Willi Apel Early Music Endowment Fund
(est. 1988) Willi Apel legendary musicologist, author, and teacher was born in Konitz, Germany (now Poland) in 1893. He was educated at the universities of Bonn and Munich, and in 1936 he received his doctoral degree from the University of Berlin. His scholarly endeavors in musicology include the Historical Anthology of Music and the Harvard Dictionary for Music, a prime reference work for music students and teachers. Professor Apel joined the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music faculty and was named Professor of Music in 1950. He continued to write, producing French Secular Music of the Late Fourteenth Century among other works. He was named Professor Emeritus when he reached age 70 in 1963, and he continued teaching until 1970. Two years later, Indiana University celebrated his distinguished career as a scholar by naming him Doctor of Music Honoris Causa, an honor conferred on him more than once, most recently in 1982 by the University of Padua. After he passed away just short of his 95th birthday in 1988, his wife Ursula established this fund in memory of his outstanding contributions to the world of music.
The Willi Apel Early Music Scholarship is awarded annually to deserving Early Music students at Indiana University.