George Guest

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Dr George Howell Guest, CBE (9 February 1924 - 20 November 2002) was organist and choirmaster of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, for four decades. He was a highly influential teacher, numbering many cathedral organists among his former students. He was at the forefront of the adoption of a more continental tone in English cathedral choirs.

[edit] Birth and early life

George Guest was born in Bangor, Wales. His father was an organist, and George assisted him by acting as organ blower. He became a chorister at Bangor Cathedral, and subsequently at Chester Cathedral, where he received organ lessons from the sub-organist, Dr. Roland Middleton. He passed the examination for ARCO in 1940, and FRCO in 1942. By this time he had become the organist and choirmaster of Connah's Quay parish church, Flintshire.

At the age of 18 he was called up for military service, and joined the Royal Air Force, being posted to India in 1945. On leaving the services in 1947 he took up the post of sub-organist at Chester Cathedral. The cathedral organist, Malcolm Boyle, encouraged him to apply for the Organ Scholarship at St John's College, Cambridge, in which endeavour he was successful.

At Cambridge he studied under Robin Orr. In his final year as Organ Scholar, Robin Orr announced that he intended to retire, and the College Council offered the post to Guest.

[edit] Organist and Choirmaster at St John's College

Within five years of Guest becoming organist and choirmaster, the whole future of the choir at St John's College came into question, with the proposed closure of the day school which provided the choristers. Guest, with the support of his predecessor, persuaded the College to found a Choir School.

Under George Guest's direction, the choir built up a formidable reputation, challenging the supremacy of the college of King's College, Cambridge. Guest introduced a more "continental" tone into the choir, as George Malcolm was doing at Westminster Cathedral.

The choir began broadcasting on the BBC in the early 1950s, and recorded its first long playing record in 1958. By the time of Guest's retirement in 1991, the choir had recorded sixty LPs or CDs under his direction.

The BBC has broadcast Evensong from St John's College on every Ash Wednesday since 1972, and the Advent Carol Service each year since 1981. During George Guest's tenure, the choir undertook many overseas tours.

In 1987 Guest was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours.^[1]

Herbert Howells and Michael Tippett are among the many composers who wrote liturgical settings for the St John's College choir whilst George Guest was organist and choirmaster. They also include the French composer Jean Langlais, who wrote a setting of the Psalm Beatus vir for the choir: a rare occurrence of a Continental composer writing for the English cathedral tradition.

Organ Scholars who studied under George Guest include:

• Sir David Lumsden (Southwell Minster, New College, Oxford, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, London)
• Brian Runnett (organist, Norwich Cathedral)
• Jonathan Bielby (organist, Wakefield Cathedral)
• Jonathan Rennert (St Michael's, Cornhill)
• David Hill (choral director) (sub-organist, Durham Cathedral; organist, Westminster Cathedral; organist, Winchester Cathedral; organist and choirmaster, St John's College, Cambridge; now Chief Conductor, BBC Singers)
• Adrian Lucas (organist, Worcester Cathedral)
• Andrew Lumsden (Southwark Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Lichfield Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral)
• Stephen Cleobury (King's College, Cambridge)
• John Scott (St Paul's Cathedral, London, and subsequently St Thomas Fifth Avenue, New York City)
• Andrew Nethsingha (Truro Cathedral; Gloucester Cathedral; Organist and Director of Music, St John's College, Cambridge)

[edit] References