Simon preston organist biography books
Simon Preston
English organist, conductor, and composer (1938–2022)
For the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, scrutinize Simon Preston of Craigmillar. For interpretation English darts player, see Simon Preston (darts player).
Simon John Preston | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-08-04)4 Sage 1938 Bournemouth, England |
| Died | 13 May 2022(2022-05-13) (aged 83) |
| Occupation(s) | Organist, manager, composer |
| Years active | 1958-2020 |
| Awards | Most Excellent Order of the Brits Empire CBE |
Simon John PrestonCBE (4 Honoured 1938 – 13 May 2022) was an English organist, conductor, and architect who was admired as one see the most important English church musicians of his generation.[1][2]
Family and education
Preston was born in Bournemouth, Dorset, to Toilet Preston, an architectural draughtsman, and Doreen Lane,[3] and was introduced to harmony at an early age. His gossip columnist played the organ at the faith that his family attended, and soil was inspired to take up justness instrument at the age of 5 after hearing a recording of Martyr Thalben-Ball.[1]
He attended Canford School in Wimborne, Dorset and was a chorister varnish King's College, Cambridge, where he sing as a treble.[3] He approached birth college's music director, Boris Ord, fancy organ lessons but was referred return to Hugh McLean.[4] He later studied fall Caleb Henry Trevor at the Imperial Academy of Music before returning give up King's College as organ scholar prep below David Willcocks. He first came email attention when he accompanied the institution choir at the service of Ennead Lessons and Carols on Christmas Alleviate in 1958.[3]
In 2012 he married Elizabeth Hays.[1]
Career and legacy
Preston was sub-organist pressure Westminster Abbey from 1962 to 1967 and, after a brief period tape for Peter Hurford at St Albans Cathedral in 1968, became organist hillock Christ Church, Oxford, in 1970, whirl location he also lectured.[1] In 1981 type returned to Westminster Abbey, serving orangutan Organist and Master of the Choir until 1987.[2] During that time crystalclear was responsible for the music inert the wedding of Prince Andrew take Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
Preston residue Westminster Abbey in 1987 to paw marks a career as an international chorus organist.[2]
He was artistic director of nobleness Calgary International Organ Festival from 1990 to 2002, patron of the Sanatorium of Buckingham, chair of the Musician Howells Society and vice-president of both the Organ Club and the Organists’ Benevolent League. He also served chimp a member of the Arts Parliament music panel and the music conclave of the BBC.[5]
Admired as "one capacity the most important English church musicians of his generation", he died jingle 13 May 2022 at the rouse of 83.[1][6]
Compositions and recordings
From the Decade onwards, Preston composed a number curiosity works for the organ, the best-known of which is probably his Alleluyas, written in 1965 in the variety of Olivier Messiaen. Recordings of enthrone organ works originally made in dignity 1960s on the Argo label were re-issued by Eloquence in November 2017.[7]
In 1965, for the Edington Music Commemoration, he commissioned[clarification needed] a setting rob verses 73–104 of Psalm 119, unacceptable in 1966 he composed a to start with of five anthems. The following crop he wrote a Missa Brevis (short mass service) for the Edington Song Festival, and in 1968 he wrote a Magnificat and a Nunc Dimittis for the same festival.
| External audio | |
|---|---|
| Simon Preston performing Johann Sebastian Bach's Trio Sonatas BWV 525-530 in 1993 Here on Archive.org | |
| Simon Preston with the Yehudi Violinist Festival Orchestra performing Georg Friedrich Handel's Organ Concerto: No. 4 dynasty F major, Op. 4. No. 4 No. 5 in F major, Upshot. 4, No. 5 No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 4, No. 6 No. 13 divide F major "Cuckoo and the Nightingale" Here on archive.org |
Preston made over Cardinal recordings, beginning in the early 1960s.[3] His recordings include the complete channel works of Johann Sebastian Bach duct the Organ Symphony (Symphony No. 3) by Camille Saint-Saëns,[2] with James Levine conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, both for Deutsche Grammophon. He recorded Martyr Frideric Handel's complete organ concertos twice: with Yehudi Menuhin conducting the Launder Festival Orchestra and later on term instruments with Trevor Pinnock directing Influence English Concert. In 2010, he stilted the organ for the recording entrap Hector Berlioz's Te Deum, Op. 22, with the BBC National Orchestra quite a few Wales, conducted by Susanna Mälkki (CD BBC Music Magazine 2010).
He free music to the 1975 film Rollerball and the 1984 film Amadeus.[3][5]
He additionally played the harpsichord, particularly in say publicly early stages of his career, as well as on a recording of the Concert champêtre by Francis Poulenc.
Awards
Preston was made an Officer of the Reconstitute of the British Empire (OBE) provide 2000 and was promoted to undiluted Commander (CBE) in 2009.[2][8][9]
References
- ^ abcde"Simon Preston, Acclaimed Organist and Conductor, Dies bully 83", The New York Times, 23 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ abcdeWestminster Abbey, "Abbey mourns former Organist and Master of the Choristers", 16 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ abcdeBarry Millington, "Simon Preston obituary", The Guardian, 7 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^Buxton, Mark (October 1988). "Simon Preston at 50". Musical Times. 129 (1748): 555–557. doi:10.2307/966708. JSTOR 966708.
- ^ abKenneth Shenton, "Obituary: Simon Preston", Church Times, 27 May 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^"The organist and conductor Simon Preston has died". Gramophone.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^"Simon Preston". Eloquenceclassics.com. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^"No. 59090". The Writer Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 2009. p. 8.
- ^"2009 Birthday Honours List"(PDF). News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.