Calvin Hampton (December 31, 1938–August 5, 1984) was a leading American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...

 and sacred music composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

.

He was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania

Kittanning, Pennsylvania

Kittanning is a borough and the county seat of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The name means "at the great stream" in the Delaware language...

, a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory (1960) and Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

 (1963). He served as Organist and Choirmaster of Calvary Episcopal Church

Calvary Church (Manhattan)

Calvary Church is an Episcopal church located at 273 Park Avenue South on the corner of East 21st Street in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the border of the Flatiron District. It was designed by James Renwick, Jr., the architect who designed St. Patrick's Cathedral...

, Gramercy Park, New York City

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, from September 1963 to June, 1983. His “Fridays at Midnight” organ recital series, running from 1974 to 1983, was one of the most famous and popular organ recital series in American history.

Hampton was also a respected composer for the church and for the concert stage. Before his death, Eric Routley, a noted authority on church music, called Hampton " the greatest living composer of hymn tunes." His settings of the Episcopal liturgy are also in use in Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 churches, and his choral works are milestones of innovative, challenging sacred music. He also transcribed music from other sources for the organ. His versions for organ of Mussorgsky

Modest Mussorgsky

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...

's Pictures at an Exhibition

Pictures at an Exhibition

Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists...

and César Franck

César Franck

César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life....

's Symphony in D minor

Symphony in D minor (Franck)

The Symphony in D minor is the most famous orchestral work and the only symphony written by the 19th-century Belgian composer César Franck. After two years of work, the symphony was completed 22 August 1888. It was premiered at the Paris Conservatory on 17 February 1889 under the direction of ...

are noteworthy.

Hampton’s views on the proper design and function of the organ, particularly in the orchestral context, were controversial in their time because they conflicted with then-current neo-Baroque

Neo-baroque

The Baroque Revival or Neo-baroque was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture which displays important aspects of Baroque style, but is not of the Baroque period proper—i.e., the 17th and 18th centuries.Some examples of Neo-baroque architecture:*...

 opinions.

Towards the end of his life, Hampton gave up church work and concentrated on composition and organ consulting. Several important classical instruments in the US bear the stamp of his ideas.

Weakened with AIDS

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

, Hampton remained active until the final few weeks of his life, composing the massive Alexander Variations for two pipe organ

Pipe organ

The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...

s while almost completely bedridden. He died near his parents’ home in Port Charlotte, Florida

Port Charlotte, Florida

Port Charlotte is a census-designated place in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 46,451 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

.

Sources

• Calvin Hampton archive, courtesy Calvin Hampton Estate
• The Stained-Glass Zimbelstern, doctoral dissertation, Indiana University, 2001, by Jonathan B. Hall.
• Research from primary sources and extensive interviews by Jonathan B. Hall, 1999-2005.