Organists' milestones

[GoneBaroque]

January 27 marks in

1629 Death of German organist and composer Hieronymus Praetorius in Hamburg – Born Hamburg 10 AUG 1560

 

[GoneBaroque]

January 28


1691 Birth of German composer and organist Johann Balthasar Konig – Died 1776

1693 Birth of Austrian organist and composer Gregor Joseph Werner in Donau – Burgenland 3 MAR 1766.


1722 Birth of German composer Johann Ernst Bach nephew and pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach - Jan 9 1777


1768 Death of English organist and composer John Wainwright dies at age 44 - Born Stockport, Lancashire 1723


1896 Death of English organist, conductor and composer Joseph Barnby at 57 in London - Born York, 12 AUG 1838


1932 Death of German-American composer and organist Franz Xavier Arens at 75 in Los Angeles – Born Neef, Prussia 28 OCT 1856

 

[GoneBaroque]

January 30

1881 Death of Belgian composer and organist Nicolas Jacques LEMMENS in Linterpoort – Born Zoerle-Parwijs 3 JAN 1823

 

[GoneBaroque]

January 31, 2012

1961 Birth of English organist, pianist and conductor Wayne MARSHALL Educated at Chetham's School, Manchester

 

[GoneBaroque]

On February 3 we celebrate the 1911 birth of French organist and composer Jehan ALAIN in Paris - Brother of Marie-Claire Alain and Olivier Alain – Died in action WW II near Saumur 20 JUN 1940

 

[GoneBaroque]

February 5

1934 Birth of English conductor and organist John POOLE

 

[GoneBaroque]

On February 6 we remember the Birth in 1894 of French organist Andre MARSCHAL -Died 1980

Organist: André Marchal plays "Grande pièce symphonique" by César Franck.on the Grand Orgue de l'église Sainte-Eustache in Paris. Recorded 1958

 

[Nikam]

Have to confess to never having heard of him GB. What a talented man!

 

[GoneBaroque]

February 7 marks the Death in 1779 of English organist and composer William Boyce in Kensington - Born London 11 SEP 1711

Here is Boyce's Voluntary in D, No. 1 played on the historic organ of St. Werburgh's church, Dublin

St. Werburgh's church, Dublin has been on its current site for almost 1000 years. The present church dates from the early 18th century and contained an organ that was played by Handel. A fire badly damaged the church in the 1750s and a new organ supplied by Henry Millar of Dublin, though probably built by Ferdinand Weber, in a case by one John Smyth was installed in 1767. This instrument was heavily rebuilt by Telford and Telford of Dublin in the mid-19th century, although several registers remain from the 18th century organ, including the Stopped Diapason and Flute 4' on the Great organ. The Swell organ is unusual in that it follows a practice sometimes employed by Telfords of providing an Oboe at 8' pitch and a Clarion 4' as the two Swell reeds. The organ in Castleknock College, Dublin, also has this feature. In Werburgh's, the Clarion has been transposed an octave to become a tenor C Trumpet, quite telling in this lovely piece by William Boyce, celebrated blind organist of London's Temple Church, which is contemporaneous with the Miller organ. The church itself is hugely historic, being both the burial place of Irish patriot, Lord Edward Fitzgerald and the baptismal site of composer and inventor of the Nocturne musical form, John Field.

 

[wljmrbill]

@Gonebaroque :Thanks for the history to go with the video. Love the sound of this old organ...Thanks

 

[GoneBaroque]

February 9 as an somewhat eventful day in the Organ World

1740 - Death of German composer, organist and teacher Vincent Lübeck at age 85 in Hamburg - Born Padinbüttel September 1654 – Lubeck’s Father and Son, both named Vincent were organists and his Son succeeded him as organist of St Nikolai upon his death.


Vincent Lubeck

The Stylus Phantasticus of Vincent Lubeck played byJoseph Kelemen on the Hus-Schnitger organ in St Cosmae and Damiani in Stade (perfectly restored by the legendary master Jurgen Ahrend); 1/5 Comma Mean tone, Chorton high pitch

1765 - Death of English composer, soprano, organist and painter Elisabetta de Gambarini in London – Born London, 9 FEB 1765 of an Italian Father she took part as a soprano in Handel's oratorio Judas Maccabaeus on 1 April 1747 - She left two books of harpsichord works, published in 1748

1924 - Birth in Bangor Wales of organist Dr. George Howell Guest - Died 20 NOV 2002 - Was organist and choirmaster for St. John's College, Cambridge - Under his tuition, Stephen Cleobury of King's College, John Scott of St Paul's, David Hill of Winchester, Adrian Lucas of Worcester, and Sir David Lumsden of New College, Oxford, began the careers that have produced a golden age in the English choral tradition

Dr. Guest conducts the Choir of St. John's College Cambridge in the Sanctus from one of my favorite choral works the "Requiem, Op. 9" by Maurice Durufle with one of his pupils Stephen Cleobury as Organist. This version is with organ only instead of orchestra

 

[GoneBaroque]

10 February 1841 Birth of English composer, organist and teacher Sir Walter Parratt in Huddersfield. – Died Windsor 27 MAR 1924 – He was knighted in 1892, became chair of music at Oxford University in 1908, taking over from Hubert Parry. In 1893 was appointed Master of the Queen's Musick - He became one of the foremost organ teachers of his day, with many important posts in Britain being filled by his students among whom were Ralph Vaughan Williams and Leopold Stokowski

 

[GoneBaroque]

Remembering the February 11 birth in Wolverhampton in 1930 of English organist and choral conductor Christopher Dearnley - He was organist and director of music at St Paul's cathedral from 1968-1990 – Died Australia 15 December 2000

Christopher Dearnley on the new reconstruction by Noel Mander of the organ at St. Paul's Cathedral plays his composition "Dominus Regit Me" -- "The Lord Is My Shepherd” in 1977

 

[GoneBaroque]

Johann Kaspar von Kerill

Today we remember the Death on 13 February 1693 of German organist, composer and choral director Johann Kaspar von Kerill in Munich. Born Adorf, Saxony, 9 April 1627

In his honor here is his lovely Passacaglia in d played on the 1675 Daniel Herz Organ in the Stiftskirche di Wilten, Innsbruck by Organist Manuel Tomadin

Enjoy

 

[Corno Dolce]

Hi GB,

A very profound thank you for sharing the dates of birth and death of organ composers and organ virtuosi - A excellent history lesson!

 

[Nikam]

Indeed! A very restful piece of music with some excellent shots of a beautiful building. Thanks GB.

 

[GoneBaroque]

On February 15 we remember the 1571 Birth of composer Michael PRAETORIUS in Creuzberg an der Werra, near Eisenach to family of early German musicians of Kreuzberg. He died on his birthday in 1621 in Wolfenbuttel

The 1621 Death of Praetorius in Wolfenbuttel on his birthday.

And the 1907 Birth of French composer and organist Jean LANGLAIS in La Fontenelle who died in Paris 8 MAY 1991

Listen as Langlais plays his Pièce modale number 1

 

[Nikam]

Found this Langlais pedal solo (though not played by the composer of course):

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DM1zwYH1eqw#!

How 'neat' of Praetorius to pop his clogs on his birthday.

 

[GoneBaroque]

For February 16 let us remember

1709 The Birth or Baptismal in 1709 of English organist and composer Charles AVISON in Newcastle – Died Newcastle, 9 MAY 1770

The Death in 1779 of English organist and composer William Boyce - Born London 7 February 1779

Bob Swift plays The Larghetto and Allegro from the Voluntary #4 in G Minor.

The Death in 1968 of English organist, composer and teacher Healey Willan, at age 87 in Toronto where he had lived since 1920 –Born Balham, Surrey, 12 October 1880 – Willan often presented a dour, pious public image but liked to refer to himself as being "English by birth; Canadian by adoption; Irish by extraction; Scotch by absorption"

William Watkins plays the Healey Willan "Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue" on the 1949 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, Opus 1173, at First Presbyterian Church, Kilgore, Texas

 

[GoneBaroque]

February 17 marks the

Birth in 1444 of Dutch organist Rudolph AGRICOLA aka Roelof Huysman and the Death in 1732 of French organist and composer Louis Marchand, at age 63 in Paris - Born Lyon 2 February 1669

Michel Chapuis plays the Dialogue and Récitive on the Te Deum of Louis Marchand on L'Orgue De La Chapelle Royale De Versailles