Role

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Composer Performer

Birth

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1885

Death

:

1930

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

W. Lynnwood Farnam was a Canadian-American organist and composer who was born on August 26, 1885, in Toronto, Canada. He was the son of a prominent organist and music teacher, William Farnam, who was also his first music teacher. Farnam showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of four. He later switched to the organ and became a prodigious talent, giving his first public recital at the age of 11. Farnam's musical education continued at the Toronto Conservatory of Music, where he studied with several prominent musicians, including Frank Welsman and Augustus Vogt. He also studied in Europe, where he was exposed to the works of the great composers of the time, including Bach, Handel, and Mendelssohn. Farnam's studies in Europe were cut short by the outbreak of World War I, and he returned to Canada to continue his career. Farnam's career as a performer began in earnest in 1909, when he was appointed organist at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Toronto. He quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest organists in Canada, and his performances were highly praised by critics and audiences alike. In 1914, Farnam was appointed organist at the Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City, where he remained for the rest of his career. Farnam's compositions were heavily influenced by his love of the organ, and he wrote a number of works for the instrument, including several large-scale works for organ and orchestra. His most famous work is his Symphony in G minor for Organ and Orchestra, which was premiered in 1924 and remains a staple of the organ repertoire to this day. Farnam's other works for organ include several preludes and fugues, as well as a number of shorter pieces. In addition to his work as a composer and performer, Farnam was also a respected music educator. He taught at several institutions, including the Juilliard School of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, and his students included a number of prominent musicians, including E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox. Farnam's career was cut short by his untimely death in 1930, at the age of 44. He was in the midst of a tour of Europe at the time, and his death was a shock to the musical world. Despite his relatively short career, Farnam left a lasting legacy as one of the finest organists and composers of his time. His works continue to be performed and recorded to this day, and his influence can be heard in the works of many contemporary composers.

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