of Albert Fuller, and to acknowledge the great debt that all music lovers, but particularly our Foundation, owes to him. As co-founder of the Aston Magna Festival and the Foundation and Academies that grew from it, Albert did more than perhaps any other American to further the cause of early music. He will be mourned by hundreds of musicians and thousands of music lovers who benefited by his loving advocacy of baroque and early classical music. Albert was the convivial godfather to a generation of musicians who took a historical approach to their instruments or to their vocal techniques. He was a harpsichordist and fortepianist, but had an influence far beyond the practitioners of these instruments. He coached players and singers at Juilliard for years and recruited many of his students there for Aston Magna. He also coached young musicians who were not specialists and was able to infuse a love of early music to those who might otherwise have ignored it because of then-current tastes. Through his work with Aston Magna and later with Helicon, he did more than most to bring "early music" into the mainstream in this country.

Albert had an enthusiastic curiosity about the total culture of the music of earlier times. His interest in the art, the literature and the cuisine of earlier times was something he passionately shared with his colleagues and students. His efforts to fund the Brandenburg Concerti recording project was a hard-fought battle that resulted in a first American recording of these masterworks on period instruments. He gathered the best musicians he knew around him and shared the responsibilities generously. I remember well his masterful reading of the Bach's famous cadenza of the Fifth Concerto. Albert created a standard of musical excellence, but also virtually institutionalized his zeal for seeing the larger picture. His presence among those of us who knew and worked with him will be missed.

Daniel Stepner,
Artistic Director, Aston Magna Festival