Joseph Payne (musician)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Payne was a British
/Swiss German
harpsichord
ist, clavichord
ist, organist
and musicologist
, best known for his pioneering recordings of early keyboard
music.
He was born in the Chahar
province of China
in 1941, the son of a British father, Joseph Sr. (c.1909-1955), and a Swiss German mother, Mina, who were missionaries
to Mongolia
. During his birth during World War II
he lived at an internment camp in Shanghai
. The family subsequently moved to England, where Payne received his primary education, and then to Switzerland. While studying at College de Vevey
, Payne exhibited an interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach
and started receiving musical education.
Payne's family moved again, this time to Connecticut
, where Joseph Sr. became the pastor of Faith Assembly of God in Hartford. However, Rev. Payne's health had been compromised by the tortures of the internment camp, from which he never fully recovered. He served the Hartford church from 1951 till a fatal heart attack on November 12, 1955, at age 46. (His death was a blow to the church, which under his leadership doubled in size.). Meanwhile, Joseph Jr. studied at Trinity College
and Hartt College of Music; his teachers included Wanda Landowska
and Fernando Valenti
. While at Hartt, he met cellist Phoebe Joyce, who became his wife in 1966. The young couple settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. Payne found a job as lecturer at Boston University
and started a recording career. In the early 1980s Payne accepted a job invitation from the Episcopal Parish of All Saints, Ashmont
, and the family moved to Dorchester
. Payne worked as organist and directed the church's choirs, including the Choir of Men and Boys.
After several years, Payne left the Ashmont church and concentrated on his recording career. In early 2000s this was cut short by a stroke, which left Payne unable to play with precision. He turned his attention to photography, and in late 2006 the family moved to Mount Vernon
, Maine
. On 14 January 2008 Payne died of a heart attack. He was survived by wife and his son Christopher Payne, photographer.
Payne's discography contains nearly 100 items, most being recordings of early keyboard music. This includes the complete organ works of Johann Pachelbel
, the complete keyboard works of John Blow
, recordings of music by numerous neglected composers such as John Bull
, Gottlieb Muffat
, Johan Helmich Roman
and others. He also recorded large selections from various important early music manuscripts, such as the Buxheimer Orgelbuch, the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book
, the Andreas Bach Buch and the Dublin Virginal Manuscript
, and the chorales of the Neumeister collection
(of which he made the world-premiere recording, recorded and released prior to the recording by Werner Jacob). Record label
s with which Payne worked included Bis, Naxos, Harmonia Mundi, Hänssler Classics and others.
Payne has worked for radio, producing several syndicated series such as The Bach Connection.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
/Swiss German
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist, clavichord
Clavichord
The clavichord is a European stringed keyboard instrument known from the late Medieval, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was widely used as a practice instrument and as an aid to composition, not being loud enough for larger performances. The clavichord produces...
ist, 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 musicologist
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
, best known for his pioneering recordings of early keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
music.
He was born in the Chahar
Chahar (province)
Chahar , also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar, or Qahar, was a province of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar Mongolians....
province of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1941, the son of a British father, Joseph Sr. (c.1909-1955), and a Swiss German mother, Mina, who were missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. During his birth during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he lived at an internment camp in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. The family subsequently moved to England, where Payne received his primary education, and then to Switzerland. While studying at College de Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, Payne exhibited an interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and started receiving musical education.
Payne's family moved again, this time to Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, where Joseph Sr. became the pastor of Faith Assembly of God in Hartford. However, Rev. Payne's health had been compromised by the tortures of the internment camp, from which he never fully recovered. He served the Hartford church from 1951 till a fatal heart attack on November 12, 1955, at age 46. (His death was a blow to the church, which under his leadership doubled in size.). Meanwhile, Joseph Jr. studied at Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
and Hartt College of Music; his teachers included Wanda Landowska
Wanda Landowska
Wanda Landowska was a Polish harpsichordist whose performances, teaching, recordings and writings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in the early 20th century...
and Fernando Valenti
Fernando Valenti
Fernando Valenti was an American harpsichordist. After instruction with Jose Iturbi and Ralph Kirkpatrick and a debut in 1950, he recorded and taught over a forty-year career. One of his most-noted students was Igor Kipnis...
. While at Hartt, he met cellist Phoebe Joyce, who became his wife in 1966. The young couple settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. Payne found a job as lecturer at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and started a recording career. In the early 1980s Payne accepted a job invitation from the Episcopal Parish of All Saints, Ashmont
Ashmont, Massachusetts
Ashmont is a section of the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. It includes the subsections of Ashmont Hill, Peabody Square, and Ashmont-Adams. Located near the Milton/Boston border, major streets include Ashmont Street, Gallivan Blvd., and Dorchester Avenue....
, and the family moved to Dorchester
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
. Payne worked as organist and directed the church's choirs, including the Choir of Men and Boys.
After several years, Payne left the Ashmont church and concentrated on his recording career. In early 2000s this was cut short by a stroke, which left Payne unable to play with precision. He turned his attention to photography, and in late 2006 the family moved to Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. On 14 January 2008 Payne died of a heart attack. He was survived by wife and his son Christopher Payne, photographer.
Payne's discography contains nearly 100 items, most being recordings of early keyboard music. This includes the complete organ works of Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel
Johann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
, the complete keyboard works of John Blow
John Blow
John Blow was an English Baroque composer and organist, appointed to Westminster Abbey in 1669. His pupils included William Croft, Jeremiah Clarke and Henry Purcell. In 1685 he was named a private musician to James II. His only stage composition, Venus and Adonis John Blow (baptised 23 February...
, recordings of music by numerous neglected composers such as John Bull
John Bull
John Bull is a national personification of Britain in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged man, often wearing a Union Flag waistcoat.-Origin:...
, Gottlieb Muffat
Gottlieb Muffat
Gottlieb Theophil Muffat was an Austrian composer/organist and son of Georg Muffat. He studied with Johann Fux in Vienna from 1711 onward and was appointed court organist in 1717. He assisted in the performance of Fux's opera Costanza e fortezza in Prague...
, Johan Helmich Roman
Johan Helmich Roman
Johan Helmich Roman was a Swedish Baroque composer. He has been called "the father of Swedish music" or "the Swedish Handel."-Life:...
and others. He also recorded large selections from various important early music manuscripts, such as the Buxheimer Orgelbuch, the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book
Fitzwilliam Virginal Book
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book is a primary source of keyboard music from the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods in England, i.e., the late Renaissance and very early Baroque. It takes its name from Viscount Fitzwilliam who bequeathed this manuscript collection to Cambridge University in 1816...
, the Andreas Bach Buch and the Dublin Virginal Manuscript
Dublin Virginal Manuscript
The Dublin Virginal Manuscript is an important anthology of keyboard music kept in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, where it has been since the 17th century under the present shelf-list TCD Ms D.3.29.-History:...
, and the chorales of the Neumeister collection
Neumeister Chorales
Neumeister Chorales is the name commonly used for a recently discovered set of chorale preludes compiled by Johann Gottfried Neumeister . The manuscript was passed onto Christian Heinrich Rinck , whose library was bought by Lowell Mason in 1852...
(of which he made the world-premiere recording, recorded and released prior to the recording by Werner Jacob). Record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s with which Payne worked included Bis, Naxos, Harmonia Mundi, Hänssler Classics and others.
Payne has worked for radio, producing several syndicated series such as The Bach Connection.
Partial discography
- Albero: Harpsichord Sonatas (Bis)
- BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
: Chorale Preludes (Neumeister Chorales) (Harmonia Mundi) - Bach: French Suites (Bis)
- Bach: Goldberg Variations (Bis)
- Bach: Klavierbüchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (Hanssler Classics)
- BullJohn BullJohn Bull is a national personification of Britain in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged man, often wearing a Union Flag waistcoat.-Origin:...
: Pavans and Galliards (Bis) - Couperin (François)François CouperinFrançois Couperin was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.-Life:Couperin was born in Paris...
: Pièces de Clavecin (Bis) - DieupartCharles DieupartCharles Dieupart was a French harpsichordist, violinist, and composer. Although he was known as Charles to his contemporaries, his real name may have been François. He was most probably born in Paris, but spent much of his life in London, where he settled sometime after 1702/3...
: Six Suitees de Clavesin (Centaur) - DuphlyJacques DuphlyJacques Duphly was a French harpsichordist and organist, and the composer of bright, lively, and attractive keyboard music.- Biography :...
: Pièces de Clavecin (Centaur) - Muffat (Gottlieb)Gottlieb MuffatGottlieb Theophil Muffat was an Austrian composer/organist and son of Georg Muffat. He studied with Johann Fux in Vienna from 1711 onward and was appointed court organist in 1717. He assisted in the performance of Fux's opera Costanza e fortezza in Prague...
: Componimenti Musicali per il cembalo (Centaur) - PachelbelJohann PachelbelJohann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
: The Complete Organ Works (Centaur) - Pachelbel: Keyboard Suites (Bis)
- RomanJohan Helmich RomanJohan Helmich Roman was a Swedish Baroque composer. He has been called "the father of Swedish music" or "the Swedish Handel."-Life:...
: 12 Suites for Harpsichord (Bis) - ScarlattiDomenico ScarlattiGiuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
: Essercizi per gravicembalo (Bis) - StanfordCharles Villiers StanfordSir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :...
: Organ Sonatas, Opp. 151–153 (Marco Polo) - TelemannGeorg Philipp TelemannGeorg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually...
: Fantasies (Centaur) - VA: Andreas Bach manuscript (Koch Discover Int'l)
- VA: Dublin Virginal Manuscript (Koch Discover Int'l)
- VA: Early English Organ Music (Naxos, 2 volumes)
- VA: Early French Organ Music (Naxos, 2 volumes)
- VA: German Organ Music (Naxos, 2 volumes)
- VA: Das Buxheimer Orgelbuch (Naxos, 3 volumes)
- VA: The Fitzwilliam Virginal BookFitzwilliam Virginal BookThe Fitzwilliam Virginal Book is a primary source of keyboard music from the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods in England, i.e., the late Renaissance and very early Baroque. It takes its name from Viscount Fitzwilliam who bequeathed this manuscript collection to Cambridge University in 1816...
(Vox (Classical)) - VA: The Queenes Command, music by English virginalists
- VA: Vox Organalis: Gothic Keyboard Music (Koch Discover Int'l)