Wednesday 12 March 2025 at 1PM
Organ Recital performed by Gordon Stewart
Four movements from the Second Organ Book – Louis Marchand (1669 – 1732)
Grand Jeu – Récit – Basse de Trompette – Grand Jeu
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr BWV 663 – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Prelude and Fugue in C BWV 547 – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Prelude on Faithfulness – Dan Miller (b 1954)
Marche, Lamento and Toccata – Augustin Barié (1883 -1915)
Gordon Stewart was born in Dundee. He studied in Manchester and Geneva with Eric Chadwick, Gillian Weir and Lionel Rogg, being awarded a performer’s diploma with distinction in Manchester and a Premier Prix and the Prix Otto Barblan in Geneva.
For 15 years he worked in cathedral music, first at Manchester, then at Blackburn. For 30 years he was organist at Huddersfield Town Hall playing regular concerts on the 1860 Father Willis organ. He is now Organist Emeritus.
He has recorded on organs in the UK and in South Africa on the Priory, Dolcan and Lammas labels and has played concertos with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Northern Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North and Orchestra Victoria. For over 20 years he broadcast regularly as organist and conductor on BBC radio and television, chiefly as a musical director on Daily Service, Sunday Half Hour and Songs of Praise.
Gordon’s repertoire is large and covers all the major schools of organ composition. He is well-known as a teacher and taught for several years at the Royal Northern College of Music, then at Cambridge University. He has appeared as visiting tutor at courses for the Royal College of Organists, Oundle Organ Week, Gothenburg Organ Academy and Shenandoah Church Music Institute in Virginia.
Gordon has played concerts throughout the UK including Celebrity Concerts at St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, throughout Europe, and in the United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
He is a former president of the Incorporated Association of Organists. He has been awarded honorary fellowships by the Royal College of Organists, the Royal School of Church Music and the Guild of Church Musicians, and an honorary doctorate by the University of Huddersfield. In 2023 he was awarded the British Empire Medal in the King’s first Birthday Honours.
Upcoming lunchtime organ recitals and concerts
Saul and Theo will be performing piano duets on Wed 19th March 2025. The next Organ Recital is on Wed 26th March 2025 and will be played by Gary Hulme. The next RNCM recital will be on Wed 2nd April 2025. You are also welcome to attend our regular services: Sunday 9.00: Said Eucharist (BCP), Sunday 10.45: Sung Eucharist, Sunday 17.00: Evensong, Tuesday and Thursday 12:15: Said Eucharist.
Composer Biographies
Louis Marchand was a French composer, organist, and harpsichordist, renowned for his contributions to Baroque music. Born in Tours, France, he became one of the leading musicians of his time, known especially for his virtuosic organ and harpsichord performances. Marchand held prominent posts as an organist at various churches, including the prestigious Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie in Paris. He was widely admired for his improvisational skill and was considered a rival to François Couperin. Marchand’s compositions include organ works, harpsichord suites, and chamber music, often marked by intricate counterpoint and expressive ornamentation. He was known for his elegant and highly decorative style. Marchand’s career, however, was marked by controversy, including an abrupt departure from the court of Louis XIV, reportedly due to a dispute with François Couperin.
Johann Sebastian Bach is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in Western music history. As an organist, he was renowned for his virtuosity and deep understanding of the instrument, holding prestigious positions in Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar, and Leipzig. Bach’s organ works include chorale preludes, toccatas, fugues, and larger compositions such as the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, and the Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes. His Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) serves as both a pedagogical and liturgical masterpiece. His compositions pushed the boundaries of organ technique and harmony, influencing generations of composers, from Mendelssohn to modern organists. Bach’s organ music remains central to the repertoire, showcasing his unparalleled mastery of counterpoint, structure, and expression.
Dan Miller is internationally renowned as an organist and has also taught music, conducted choral groups and orchestras, led and facilitated worship in many different settings, and managed large concert productions and music conferences. A professional member of the American Society of Composers and Publishers, Dan Miller is well-known for his composing and arranging and has several published works. A church organist since age fifteen, Dan Miller has served at several notable US churches including Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he served as assistant organist to Diane Bish. He is currently Organist at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon.
Augustin Charles Barié was born in Paris and was blind from birth; however, he had large hands which spanned an eleventh, allowing him to play the difficult organ works of composers such as César Franck with relative ease. He studied at the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles under Adolphe Marty and Louis Vierne, then went on to study with Alexandre Guilmant at the Paris Conservatory. In 1906, he was awarded the Conservatory’s premier prix. He then became organist at St Germain-des-Prés in Paris, as well as professor of organ at the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles. Barié was a celebrated improviser, one of a long line of French Romantic virtuoso organists, and he wrote mostly for organ, including a Symphony (Op. 5) and Trois Pieces (Op. 7). His career was cut short when he died of a brain haemorrhage in Antony, France at the age of 31.
