Biography
Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow was born in Huddersfield on August 22, 1874 and died in York on May 1, 1946. He was an English organist and composer in the Anglican church music tradition.
He studied under John Farmer, Balliol College, Oxford, and while articled under Frederick Bridge of Westminster Abbey received tuition from Walter Alcock. After holding posts in London, Wigan and Leeds, he served as organist of York Minster from 1913 to his death. He was knighted in 1932. His anthems include Blessed City, Heavenly Salem, I Sat Down Under His Shadow, and Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. He also wrote music for organ, including a sonata in E flat, and three service settings.
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Notorious for his terseness and bluntness, Bairstow did not always endear himself to others. Asked whether he would be willing to follow the example of his predecessor at York and go to the United States, he replied that he would 'rather go to the devil.' Comfortably ensconced in Yorkshire, where he was a close friend of the equally blunt Dr Moody, Organist at Ripon Cathedral, he refused the offer to succeed Frederick Bridge at Westminster Abbey. He instead recommended his erstwhile pupil Ernest (later, Sir Ernest) Bullock, who was duly appointed to the post.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.