The Dent Medal, struck in memory of the distinguished scholar and musician Edward J. Dent (1876–1957), is awarded by the Royal Musical Association (RMA) annually to recipients selected for their outstanding contribution to musicology. The award holder is invited to receive her/his medal and to deliver a keynote address at the RMA’s annual conference in September of the following year.
The Dent Medal is awarded to scholars in mid-career, typically indicated by the time from the completion of their PhD or first academic appointment. Candidates are selected on the basis of published scholarship, and the outstanding contribution to musicology may consist of either a single large-scale study or a body of work. Musicology is understood in broad terms, and eligible works may include (but are not limited to) monographs, collections of essays, articles, critical editions, and digital resources.
Full citations are given in the Journal of the Royal Musical Association each year.
2024: Sarah Collins (AU)
2023: Catherine A. Bradley (NO)
2022: Mark Bruford (US)
2021: Laura Tunbridge (UK)
2020: Eric Drott (US)
2019: Gundula Kreuzer (US)
2018: Inga Mai Groote (CH)
2017: Alejandro L. Madrid (US)
2016: Mark Katz (US)
2015: Marina Frolova-Walker (UK)
2014: Alexander Rehding (US)
2013: Elizabeth Eva Leach (UK)
2012: Michel Duchesneau (CA)
2011: Annegret Fauser (DE)
2010: Martin Stokes (UK)
2009: W. Dean Sutcliffe (NZ)
2008: Anselm Gerhard (DE)
2007: Georgina Born (UK)
2006: Mary Ann Smart (US)
2005: Julian Johnson (UK)
2004: Daniel K. L. Chua (UK)
2003: John Butt (UK)
2002: Laurenz Lütteken (CH)
2001: Martha Feldman (US)
2000: Philippe Vendrix (BE)
1999: Gianmario Borio (IT)
1998: Rob C. Wegman (US)
1997: Philip V. Bohlman (US)
1996: Ulrich Konrad (DE)
1995: Susan Rankin (UK)
1994: Lorenz Welker (DE)
1993: Carolyn Abbate (US)
1992: Kofi Agawu (GH)
1991: Roger Parker (UK)
1990: Christopher Page (UK)
1989: Paolo Fabbri (IT)
1988: Jean-Jacques Nattiez (CA)
1987: Richard F. Taruskin (US)
1986: Silke Leopold (DE)
1985: Curtis A. Price (US)
1984: Iain Fenlon (UK)
1983: Lorenzo Bianconi (IT)
1982: David Fallows (UK)
1981: Anthony Newcombe (US)
1980: Craig Wright (US)
1979: Margaret Bent (UK)
1978: Christoph Wolff (US)
1977: Reinhard Strohm (UK)
1976: [No award made]
1975: Martin Staehelin (DE)
1974: Andrew McCredie (AU)
1973: Max Lutolf (CH)
1972: Jozef Robijns (BE)
1971: Klaus Wolfgang Niemoller (DE)
1970: Daniel Heartz (US)
1969: Willem Elders (NL)
1968: Heinrich Huschen (DE)
1967: William W. Austin (US)
1966: F. Alberto Gallo (IT)
1965: Barry S. Brook (US)
1964: Pierre Pidoux (CH)
1963: Denes Bartha (HU)
1962: Solange Corbin (FR)
1961: Gilbert Reaney (UK)
Nominations
Historically, nominations for the Dent Medal have been accepted only from trustees of the RMA and from Directorium members of the IMS. In order to ensure a diverse range of candidates, from 2022 onward all members of both organizations are invited to submit nominations.