Harold Darke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harold Edwin Darke (October 29, 1888–November 28, 1976) was an English composer and organist.

Darke was born in London. His first organist job was at Emmanuel Church, West Hampstead from 1906 to 1911. He became organist at St Michael's Cornhill in 1916, and stayed there until 1966, leaving only briefly in 1941 to deputise for Boris Ord as Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge during World War II. He died in Cambridge.

His famous setting of Christina Rossetti's In the Bleak Midwinter, giving to his delicate melody a beautiful and lilting organ part, is still often sung at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge, and at similar services around the world. Most of his other compositions that are still performed are settings of the Anglican liturgy, especially his three Communion Services in E, F (known as 'F in Darke' in some choirs) and A minor, and his Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in F.

[edit] External links

• Brief biography
• Brief biography
• The Music at St Michael's Cornhill
• Harold Darke free scores in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Listen to a free recording of Darke's In the bleak midwinter from Coro Nostro, a mixed chamber choir based in Leicester, UK.