Page 57 - CMQ September 2019

We note the recent death of June Cox, for many years chair of IOW Area. An appreciation will appear in December.
JOHN MICHAEL EAST
John Michael East, music teacher, performer, conductor, former director of the Church Music Association and former director of music at St Etheldreda, Ely Place has died aged 90.
Born in 1929, East sang in the choir of Wakefield Cathedral during his studies for a Dip.Ed. at Bretton Hall (now part of the University of Leeds), during which time he was also an assistant organist in Wakefield. While teaching at Hillside School, Malvern, he sang in the Three Choirs Festival chorus and studied with David Willcocks. In 1957 he became assistant director of music at St John’s College, Johannesburg.
In 1961 he became a Roman Catholic, returned to England and became director of music at Stonyhurst in 1962. From 1965 he lectured at the University of London and later the University of Notre Dame in London. He became director of the Church Music Association in 1968 and embarked on a programme of ‘campaign’ to promote singing of new music for the new Mass in English, in every diocese of England & Wales, starting in Westminster, then the north and gradually working down towards the southern dioceses.
John spoke strongly of the need to build an indigenous tradition of English Catholic church music, pointing out that ‘we have been looking for blooms where we have sown no seeds.’
John was always a generous, friendly and intensely musical spirit, full of perception and insight. He will be
remembered for many things across his life, but especially for the crucial role he played in the development of the Catholic church music tradition in this country.
In paradisum deducant te angeli:
May the angels lead you to paradise.
John Woodhouse, John Ainslie and Paul Inwood.
ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Elizabeth Lawrence (née Bower) died on 17 April, age 85. Harrogate born, Liz attended Queen Ethelburga’s School, the Royal College of Music, and then studied organ with André Marchal in Paris.
Liz loved France, played in several churches and become expert in European cuisine and wine. She
and John met in France and married in 1969. Later they returned to Harrogate, where in 1983 Liz began 34 distinguished years as organist at St John, Bilton. Choristers (including both my children) gained hugely from the thorough musical training she delivered, which was always grounded in worship. Liz and John were great company, and she was delighted when my son made of ‘Liz Lawrence’ the anagram ‘L. L. Winecraze’!
John died suddenly in 1993. St John’s was full for his memorial service and
it was full again 26 years later for Liz. Many friends joined her own singers
in a 40-strong choir, mainly from local churches but also from as far as Newcastle. Simon Lindley played,
and Ruth Yarborough of St John’s directed us.
We’ll always miss Liz and John, but gratefully celebrate Liz’s lasting ministry. Kieran Fitzsimons
DEREK HOLMAN
Derek Holman (1931–2019) began his musical career as a boy playing hymns for the Methodist chapel in Illogan near Redruth, Cornwall. He was a student
at Truro school and later at the Royal Academy of Music. He was awarded three composition prizes while a student and graduated with a degree in music. Later he obtained a Fellowship diploma from the Royal College of Organists.
For two years he was music master
at the Westminster Abbey Choir School. From 1956 to 1958 he was assistant organist at St Paul’s Cathedral and at the same time became tutor, later warden, at the headquarters of the RSCM at Addington Palace. In this period, he was organist at Croydon Parish Church and founded the Croydon Bach Society. In 1965 he emigrated with his family to conduct the music programme at Grace Church on-the-Hill in Toronto, Canada.
In 1967 he was awarded a doctorate of music following the completion of
a symphony and subsequently became
a leading composer and exponent of church music in Canada. In recognition of his years of passionate teaching at the University of Toronto he was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2003. As a choirmaster he was mentor to countless young people in churches and the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus.
His legacy as a composer includes choral works ranging from hymn tunes to full-scale oratorios, and songs for solo voice and piano.
John Rucklidge
OBITUARIES
CHURCH MUSIC QUARTERLY SEPTEMBER 2019 57