Farnam, (Walter) Lynnwood
Farnam, (Walter) Lynnwood
Farnam, (Walter) Lynnwood, outstanding Canadian organist and pedagogue; b. Sutton, Quebec, Jan. 13, 1885; d. N.Y., Nov. 23, 1930. He studied piano in Dunham, and then held the Lord Strathcona Scholarship to the Royal Coll. of Music in London (1900–1904), where he was a student of Franklin Taylor (piano) and Parratt and W.S. Hoyte (organ). He was organist in Montreal at St. James7 Methodist Church (1904–05) and at the Church of St. James the Apostle (1905–08), and then organist-choirmaster at Christ Church Cathedral (1908–13); he also was active as a recitalist and in 1912–13 taught at the McGill Cons. After serving as organist at Boston’s Emmanuel Church (1913–18), he went to N.Y. as organist at the Fifth Ave. Presbyterian Church (1919–20) and then at the Church of the Holy Communion (1920–30). His recital tours took him all over North America, England, and France. In addition to teaching in N.Y., he was on the faculty of the Curtis Inst. of Music in Philadelphia (1927–30). Farnam’s recital repertoire was extraordinary, ranging from the pre-Bach masters to his own era. He played the complete works of Bach, and also of many Romantic composers, among them Franck and Brahms. Louis Vierne’s 6th Organ Sym. (1931) is dedicated to Farnam’s memory
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire