George Chadwick: Master of the Organ and the Orchestra

Murray Somerville
Crown Center Sheraton Hotel - BENTON

The orchestral music of George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) is increasingly appreciated for its elegance, wit, craftsmanship, and brilliant orchestration. Like his teacher John Knowles Paine, however, Chadwick was also a fine organist, and his organ music, too long neglected, is a significant part of his output. A new complete scholarly edition of his organ works is to be published by Wayne Leupold in time for the 2018 AGO convention, edited by Dr. Murray Forbes Somerville. Like Paine, Chadwick had a significant impact an American musical pedagogy; his time as President of the New England Conservatory (1897-1930) saw that institution transformed from an amateurish school for piano teachers to a professional training ground for virtuosi on all instruments, including the organ. Dr. Somerville, former University Organist and Choirmaster at Harvard, with a DMA from NEC, already known for his editions, performances and recordings of Paine and the Second Boston School, will offer a survey of Chadwick’s organ output in the context of his overall oeuvre, and evaluate his place along with Amy Beach, Horatio Parker, Arthur Foote and others as one of the leading members of that group

Thursday, July 5
11:00 – 11:45am