George Ritchie is an American

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 ...

. His teachers included

Helmut Walcha Arthur Emil Helmut Walcha (27 October 1907 – 11 August 1991) was a German organist, harpsichordist, music teacher and composer who specialized in the works of the Dutch and German baroque masters. Blind since his teenage years, he is known ...

, and like Walcha he is best known for his interpretations of

Johann Sebastian 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 wo ...

's music. Ritchie has recorded Bach's complete organ works, and his recording of Bach's ''

Art of Fugue ''The Art of Fugue'', or ''The Art of the Fugue'' (german: Die Kunst der Fuge, links=no), BWV 1080, is an incomplete musical work of unspecified instrumentation by Johann Sebastian Bach. Written in the last decade of his life, ''The Art of Fug ...

'' was reviewed in ''

Gramophone Magazine ''Gramophone'' is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continued to edit the magazine until 1961. It was ac ...

'' as 'the finest recording of the ''Art of Fugue'' irrespective of media or instrument'. This recording also includes Ritchie's performance of Walcha's completion of the unfinished final fugue. He discusses this recording in the documentary film '' Desert Fugue''.

References

*''Gramophone Magazine'', July 2010, page 96.

External links

* http://www.fuguestatefilms.co.uk/aof * http://www.georgeritchie.com/ Ritchie Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, George American organists American male organists Living people 21st-century organists 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American keyboardists