February 2015

Malcolm D. Benson died on January 1, 2015, in Ontario, California, of complications from pneumonia. He was 94. Born in Winchester, Indiana, on March 27, 1920, he served in the Army in New Guinea during World War II. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s in organ at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, where he studied with Frank Van Duzen. He was an assistant professor of music at Wheaton College in Illinois where he met the love of his life, Phyllis J.

From the organbuilder

In 2015 there are several composers whose anniversaries can be commemorated, albeit some of the dates are not known for certain; some of the names need no introduction but there are also several lesser-known names listed here whose compositions are well worth exploring. No claim is made for completeness and there is no guarantee that every edition is in print—there may well also be editions by other publishers.

The Organ Historical Society’s 59th Annual Convention took place in central New York with the historic Genesee Grande Hotel, Syracuse, as convention headquarters, though some of us stayed at the equally pleasant Park View Hotel three or four blocks away, owing to a lack of accommodation at the main hotel. One might not normally bother with such details, but I would like to begin by mentioning that Birnie’s Bus Service of Rome, New York, provided the OHS with the best bus service I think I have ever experienced on any convention.

Sight-reading II

The Ugly Duckling”

Remembering George Lucktenberg (1930–2014)