Michael Ray Johnston dead at 64

James Sands “Jock” Darling, Jr.

James Sands “Jock” Darling, Jr., organist, choirmaster, and music director, died January 26, 2021, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Born May 29, 1929, in Hampton, Virginia, he attended Christchurch School, Middlesex County, Virginia, and graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, in 1946. He attended Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, where he earned undergraduate degrees in music theory and piano in 1950 and 1951, and in 1954 he completed a master’s degree in organ at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. On January 31, 1953, he married Mary Lee Oliver of Gloucester, Virginia.

From 1954 to 1961 he was organist and choir director at Plymouth Church, Shaker Heights, Ohio, and from 1961 to 2006, he held the position of organist and choirmaster at Bruton Parish Church, Williamsburg. At Bruton Parish Church, Darling directed an active program in music for all ages, including offerings for adult, boys, and girls choirs, as well as approximately 125 candlelight concerts annually, which were performed by himself, Bruton Parish associates, local musicians, and visiting artists. He taught organ and harpsichord at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, and as music consultant for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, he presented many concerts in the Governor’s Palace and other historic buildings, often playing and conducting in colonial costume. Among the dignitaries who attended his recitals were four United States presidents and several heads of state. As a guest artist, he also performed throughout the United States and in Europe. Darling published numerous recordings of colonial period music and edited four publications of keyboard music for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. In 2003, he authored Let the Anthems Swell, a monograph on the history of music at Bruton Parish Church. He especially enjoyed offering the Saturday morning recitals in William and Mary’s historic Wren Chapel on an 18th-century English chamber organ. This concert series, which he initiated in 1971, continues to this day.

The Darling residence was a musical center, where the family hosted gatherings of visiting musicians, instrument makers, choirs, and for a time, the Wednesday morning meetings of the Williamsburg Music Club, which he helped found in 1964.

James S. Darling is survived by his sister Sarah Winfree “Sally” Darling; children Elizabeth Ann Darling, Russell Christian Darling, James Andrew Darling, Jonathan Lee Darling, Sarah Trevilian Darling, and their spouses and partners; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His wife of 67 years, Mary Lee Oliver Darling, preceded him in death on January 13 of this year.

A memorial service will be held at Bruton Parish Church at a future date. Donations in James S. Darling’s memory may be made to Bruton Parish Church or the Organ Historical Society .

Walter Joseph Gundling

Walter Joseph Gundling, 82, of Mountville, Pennsylvania, died February 17. A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he was active at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in his youth and a member of a family of pipe organ builders. His father, Walter Sebastian Gundling, grandfather, Sebastian, and families came to the United States in 1926 after leaving a family pipe organ building business in Laudenbach, Germany. They settled in Erie, Pennsylvania, working for the Tellers Organ Company, where Walter Sebastian completed his apprenticeship. In 1929, the family settled in Lancaster and founded the Sebastian Gundling & Son Co., which was engaged in maintaining and rebuilding pipe organs as well as building new instruments. In 1953, the firm, now including the teenaged Walter Joseph Gundling, installed the organ in Sacred Heart Church.

After graduation from Lancaster Catholic High School in 1956, Walter Joseph began full-time work for the family business, having completed his apprenticeship. He was the third generation to carry on the business, with clients in 225 churches in Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1981, Walter Joseph Gundling’s son, Daniel Walter, joined the firm.

On April 28, 1962, Walter Joseph Gundling married Kathleen Ann Wiegand in Lancaster, and they were married for nearly 59 years. Together they raised five children.

Walter Joseph Gundling retired from the business in 2005, at which time the firm closed. The Moravian Church of Lancaster hosted a retirement concert and reception on June 12, 2005, Walter Joseph’s birthday.

Walter Joseph Gundling is survived by his children Daniel Gundling (Patricia) of Emmaus, Pennsylvania; Joseph Anthony Gundling (Janet) of Lebanon, Pennsylvania; Mary Ellen Gundling Koval (Mark) of Wilmington, Delaware; Anne Marie Gundling Williams (Andy) of Lancaster; and Barbara Kathleen Gundling Raihall (James) of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania; as well as ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. A funeral Mass was celebrated at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Lancaster, on February 25. Memorial gifts may be made to the Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary, 1834 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601.

J. Samuel Hammond

J. Samuel Hammond, 73, longtime carillonneur at Duke Chapel, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, died February 25. Hammond retired from the university in December 2018 after 53 years of service spanning six university presidents. He performed daily carillon recitals at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and on Sundays after chapel services and at university ceremonies. Upon his retirement the university board of trustees dedicated the 50-bell carillon in his honor.

Born August 22, 1947, Hammond came to Duke as an undergraduate student in 1964 from Americus, Georgia, and began playing the chapel carillon shortly after his arrival. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1968 and later earned a master’s degree in theological studies, both at Duke, as well as a master’s degree in library science from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Hammond was promoted to chapel carillonneur upon graduation in 1968 and was named university carillonneur in 1986, becoming only the second person to hold the title. In 2018, he was named university carillonneur emeritus. For 41 years, he was a librarian in the university’s rare book room, music library, and other library departments. Upon retirement from the library in 2012, he was honored through the collection’s acquisition of a rare first edition of the illustrated 1612 book, De campanis commentarius (“A Commentary on Bells”). Hammond performed recitals in bell towers of churches and universities across the United States. In addition, for more than 50 years he volunteered as accompanist for young musicians in the Duke String School, playing piano in rehearsals and performances. During his lifetime, Hammond served as organist at Methodist, Episcopal, and Catholic churches, substitute organist at Duke Chapel, and accompanist for the Triangle Jewish Chorale, Durham Savoyards, Longleaf Opera Company, and other groups.

J. Samuel Hammond is survived by his wife Marie, son Christopher and his wife Kelli, son John, and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial gifts may be made to Urban Ministries of Durham, Triangle Land Conservancy, or a charity of your choice.

Nunc Dimittis

William A. Crowle (Bill), 62, died March 16 in Vernon Hills, Illinois. He began piano study at the age of four and violin at six. He attended Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, where he studied composition with Joseph Schwantner, Samuel Adler, and Warren Benson and piano with Maria Luisa Faini. He pursued graduate studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he studied composition with Frederick Fox and Bernhard Heiden and piano with Enrica Cavallo-Gulli and received both master’s and doctoral degrees in composition with highest distinction. He studied organ with Richard Enright and Leon Nelson.

For the last 25 years Crowle served as organist/accompanist at First Presbyterian Church, Deerfield, Illinois. He also served in parallel years as accompanist to Lakeside Congregation for Reformed Judaism in Highland Park, Illinois. He was the staff accompanist for the music department at Vernon High School until this past year and was accompanist for the Beverly-Morgan Park Community Choir, Chicago, Illinois.

His many musical collaborations included the Waukegan Concert Chorus, the New Classic Singers, Buffalo Grove Symphonic Band, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and he was heard on WFMT radio and WGN-TV. As a composer, he wrote works for a variety of media, including treble choir, piano, recorder, Orff instruments, guitar, bass guitar, and percussion. His versatility as a musician spanned musical genres that stretched from classical, to jazz, to baroque, rock and roll, spiritual, and beyond.

Joseph Ross Flummerfelt, 82, died March 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born February 24, 1937, in Vincennes, Indiana, and he began music studies with his mother, who was organist of First Baptist Church of Vincennes. He studied organ and church music at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, and choral conducting at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and University of Illinois, Champaign. Early in his career, he taught at the University of Illinois, DePauw University (1964–1968), and Florida State University, Tallahassee (1968–1971); later he taught for 33 years at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey, retiring in 2004. There he conducted the Westminster Choir and Westminster Symphonic Choir.

Flummerfelt was named director of choral activities for Spoleto Festival USA at its inception in 1977 and also served as chorus master of the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, from 1971 until 1993. Upon his retirement from Spoleto Festival USA in 2013, he was named director emeritus. In 1979, Flummerfelt founded New York Choral Artists and became chorus master for the New York Philharmonic and music director of Singing City, Philadelphia. He made his New York Philharmonic conducting debut in 1988 with a performance of Haydn’s Creation. He collaborated with dozens of orchestral conductors in preparing their choruses for concerts and recordings. Three of his recordings received Grammy awards.

In 2004, Flummerfelt was named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year, and in his retirement, he held numerous visiting professorships. His honors included Le Prix du President de la Republique from L’Académie du Disque Français and four honorary doctoral degrees.

Joseph Ross Flummerfelt is survived by a brother, Kent, and two sisters, Pam Flummerfelt Rappaport and Carol Flummerfelt Helmling.

Peter John Hurford, 88, organist, church musician, performer, recording artist, teacher, composer, and author, died March 3 in St. Albans, UK. He was born November 22, 1930, in Minehead, Somerset, UK, and was educated at Blundell’s School. After brief studies at the Royal College of Music in London, he earned dual degrees in music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge, studying with Harold Darke, later studying organ in Paris, France, with André Marchal.

He served as organist for Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa, from 1956 until 1957, while also music master at Bablake School, Coventry, and for Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir. From 1958 until 1978, he was organist and choirmaster of St. Albans Cathedral Choir, St. Albans. In 1963, Hurford was founder of what became the St. Albans International Organ Festival, as a new Harrison & Harrison organ had been installed at the cathedral, designed by Ralph Downes and Hurford.

In 1956, Hurford performed at Royal Festival Hall, which launched what would become an international performance career. A recording artist as well, he recorded more than fifty discs. His largest recording project included the complete organ works of Bach in the 1970s for Decca (1975–1981) and BBC Radio 3 (1980–1982); he would also record the complete organ works of Mendelssohn, Franck, and Hindemith. He taught at Oxford and Cambridge universities and was an honorary fellow in organ studies at the University of Bristol. He held several international artist residencies and was a consultant for design of the organ of the Sydney Opera House. He was named an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College in 2006, served as a president of the Incorporated Association of Organists and the Royal College of Organists, receiving the latter’s medal in 2013, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1984. He served on international competition juries, including Haarlem, Bruges, Prague, Linz, Nürenberg, Berlin, Dublin, and Chartres. Hurford was an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music and honorary fellow both of the Royal College of Music and of the Royal School of Church Music, and held honorary doctorates in music from the University of Bristol and from Baldwin-Wallace College, Ohio (home of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute).

A composer, his works were mostly published by Oxford University Press and Novello. His book, Making Music on the Organ (Oxford University Press, 1998), was widely distributed. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, retiring from performing in 2009.

In 1955, Hurford married Patricia Matthews, who died in 2017. Peter John Hurford is survived by a daughter Heather, sons Michael and Richard, nine grandchildren, and sister Maureen. A private funeral was held March 18. A memorial service is to be held June 15 at St. Albans Cathedral.