Peter Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 – 3 March 2019) was a British organist … Read Full Bio ↴Peter Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 – 3 March 2019) was a British organist and composer.
Hurford was born in Minehead, Somerset, and educated at Blundell's School. He later studied both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with dual degrees, subsequently obtaining a reputation for both musical scholarship and organ playing. Hurford subsequently studied in Paris under the blind French organist André Marchal, exploring music of the Baroque period.
He is best known for his interpretations of Bach, having recorded the complete Bach organ works for Decca and BBC Radio 3. His expertise also encompasses recordings of the Romantic literature for organ, performances notable for attention to stylistic detail. His playing style is noted for clean articulation, beauty of expression, and a sense of proper tempo.
Hurford was appointed organist of Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa from 1956 to 1957. For the same period he was Music Master at Bablake School, Coventry, and Musical Director of the Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir (www.rlsbc.org). He was then organist and choirmaster of St Albans Cathedral Choir in 1958, serving with great distinction in this capacity for exactly twenty years. He conceived the idea of an organ competition in 1963, partly to celebrate the new Harrison & Harrison organ designed by Ralph Downes and himself. This venture was successful mainly because of the young Hurford's rapidly growing stature in Britain and overseas as a result of his refreshing notions of the "authentic performance style". This has grown into the St Albans International Organ Festival, a world-renowned festival of organ music with competitions whose past winners include many of the great names in modern organ music including Dame Gillian Weir, David Sanger, Thomas Trotter and Kevin Bowyer.
He travelled extensively for both his performance and recording career. He was artist in residence at Cincinnati, Ohio University (1967–68), Toronto, Canada (1977), and consultant for the Sydney Opera House organ.
He held a number of Honorary Doctorates, was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge in 2006, was a past President of the Royal College of Organists and received its Medal in 2013, and has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He wrote a book: Making Music on the Organ (1998, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-816207-3) and published a great deal of choral music for the Anglican liturgy, much of it issued by leading publishers such as Novello and Oxford University Press. His Litany to the Holy Spirit, to a famous text by Robert Herrick, is sung worldwide.
He suffered a minor stroke in 1997, but recovered enough to resume his performing career seven months later. In 2008 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, hence he retired formally from performing in 2009. ("Bach Notes", London Bach Society, Autumn 2013).
Peter Hurford died on 3 March 2019, aged 88.
Discography
Hurford made over 50 recordings, as a solo artist and with multiple other musicians. As well as recording Bach's complete works for the organ, he recorded the organ concertos, op. 7 of Handel with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra.
Hurford was born in Minehead, Somerset, and educated at Blundell's School. He later studied both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with dual degrees, subsequently obtaining a reputation for both musical scholarship and organ playing. Hurford subsequently studied in Paris under the blind French organist André Marchal, exploring music of the Baroque period.
He is best known for his interpretations of Bach, having recorded the complete Bach organ works for Decca and BBC Radio 3. His expertise also encompasses recordings of the Romantic literature for organ, performances notable for attention to stylistic detail. His playing style is noted for clean articulation, beauty of expression, and a sense of proper tempo.
Hurford was appointed organist of Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa from 1956 to 1957. For the same period he was Music Master at Bablake School, Coventry, and Musical Director of the Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir (www.rlsbc.org). He was then organist and choirmaster of St Albans Cathedral Choir in 1958, serving with great distinction in this capacity for exactly twenty years. He conceived the idea of an organ competition in 1963, partly to celebrate the new Harrison & Harrison organ designed by Ralph Downes and himself. This venture was successful mainly because of the young Hurford's rapidly growing stature in Britain and overseas as a result of his refreshing notions of the "authentic performance style". This has grown into the St Albans International Organ Festival, a world-renowned festival of organ music with competitions whose past winners include many of the great names in modern organ music including Dame Gillian Weir, David Sanger, Thomas Trotter and Kevin Bowyer.
He travelled extensively for both his performance and recording career. He was artist in residence at Cincinnati, Ohio University (1967–68), Toronto, Canada (1977), and consultant for the Sydney Opera House organ.
He held a number of Honorary Doctorates, was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge in 2006, was a past President of the Royal College of Organists and received its Medal in 2013, and has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He wrote a book: Making Music on the Organ (1998, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-816207-3) and published a great deal of choral music for the Anglican liturgy, much of it issued by leading publishers such as Novello and Oxford University Press. His Litany to the Holy Spirit, to a famous text by Robert Herrick, is sung worldwide.
He suffered a minor stroke in 1997, but recovered enough to resume his performing career seven months later. In 2008 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, hence he retired formally from performing in 2009. ("Bach Notes", London Bach Society, Autumn 2013).
Peter Hurford died on 3 March 2019, aged 88.
Discography
Hurford made over 50 recordings, as a solo artist and with multiple other musicians. As well as recording Bach's complete works for the organ, he recorded the organ concertos, op. 7 of Handel with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra.
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Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565
Peter Hurford Lyrics
No lyrics text found for this track.
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
Roger Hunter
A truly superb rendition of this piece. Wonderful clarity and dynamics.
David Link
I was studying with P H during the period he was recording these. The organ here is not the Casavant in Toronto, but the large Reiger Organ in the Ratzeburg Cathedral in Germany. He did record several Bach works on the lovely smaller Casavant, but this wasn't one of them. He also recorded it on the massive Ronald Sharp organ at the Sydney Opera House (1983), which is also quite fine, but a much different acoustic than Ratzeburger Dom.
wjrandlkr
This is the definitive recording of this piece!
Douglas Sivyer
Outstanding!
Malcolm Abram
Why so few listen listen to this fantastic rendition. Other have many views.
GPVlog
There is a version of this he does that in my opinion is slightly better. He has a CD from 1984 that is called Toccata & Fugue / Great Organ Works. It was the very first CD my dad purchased when he got his first CD player around early 85. Its hard to find today but isnt all that expensive when you do find it.
David Abram
I listen to a lot of organ music. This is the definitive composition played by the definitive organist on the definitive organ. This is the summit. Everywhere is downwards.
gewi-video Berlin
Fantastische Interpretation von Peter Hurford ! Ich besitze die CD schon sehr lange. Irritiert bin ich aber durch die Angabe zweier verschiedener Aufnahmeorte : Einmal in der Text-Beschreibung Ratzeburg, dann im Video Toronto. Kann mir vielleicht jemand erklären, was nun richtig ist ? Über eine entsprechende Nachricht würde ich mich natürlich sehr freuen.
Hans Mahr
Kind of funny that this is the most famous organ piece by Bach when a lot of musicologists nowadays actually doubt that it's by Bach. Great performance though.
Jacques Aubin
But who wrote it then??