Thomas Murray (organist)

This article refers to Thomas Murray the organist. For other people named Thomas Murray, see Thomas Murray (disambiguation).

Thomas Mantle Murray (b. October 6, 1943 in Los Angeles, California) is an internationally renowned American organist and well-known interpreter of Romantic organ music. He is currently professor of organ and university organist at the Yale School of Music, where he teaches alongside Martin Jean. He is also Principal Organist and Artist in Residence at Christ Church in New Haven, Connecticut.

Life and career

Thomas Murray studied organ with Clarence Mader at Occidental College. He studied choral conducting as well, and graduated with his B.A. from that university in 1965. The next year, he won the National Competition of the American Guild of Organists. From 1966 - 1973, he was organist at Immanuel Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles, and from 1975 - 1980 he was choirmaster and organist of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston. In 1981, he joined the music faculty at Yale University, becoming university organist in 1990. Throughout his career, he has also been active as a concert organist. In addition to numerous performance in the U.S., Murray has also performed in England, Finland, Japan, and Australia.

Thomas Murray is best known for his performances of Romantic organ works and transcriptions of works originally written for other instruments. He is especially knowledgeable about the organ music of Elgar, Mendelssohn, Franck, and Saint-Saëns, and his recordings of organ works by Mendelssohn and Elgar are regarded as authoritative. As professor of organ at Yale, he has access to the famed Skinner organ in Woolsey Hall, one of the largest and most important Romantic instruments in the U.S., and has made numerous recordings on this instrument. Additionally, he has recorded numerous organs by the Hook firm, one of the most prominent organ-building companies in American during the 19th century.

He is not nearly as well-versed in performances of music before 1750, and is not a firm adherent to the school of organ playing that places a strong emphasis on historical performance practice, though he has frequently performed works by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Among his former students he can claim to have taught Paul Jacobs, chair of the organ department at the Juilliard School and Ken Cowan, organ professor at Rice University two of the most widely recognized concert organists of their generation.

When not teaching or performing, Murray can usually be found pursuing his other passion: antique cars, particularly Rolls-Royces.

Discography

• Mendelssohn Organ Sonatas, Thomas Murray, organist.
• Thomas Murray plays Elgar.
• Thomas Murray plays Lemare.
• The Transcriber's Art: Thomas Murray at Woolsey Hall.iTunes
• The French Collection. Thomas Murray, organist.
• Thomas Murray at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
• An American Masterpiece. Thomas Murray, organist.
• Music of Schumann and Mendelssohn. Thomas Murray, organist.
• Narrated Tour & Rectial on the Newberry Memorial Organ in Woolsey Hall Thomas Murray, organist.
• Art of the Symphonic Organist, Volume 3, Toledo Museum of Art. Thomas Murray, organist.
• An Elm Court Musicale. Thomas Murray, organist.

Bewertungen

"The performances of all of these were those of an organist whose skill extended beyond the playing of the notes to authoritative control of a very large instrument in a vast echoing space."

"Mr. Murray played this, and the whole program, with almost a conductor's sense of tempo relationships and long-term pacing. His registrations were apt and had, without ostentation, a bold quality of definition and specificity about them."

"Murray played . . . with a keen sense of style, and technique to burn. He's more than an organist, he's an artist."

References

• Vernon Gotwal/Charles Krigbaum: 'Murray, Thomas', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy. [2]

External links

• Thomas Murray at Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc.