Father Gerard John Benedict Farrell
style='font-weight:normal'>, O.S.B., an acknowledged leader in Gregorian Chant
studies, died on January 9, 2000. He was 81. A monk of St. John's Abbey in
Collegeville, Minnesota since 1940, Fr. Gerard served as abbey organist from
1946-1969, and choirmaster from 1951-1969. He had earned a Bachelor of Music
from Montréal University, a Master's degree from the Eastman School of
Music, and a Certificate in Organ and Composition from the Royal Flemish
Conservatory in Antwerp, Belgium. In 1952 he introduced the practice of daily
sung Vespers, and under his direction the monastic schola recorded several LP
albums of Gregorian Chant. Also, in consultation with Flor Peeters, Fr. Gerard
was instrumental in the installation of the 1960 Holtkamp organ for the
then-new Marcel Breuer-designed Abbey Church in Collegeville, where he
developed a series of organ recitals which featured leading organists from
around the world. Following two years of additional study at Boston University
and Harvard University, in 1976 Fr. Gerard became professor of Gregorian Chant
and Catholic Church Music at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New
Jersey, where he taught until a few weeks before his death. He also served as associate
priest at St. Paul's Church, Princeton, and was adjunct professor of Gregorian
Chant at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. A compact disc of his performance
of one of the liturgical organ suites by Charles Tournemire, with related
Gregorian Chant propers, was issued by the Liturgical Press in Collegeville.
(Information kindly provided by Michael Barone.)
Pierre Firmin-Didot
died on January 5, after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 79. The
funeral mass was held on January 11 at Chartres Cathedral, France. He is
survived by his wife, international recitalist Lynne Davis. Mr. Firmin-Didot
was the founder, in 1970, of the Chartres International Organ Competition
(Grand Prix de Chartres) and the support organization, the Association des
Grandes Orgues de Chartres, which runs an annual summer-long festival of organ
recitals at Chartres Cathedral as well as, every second year, the competition.
Firmin-Didot was president of the association, and thus of the competition,
until his death.
Mr. Firmin-Didot decided to save the organ at Chartres
Cathedral in 1964, when it was in such bad condition that an orchestra had to
be substituted for the organ during a visit to the cathedral by the president
of France. He enlisted all kinds of artists and celebrities in the cause,
raising money at musical benefit concerts as well as in other ways. The
inauguration of the rebuilt instrument took place in 1971 in the presence of
the President of France, Georges Pompidou. In the autumn of that year the first
competition was held, with Pierre Cochereau as president of the jury. The first
jury also included Maurice Duruflé, Gaston Litaize, Jacques Charpentier,
Victor Ruello, Feike Asma (Holland), Hans Geferte (Germany), Nicolas Kynaston
(England), Anthony Newman (USA), and Pierre Segond (Switzerland). Many
prominent organists from around the world have served on subsequent juries
including George Thalben-Ball, Jean Langlais, Marie-Claire Alain, Martin Jean,
etc. The first prize of the initial competition in 1971 was shared by Daniel
Roth and Yves Devernay. American winners have included Charles Benbow (1972),
George Baker (1974), Todd Wilson (1978), James Kibbie (1980), Martin Jean
(1986), and Matt Curlee (1996).
Mr. Firmin-Didot was also instrumental in other facets of
the preservation and restoration of Chartres Cathedral. He was founder and
president of L'Association Chartres, Santuaire du Monde, and also of the Centre
International du Vitrail, which maintains a museum of stained glass near the
cathedral and both helps to restore the famous stained glass at Chartres
Cathedral and encourages new artists in the field of stained glass. President
of France Valéry Giscard-d'Estaing pre-sided at the museum's dedication.
Mr. Firmin-Didot was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor in 1973 in
recognition of having saved the organ at Chartres Cathedral.
