Background
Years of Service: 1974-2004
Judith Schwartz, associate professor of musicology, taught at Vassar College before joining the School of Music faculty in 1974. After receiving her undergraduate degree in music theory and harpsichord at Vassar, she earned a master's degree and PhD in musicology from New York University and pursued further studies in musicology at the University of Salzburg and the University of Vienna.
Schwartz is a specialist in music of the baroque and classical eras, with a focus on music and dance of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. Her publication credits include such prestigious journals as the Journal of Musicology and Early Music, and she has authored numerous articles for The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. An active member of the American Musicological Society and the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Schwartz has presented lectures, papers, and dance demonstrations locally and nationally for over 25 years.
Her distinguished teaching career at Northwestern included both undergraduate and graduate courses in baroque and classical music. Among her most popular classes were offerings on Beethoven, the classic concerto, classical and romantic chamber music, Mozart opera, Haydn symphonies, and classical sacred music. A significant contributor to doctoral-level education, she served as reader on over 40 doctor of music dissertation committees. Schwartz was also instrumental in the success of Northwestern's annual Evelyn Dunbar Memorial Early Music Festival.