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serious composition, he was not afraid to write tuneful, accessible, richly colored, and even whimsical compositions that possessed commercial viability. His more than 200 compositions include a
Concerto for organ and orchestra; Four Prayers in Tone, Toccata Festiva & for organ; a partita on Christ ist Erstanden and The Ballad of Judas Iscariot for choir and orchestra. Perhaps his best-known and loved composition for the organ is the suite
161:, playing the Hammond organ in the chaplain's exhibit. He rapidly advanced in the ranks. After attending the army music school in 1943 he attained the rank of warrant officer and was assigned to the 28th Infantry Division Band as bandmaster. Purvis's band was given the honor of being the first to march through Paris after its liberation.
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After the war an appointment to St Mark's
Lutheran Church took him back to his native city. The Schoenstein & Co. Organ at St. Mark had been built in 1895 and, during his brief tenure, Purvis was involved in the preparation for a new organ by M. P. Moller. Purvis played the dedication recital for
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Richard Purvis was born in San
Francisco on August 25, 1913. He began playing the organ publicly at the age of 14 in churches and in the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. In addition to recitals and church services, Purvis played nightly recitals broadcast on the 7-rank style "E" Wurlitzer organ at
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Purvis's long and distinguished career was marked by elegant service playing, conducting and composition. He was admired as one of the finest organ improvisateurs in the U.S. In an era when romantic music was out of favor with most composers, and atonal, serial music was considered the hallmark of
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where he presided over the 4 manual, 93 rank
Alexander Memorial Organ by Aeolian Skinner, one of the first American Classic instruments built by the firm. Affectionately known as 'Gussie', this organ was to profoundly influence his style of playing and composition. Purvis developed a distinctive
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Purvis was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and held as a prisoner of war at Stalag 13B in
Hammelburg, Bavaria. He was freed by advancing American forces after six months. Purvis was treated poorly in captivity. The buildings in the prison were extremely cold. Food was scarce. When Purvis was
219:. Upon his retirement from Grace Cathedral, he continued to compose, teach and give recitals into his 70s. He died on December 25, 1994, at the age of 81. He left a legacy of over 200 works and an uncounted number of choristers, students and listeners.
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From 1947 through 1971, Purvis held the position of
Organist and Master of Choristers at Grace Cathedral, where he helped to form a cathedral school for boys, ensuring the continuation of the all-male choir tradition. He was also organist at the
105:(August 25, 1913 – December 25, 1994) was an American organist, composer, conductor and teacher. He was best known for his expressive recordings of the organ classics and his own lighter compositions for the instrument.
261:, Donna Parker, Robert Tall, William C. Dickey, well known theatre organist Christian Elliott, international performer John West and James Welch who has written a comprehensive book on the life of Purvis.
176:, both were premiered late that year at the Second Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. His famous setting of "Greensleeves" and his "Seven Choral Preludes" were composed in a foxhole under enemy fire.
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released he was unable to even play a chord and he required months of physical therapy at the Army
Rehabilitation Center in Santa Barbara, California before he could resume his career.
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In 2012 associate Donna Parker donated Purvis's scores, documents, letters, recordings and other papers to the
Archive of Recorded Sound at Stanford University.
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January, 1936 under the Cyrus Curtis Organ Scholarship, which also paid for European summer study in 1936 and 1937. He was initially taught organ by
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over local radio station KRE. His stage name was Don Irving and his theme song was 'I'll Take an Option on You'.
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Grove Music Online © Oxford
University Press 2006 (Author: Charles Krigbaum); available to subscribers only
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Purvis was able to find time to compose while in the military. In 1942 he composed a setting of
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In August, 1942 Purvis enlisted as a private in the United States Army. He was assigned to the
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http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xemr6n_ted-fio-rito-his-orchestra-i-ll-tak_music
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in England from whom he learned a great deal about the Anglican boy's choir, and
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Leaving his native San Francisco to further his studies, he entered the
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website of James Welch, student and biographer of Richard Purvis
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http://www.christianelliott.com/Christian_Elliott/Welcome.html
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Short Bio in Bach-Cantatas.com contributed by Thomas Braatz
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Purvis taught a number of prominent organists, among them
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305:(First ed.). Palo Alto, California: James Welch.
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342:"Purvis' New Works Sung While He is in Army Show"
406:Stanford University, Archive of Recorded Sound
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368:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie1KtWxyLo8
370:"Greensleeves," arranged by Richard Purvis
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404:http://library.stanford.edu/ars
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357:(2): 1. January 1, 1943.
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153:World War II service
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468:Theatre organists
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68:(1994-12-25)
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85:Don Irving
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239:Nocturne
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