John Gavin Scott (18 June 1956 – 12 August 2015) was an English

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

choirmaster A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

who reached the highest levels of his profession on both sides of the Atlantic. He directed the Choir of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

from 1990 to 2004. He then directed the Choir of Men and Boys of Saint Thomas Church on

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

in New York City until his death at age 59. Whilst training countless young musicians, he maintained an active career as an international concert performer and recording artist, and was acclaimed as "the premier English organist of his generation".

Career

Born to Hetty (née Murphy) and Douglas Gavin Scott in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, John Scott began his musical career as a

chorister A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

Wakefield Cathedral Wakefield Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, is a co-equal Anglican cathedral with Bradford and Ripon Cathedrals, in the Diocese of Leeds and a seat of the Bishop of Leeds. Originally the pa ...

. It was also there that he first learned to play the organ. From 1974 to 1978, he was

Organ Scholar An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and adm ...

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, assisting

George Guest George Guest CBE FRCO (9 February 1924 – 20 November 2002) was a Welsh organist and choral conductor. Birth and early life George Guest was born in Bangor, Gwynedd. His father was an organist and Guest assisted him by acting as organ blo ...

and studying with

Jonathan Bielby Jonathan Leonard Bielby (born 23 November 1944) is an English cathedral organist and composer of organ music. In 2010 he retired from Wakefield Cathedral after an exceptionally long incumbency, which had lasted more than forty years. Life Son of ...

Ralph Downes Ralph William Downes CBE KSG (16 August 1904 – 24 December 1993) was an English organist, organ designer, teacher and music director and was Professor of Organ in the Royal College of Music. Biography Downes was born in Derby and studied ...

and

Gillian Weir Dame Gillian Constance Weir (born 17 January 1941) is a New Zealand-British organist. Biography Weir was born in Martinborough, New Zealand, on 17 January 1941. Her parents were Clarice Mildred Foy ( Bignell) and Cecil Alexander Weir. She re ...

. Upon graduation, he was appointed as Assistant Organist at St Paul's Cathedral and

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...

, both in London. After 1985, he worked full-time at St Paul's, which led to his appointment as Organist and Director of Music when

Christopher Dearnley Christopher Hugh Dearnley (11 February 1930 – 15 December 2000) was an English cathedral organist, who served in Salisbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral. Background Christopher Hugh Dearnley was born on 11 February 1930 in Wolverhampton ...

retired in 1990. Scott performed at numerous special occasions for the British Royal Family, including the wedding of

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

and

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, the 100th birthday of

The Queen Mother ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, and the Golden Jubilee of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. He also served on the organ faculty of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

. In 2004, Scott moved to New York City to succeed

Gerre Hancock Gerre Edward Hancock (February 21, 1934 – January 21, 2012) was an American organist, improviser, and composer. Hancock was Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at the University of Texas at Austin. He died of cardiac arrest in Austin, Texas ...

as Organist and Director of Music at St Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, home of an internationally renowned choir and the only church-affiliated choir

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

in North America. Scott recorded dozens of CDs for labels that included Hyperion,

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

Nimbus Nimbus, from the Latin for "dark cloud", is an outdated term for the type of cloud now classified as the nimbostratus cloud. Nimbus also may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Halo (religious iconography), also known as ''Nimbus'', a ring of ligh ...

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, and Chandos. He also compiled chants and psalm texts to publish in ''The New St Paul's Cathedral Psalter'', later reprinted for worldwide distribution as ''The Anglican Psalter''. Highlights of his concert career included the complete organ works 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 w ...

Buxtehude Buxtehude (), officially the Hanseatic City of Buxtehude (german: Hansestadt Buxtehude, nds, Hansestadt Buxthu ()), is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany, belonging to the district of Stade in Lower Saxony. It is part of the Hamburg ...

, Duruflé, Franck,

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

and

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...

, and the complete organ symphonies of Vierne and

Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the mid-Romantic era, most notable for his ten organ symphonies. His Toccata from the fifth organ symphony has become one of th ...

Honours and awards

In 1978, Scott won the inaugural

Manchester International Organ Competition The Manchester International Organ Competition was part of the biennial Manchester Festival. The Organ Competition ran from 1978 until 1986. 1978 - First competition The First competition was held between 1 and 9 September 1978. The venues were Ma ...

, and in 1984 he became the first British organist ever to win the

International Bach Competition The International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (german: Internationaler Bach Wettbewerb Leipzig, links=no) is a music competition in Leipzig, Germany, held by the Bach-Archiv Leipzig. It was founded in 1950 and was held every four years from 1 ...

Leipzig, Germany Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's L ...

. In 1998, he was named "International Performer of the Year" by the New York City Chapter of the

American Guild of Organists The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is an international organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the US, headquartered in New York City with its administrative offices in the Interchurch Center. Founded as a professional educati ...

. Queen Elizabeth appointed him as a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2004 New Year Honours, in recognition of his work at St Paul's Cathedral. In 2007, Scott was awarded an honorary doctorate from

Nashotah House Theological Seminary Nashotah House is an Anglicanism, Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically Conservatism, ...

. The organ at Saint Thomas Church, built by

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders Dobson Pipe Organ Builders is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Lake City, Iowa. The company was founded in 1974 by Iowa native Lynn A. Dobson, who served as President and Artistic Director until his retirement in February, 2020, when long-t ...

, was posthumously dedicated in his memory.

Personal life

He married Carolyn Jane Lumsden, daughter of organist David Lumsden, on 28 July 1979. They had a son and a daughter before divorcing in June 2010. Scott married former organist Lily Ardalan on 25 May 2013, and three weeks after his death, their son was born.

Death

In the summer of 2015, at age 59, Scott performed fourteen organ recitals across seven European countries in six weeks. He completed what would become his final concert tour, and returned to New York on 11 August 2015. The next day, he suffered a cardiac episode, was admitted to

Roosevelt Hospital Mount Sinai West, opened in 1871 as Roosevelt Hospital, is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System. The 514-bed facility is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City. The fac ...

, and died there with his wife Lily at his side. St Thomas Church held a public funeral service on 12 September 2015.

Partial discography

Along with numerous industry awards, Scott's many recordings were honoured with two dedicated episodes of the prestigious ''

Pipedreams ''Pipedreams'' is a radio music program produced and distributed by American Public Media (APM) based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, created and hosted since its inception by J. Michael Barone. History Each one or two-hour show features organ music ...

'' radio broadcast.

Recordings for solo organ

Hyperion: * ''Mendelssohn: Music for Organ'' * ''The Complete Organ Music by Maurice Duruflé'' * ''Organ Music by Marcel Dupré, Volumes 1–2'' * ''Percy Whitlock''

: * ''Great Postludes'' * ''Twentieth Century Organ Masterpieces'' * ''John Scott Plays the Organ of St Paul's Cathedral, London'' * ''John Scott Plays the Organ of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh'' * ''The Buzard Organ in All Saints Episcopal Church, Atlanta''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

: * ''Favourite Organ Works'' Guild: * ''John Scott Plays Liszt'' JAV: * ''On a Sunday Afternoon, Volume 7''

: * ''William Mathias: Organ Music''

Recordings with choir

Hyperion: * ''The English Anthem, Volumes 1–8'' * ''The Psalms of David'' * ''The Music of St Paul's Cathedral'' * ''Music for St Paul's'' * ''Advent at St Paul's'' * ''Epiphany at St Paul's'' * ''Passiontide at St Paul's'' * ''William Croft at St Paul's'' * ''The St Paul's Service and Other Music by Herbert Howells'' * ''Kenneth Leighton: Cathedral Music'' * ''Hear My Prayer'' * ''My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord'' * ''My Spirit Hath Rejoiced'' * ''Praise to the Lord'' * ''Remembrance'' Conifer: * ''Stainer: the Crucifixion''

: * ''The Choirboy's Christmas''

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

: * ''Carols from St Paul's Cathedral'' * ''How Can I Keep from Singing?'' Guild: * ''Christmas from St Paul's'' Prelude: * ''Christmas Music from St Paul's'' Pro Organo: * ''Christmas on Fifth Avenue'' * ''Easter on Fifth Avenue'' Resonus: * ''J. S. Bach Motets'' * ''Dancing Day''

References

External links

Saint Thomas Church website

Saint Thomas Choir School website
*
John Scott on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, John 1956 births 2015 deaths English classical organists British male organists Cathedral organists English choral conductors British male conductors (music) American choral conductors American male conductors (music) English emigrants to the United States Musicians from Wakefield People educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Male classical organists