Robert Gjerdingen, professor of music theory and cognition, at Northwestern University’s Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, has received the Society of Music Theory’s Wallace Berry Award for his book “Music in the Galant Style” (Oxford University Press, 2007).

Named for one of the founders of the society, the award is granted annually for a book making a significant contribution to music theory, analysis or history of theory. It is widely considered the highest award for scholarship in the field of music theory. Gherdingen received the prize at the society’s annual convention in Montreal, Canada, this fall.

Gjerdingen is the author of numerous books, articles and reviews in the fields of music theory, music perception and 18th-century musical style. His previous honors include two National Endowment for the Humanities Scholarly Editions Grants, three Northwestern University research grants, and an appointment as theorist-in-residence at the Dutch-Flemish Society for Music Theory.

Currently on the editorial boards of Music Theory Spectrum and the Journal of Music Theory, Gjerdingen is a former editor of the academic journal Music Perception and has served on the executive board of the Society for Music Theory and the editorial board of the Journal of the American Musicological Society. At the peak of the Internet revolution, he was vice president for Music Taxonomy at MoodLogic, Inc., an online music company in California’s Silicon Valley.

Founded in 1977, the Society for Music Theory encourages scholarly excellence through awards granted annually for outstanding publications in music theory. It publishes the journals Music Theory Spectrum and Music Theory Online.