Edward (Cuthbert) Bairstow (Organ, Choirmaster, Conductor)

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Edward (Cuthbert) Bairstow (Choirmaster, Conductor, Organ)

Born: August 22, 1874 – Huddersfield, England
Died: May 1, 1946 – York, England

The highly regarded English organist, pedagogue, composer, choirmaster and conductor Edward Cuthbert Bairstow studied organ and theory at the University of Durham, receiving Bachelor of Music in 1894 and Doctor of Music in 1901.

Bairstow was organist at Wigan from 1899 to 1906, at Leeds from 1906 to 1913, and at York Minster from 1913 to 1946. He was also professor of music at the University of Durham from 1929. In 1926 he was the first to record any portion of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor BWV 232, at a Royal Albert Hall concert with the Royal Choral Society.

In 1932 he was knighted. Bairstow composed church music, anthems, part-songs, and an organ sonata (1937). He published counterpoint and Harmony (1937) and The Evolution of Musical Form (1943).

Source: Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997); Teri Noel Towe’s article on the recordings of the Mass in B minor (Cambridge University Press)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2002)

As a Conductor: Movements from BWV 232

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Last update: ýJanuary 26, 2002 ý09:54:47