Richard Wayne Dirksen (February 8, 1921 - July 26, 2003) was an American musician and composer, who served as organist and choirmaster of the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the cap ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, from 1977 to 1988. Previously he was assistant organist and choirmaster from 1942 to 1964. In 1969, Dirksen was named the cathedral's

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

, giving him administrative oversight of all worship services until his retirement in 1991. Dirksen composed extensively, mostly choral and organ works, and his music continues to be regularly featured on broadcasts from the Cathedral. His 1974 opus, ''Vineyard Haven'', has been called "widely acclaimed as one of the finest

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

s of our day", by editors of

hymnology Hymnology (from Greek ὕμνος ''hymnos'', "song of praise" and -λογία ''-logia'', "study of") is the scholarly study of religious song, or the hymn, in its many aspects, with particular focus on choral and congregational song. It may be m ...

Early years and education

Dirksen was born in

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...

, the eldest son of Richard Watson Dirksen and Maude Logemann. In high school, he played the

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

and was a drum major. Awarded a scholarship, he then studied organ at Baltimore's

Peabody Conservatory The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

under

Virgil Fox Virgil Keel Fox (May 3, 1912 in Princeton, Illinois – October 25, 1980 in Palm Beach, Florida) was an American organist, known especially for his years as organist at Riverside Church in New York City, from 1946 to 1965, and his flamboyant "Heavy ...

, graduating

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

in June, 1942.''The American Organist'', September, 2003.

Career at the Cathedral

While still studying at Peabody, Dirksen became assistant organist to

Paul Callaway Paul Smith Callaway, (August 16, 1909 – March 21, 1995) was a prominent American organist and choral conductor, particularly well known for his thirty-eight years at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., between 1939–1977 ...

at the Washington National Cathedral in February, 1942. Later that year, he began three-and-a-half years of military service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, resuming his post at the cathedral in December, 1945. In 1949, Dirksen was also appointed director of the glee club at the cathedral's affiliated St. Albans School. In 1969, he was the first lay person in the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

to be named a

Precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

, meaning he had administrative oversight of all worship services. During his long tenure at the cathedral, he produced ceremonial music and pageants for various occasions, such as the

U.S. Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

in 1976 and the consecration of the completed cathedral in 1990, attended by U.S. President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

and other dignitaries. Dirksen was succeeded by

Douglas Major Douglas R. Major (born 1953 in Berwick, Pennsylvania) is a prominent American composer of sacred music and concert organist. He is the former choral director and organist at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., where he frequently ...

as Cathedral Organist and Choirmaster in 1988 and retired as Precentor in 1991.

Compositions

Dirksen was also a composer of almost 300 works, mostly for organ and/or choir or theater. His music has been regularly featured on ''Christmas at Washington National Cathedral'', televised nationally on Christmas Day, as well as the

September 11 Events Pre-1600 * 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hun ...

Memorial Service held at the Washington National Cathedral on September 14, 2001, which was attended by all living presidents but one and viewed on television by much of the world. His most well-known compositions include: * ''A Child My Choice'' * ''American Adventure'' (orchestral score) * ''Chanticleer'' * ''Christ Our Passover'' * ''God is our hope'' * ''Jonah'' * ''O be joyful in the Lord'' * ''Vineyard Haven'' (the

for "Rejoice ye pure in heart" and other settings) * ''Welcome All Wonders''

Personal life

He married Joan Milton Shaw in 1942 and the couple had four children: Richard, Geoffrey, Laura, and Mark. At the time of his death in Washington, D.C., on July 26, 2003, he was also survived by a sister, Phyllis, and a brother, Gerriet, along with seven grandchildren.

Awards and honors

Dirksen was awarded an honorary doctor of fine arts degree in 1980 by

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

, an honorary doctor of music by Marymount College in 1986, and the Medal of Excellence by the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. In 2006, the

Cathedral Choral Society The Cathedral Choral Society is a 200-voice symphonic, volunteer chorus based at the Washington National Cathedral. The late J. Reilly Lewis was music director from 1985-2016. He succeeded Paul Callaway, who founded the group in 1941. The ens ...

announced the establishment of an endowment fund in his memory to commission new Christmas choral music.

References

Kimberling, Clark. "The Hymn Tunes of Richard Wayne Dirksen," The Hymn, v. 53 no. 4 (October 2002) pp 19–28. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dirksen, Richard Wayne American classical organists American male organists Cathedral organists American male composers Choral composers 1921 births 2003 deaths Peabody Institute alumni 20th-century American composers 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians Male classical organists