David John Sanger (17 April 1947 – 28 May 2010) was a

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

, professor and president of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

Biography

Sanger was educated at

Eltham College Eltham College is an independent day school situated in Mottingham, southeast London. Eltham and Mottingham once formed part of the same parish, hence its name. It is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). Early hi ...

and the Royal Academy of Music. His teachers included

Susi Jeans Susi may refer to: * 933 Susi, a minor planet orbiting the Sun *Susi Air, an Indonesian airline * Sydney University Stellar Interferometer, an optical interferometer in Sydney, Australia People Given name * Susi Erdmann (born 1968), German luger ...

Marie-Claire Alain Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain-Gommier (10 August 1926 – 26 February 2013) was a French organist, scholar and teacher best known for her prolific recording career, with 260 recordings, making her the most-recorded classical organist in the world ...

and

Anton Heiller Anton Heiller (15 September 1923 – 25 March 1979) was an Austrian organist, harpsichordist, composer and conductor. Biography Born in Vienna, he was first trained in church music by Wilhelm Mück, organist of Vienna's Stephansdom (St. Stephen' ...

. His career as a performer was launched when he won first prize in two international competitions: St Albans,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1969 and

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1972. After this, he toured as a solo recitalist. His

discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

spans the music of several centuries, and includes the complete organ works of Franck, the complete organ symphonies of

Louis Vierne Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French organist and composer. As the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death, he focused on organ music, including six organ symphonies and a '' Messe solennelle ...

, and works by

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

and Lefébure-Wély. He also recorded the complete organ music of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

for Meridian Records. He toured many countries as recitalist – Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, France, Russia, Iceland, the United States, Mexico and South Korea – as well as giving many recitals in the British Isles, notably at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

at the Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, the

City of London Festival The City of London Festival was an annual arts festival that took place in the City of London, England, over two to three weeks in June and July. The Festival was strongly geared towards classical music, but also offered a programme that included ...

, the Bath Festival, the Chester Festival, the West Riding Cathedrals' Festival, and many similar occasions. He gave Master Classes in many places including Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo, and was 'Headmaster' of the Church Music Seminar in Bergen for fourteen years. He was frequently partnered by

Hans Fagius Hans Gustav Fagius, né Andersson (born 10 April 1951), is a Swedish classical organist and pedagogue. Biography Fagius was born in Norrköping and studied organ with Bengt Berg before entering the Royal College of Music, Stockholm, where he stud ...

from Sweden for Organ Duet Concerts.

Recording

As a recording artist he made over 20 CDs. His début on the organ was with

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...

(DG Début Series) with Bach and Franck recorded in Munich. He recorded the complete organ works of César Franck at the

Katarina Church Katarina kyrka (''Church of Catherine'') is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s. ...

in Stockholm (before the fire) for BIS. His Meridian recordings of Vierne's Six Organ Symphonies received wide acclaim and he was close to completing his recordings of the complete organ works of Bach. The most recent Bach CDs were recorded on the newly constructed, historic-style, Carsten Lund organ in Copenhagen's Garnisons Church. With Meridian he recorded a selection of trifles by Lefébure-Wély on the recent Cavaillé-Coll style instrument at

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

, for which instrument Sanger also acted as Consultant. Other projects as consultant included new, rebuilt or restored organs at Bromley Parish Church, Haileybury School, St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh,

Usher Hall The Usher Hall is a concert hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,200 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its ...

, Edinburgh,

Leeds Cathedral Leeds Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Anne, commonly known as Saint Anne's Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds. It is in the city of Leeds, West ...

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

Strathclyde University The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal c ...

and

Sheffield Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, Sheffield, more commonly known as Sheffield Cathedral, is the cathedral church for the Church of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral st ...

Teaching

In addition to his performing career, Sanger was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

of the organ. He was

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

of organ at the Royal Academy of Music in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and chairman of the organ department there from 1987 to 1989. Between 1989 and 1997 he was a Consultant Professor at the RAM. He was guest professor for two years at the Royal Danish Academy of Music,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. He was a Visiting Tutor in organ studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, and teacher of organ at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

Universities. He was appointed as Consultant Tutor at the Birmingham Conservatoire. He had many successful students at international competition level, including two winners at the Calgary International Organ Competition.

Competition juror

Sanger appeared in the jury of many international organ competitions; St Albans, Paisley, Speyer, Biarritz, Alkmaar, Odense Nűrnberg and Lucerne. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 1985.

President of the Royal College of Organists

After being a member since age 15, Sanger was appointed president of the

in October 2008, a position he served in until his resignation a week before his death.

Indecent assault charges and death

On 25 May 2010 Sanger appeared in court, charged with four counts of indecent assault and four of gross indecency, all against a boy under the age of 14 and under the age of 16 and all alleged to have taken place between 1978 and 1982.''News & Star'', 27 May 2010,
Acclaimed Cumbrian organist on child sex charges
". Accessed 30 May 2010. Sanger denied all charges and was released on conditional bail, pending a hearing scheduled for 21 July 2010. Three days later, on 28 May 2010, police announced that Sanger had been found dead at his converted former chapel (which housed a church organ) in Embleton, near

Cockermouth Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England, so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent. The mid-2010 census estimates state that Cocke ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

. After Sanger's body had been found, Police stated that they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the death. An inquest was opened 1 June 2010. The inquest subsequently ruled in January 2011 that the cause of death was

asphyxia Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that ca ...

caused by a plastic bag and

ligature Ligature may refer to: * Ligature (medicine), a piece of suture used to shut off a blood vessel or other anatomical structure ** Ligature (orthodontic), used in dentistry * Ligature (music), an element of musical notation used especially in the me ...

and that Sanger had killed himself.

Discography

* The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. I – Meridian Records CDE 84081 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. II – Meridian Records CDE 84144 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. III – Meridian Records CDE 84203 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. IV – Meridian Records CDE 84209 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. V – Meridian Records CDE 84235 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. VI – Meridian Records CDE 84326 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. VII – Meridian Records CDE 84377 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. VIII – Meridian Records CDE 84378 * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. IX – Euridice (unpublished recordings pril 2010from Bodin Parish church, Norway. Organ 2003 by Heiko Lorenz, Wilhelmshaven) * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. X – Euridice (unpublished recordings pril 2010from Bodin Parish church, Norway. Organ 2003 by Heiko Lorenz, Wilhelmshaven) * The Complete Organ Works of J S Bach Vol. XI – Euridice (unpublished recordings pril 2010from Bodin Parish church, Norway. Organ 2003 by Heiko Lorenz, Wilhelmshaven) * Lefébure-Wély popular organ works – Meridian Records CDE 84296 * Carols from Salisbury – the Cathedral Choir conducted by Richard Seal, accompanied by Colin Walsh – Meridian Records CDE 84068 * Vierne Organ Symphonies 1 & 2 – Meridian Records CDE 84192 * Vierne Organ Symphonies 3 & 4 – Meridian Records CDE 84176 * Vierne Organ Symphonies 5 & 6 – Meridian Records CDE 84171 * Liszt organ works – Meridian Records CDE 84060 * "In the Pleasant Groves" music by Handel – Meridian Records CDE 84157 * César Franck complete organ works – BIS Records BIS CD 214/215 * Duets for organ with Hans Fagius – BIS Records BIS CD 273 * Boëllmann Suite Gothique, opus 25, Mulet "Tu es petra", Jongen Sonata Eroica, opus 94, Gigout menuetto – Saga Classics SDC 9033 * Widor Symphony 5 (complete), Symphony 6 (1st mvt), Symphony 8 (Adagio only) – Saga Classics SDC 9048 (Re-issued 1/2016 with the contents of SDC 9033 on Alto ALC 1292) * Franck Grande Pièce Symphonique, opus 17 – Resonance 445 014 – 2

Publications

* "Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis (St. Paul's Service)" (SSA & organ) – Banks Music Publications * "Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis (St. Paul’s Service)" (SATB & organ) – Banks Music Publications * "O Filii et Filiae" (SATB, Congregation & (two) organ(s)) – Banks Music Publications * "Mass for the Parishes" (SATB and organ, with optional congregational participation) – Banks Music Publications * "Missa Brevis" (SSA & organ) – United Music Publishers * "Go Forth into the World in Peace (A Blessing)" (SATB & organ) – Banks Music Publications * "Let All the World in Every Corner Sing" (SATB, baritone soloist and organ) – Banks Music Publications * "Father, We Thank Thee for the Night" (S and optional A, and organ) – Banks Music Publications * "Salve Regina" (SATB, unaccompanied) – Banks Music Publications * "Spring Rising!" (SATB, soloists and piano) – Banks Music Publications * "Sweet Was the Song the Virgin Sang" (SATB, unaccompanied) – Banks Music Publications * "Shepherds, Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep!" (SATB & organ) – Banks Music Publications * "Whence is That Goodly Fragrance?" (SATB & organ) – Banks Music Publications * "From East to West" (SATB & organ) –

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

* "Christmas Day" (SATB & organ) – Oxford University Press * "The Sun Has Got His Hat on" (close harmony arrangement) – Banks Music Publications * "Sonata Forte Piano per Organo" – Banks Music Publications * "Nocturne" – Banks Music Publications * "Prelude and Fugue for St. Paul’s" – Banks Music Publications * "Petite Suite Française" – Banks Music Publications * "Four Miniature Ostinatos" – Banks Music Publications * "Marche Européenne" – Banks Music Publications * "A Christmas Rhapsody" – Banks Music Publications * "Play the Organ, Volumes 1 & 2" – Novello * "Lakeland String Suite" – Banks Music Publications * "Introduction, Passacaglia & Fugue in E flat minor" Healey Willan – Oxford University Press * "Voluntary in C by Johann Pepusch" – Oxford University Press * ''Favourite Organ Music'' by J. A. Lefébure-Wély, 2 volumes – Oxford University Press

References

External links

David Sanger's homepage

Royal College of Organists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanger, David English classical organists British male organists English composers Fellows of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music 1947 births 2010 deaths People educated at Eltham College Male classical organists