Arnold Whittall, the British musicologist who wrote widely on 20th- and 21st-century classical music, died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 90.
Born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, on November 11, 1935, he became known for academic work on music theory and analysis, modernism, and the style and structure of Richard Wagner’s compositions. Whittall was an emeritus professor of musical theory and analysis at King’s College London, and he also wrote extensively for a broader readership on new music, including record reviews for Gramophone and the Western Mail.
His published books included studies of Schoenberg, Britten and Wagner, reflecting a career devoted to close listening and detailed criticism.
Arnold Whittall, 90, British musicologist.