| Perhaps no other organist typifies San Francisco as well as Purvis. A native San Franciscan, his music was widely performed for decades across the United States. His name is practically synonymous with the choir of Grace Cathedral and the landmark Skinner organ there. His recordings and compositions were an inspiration to organists across the nation. In his compositions he incorporated sources as diverse as Gregorian chant and jazz, synthesizing them into a true San Francisco style. He influenced several generations of students. The stories about him are legion. As with all great legends (the most famous of which is the premature publication of his obituary during WW2), there is sometimes more fiction than fact, but the fact remains that he was a larger-than-life character.
In this presentation, you will learn more about Purvis's colorful life story and his numerous compositions for the organ, most of which were published between 1943 and 1985. Most organists are familiar with his Eleven Pieces for the Church Organist and the Seven Chorale Preludes On Tunes Found in American Hymnals. But have you ever heard his "Melody in Mauve"? "Undulato"? or "An Erin Lilt"? Each one of Purvis's compositions was dedicated to an individual who played an important part in his life, and this alone is the source of many memorable stories.
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James Welch
James Welch, Organist, is a member of the Santa Clara Music Department faculty. Previously he taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also serves as organist of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Palo Alto. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from Stanford University, where he studied under Herbert Nanney and served as Assistant University Organist. Further studies have been with John Walker; Alexander Schreiner; Josef Doppelbauer of the Mozarteum Akademie, Salzburg, Austria; and Jean Langlais, Basilique Ste. Clotilde, Paris, France. He has concertized internationally, with performances in such prestigious venues as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. He has also performed and taught in Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Jerusalem. A particular interest of his is Latin American organ music. He received a Fulbright award to perform and conduct research on historic 19th-century Cavaille-Coll organs in Brazil; since then he has performed in Mexico and edited three volumes of organ music by contemporary Mexican composers. He holds the Associate Certificate of the American Guild of Organists, and he has performed at conventions of the Guild and at the International Congress of Organists. His articles have appeared in The American Organist and The Diapason, and he has released numerous CDs, recorded on a variety of organs in the United States and Europe. Many of his recorded performances have been aired on American Public Media's "Pipedreams" program. His travels, studies, and performances on historical and modern instruments throughout the world have given him a sure command of many styles of music. Critics in this country and abroad have praised him for his technical facility, solid musicianship, and creative programming. He and his wife Deanne are the parents of two sons, Nicholas and Jameson. www.welchorganist.com
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