David Patrick Gedge Explained

David Patrick Gedge MBE FRCO (1 March 1939 – 2 July 2016) was an organist based in England and Wales.^[1]

Life

David Gedge was the son of Arthur (Paul) Johnson Gedge 1903–1968 and Gwendoline (Wendy) Middleton 1908–1955.^{[2] [3] [4]} Paul Gedge was a parish priest, lastly in Southwark / Lambeth and an author;^[5] a friend of Eric Crozier and the influence to the character Mr. Gedge in Benjamin Britten's opera Albert Herring.^{[6] [7]} On David's mother's side, he was a great-nephew to the organist Hubert Stanley Middleton.^[8]

He was a chorister in Southwark Cathedral from 1947 to 1962, and educated in St Olave's Grammar School in London, the Royal Academy of Music, and the University of London. He was awarded the Turpin Prize in 1962 when he achieved his FRCO. He was made a MBE in 1993,^[9] and received the Archbishop of Wales award for church music in 1997. Gedge wrote two volumes of memoirs, A Country Cathedral Organist Looks Back (2005) and More From a Country Cathedral Organist (2008). Both autobiographies were self-published and received mixed reviews. He died on 2 July 2016.

Appointments

• Organist of St. Mary the Virgin, Primrose Hill, London 1957–1962
• Organist of Selby Abbey 1962–1966
• Director of Music at Brecon Cathedral 1966^[10] –2007, where his wife Hazel held the position of Assistant Organist.

Notes and References

1. Book: Shaw, Watkins . 1991 . The Succession of Organists . Oxford . Clarendon Press . 32 . 9780198161752 .
2. Web site: England and Wales GRO Marriage Index; 1930, Q2; District: Thame; vol. 3a, p. 2953.. 10 August 2024. FreeBMD. ONS.
3. Web site: ibid. . 10 August 2024. FreeBMD. ONS.
4. Web site: England and Wales GRO Birth Index; 1939, Q2; District: Bermondsey; vol. 1d, p. 1228.. 10 August 2024. FreeBMD. ONS.
5. Book: 1968 . Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1967–68: GEDGE, Arthur Paul Johnson . London . Oxford University Press .
6. Book: Carpenter, Humphrey . 1992 . Benjamin Britten : a biography . New York . Charles Scribner's Sons . 217, 242 and 244. 0684195690.
7. Book: Mitchell, Donald . 1991 . Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten 1913–1976, Volume two 1939–1945 . London . Faber . 1244 . 0571194001.
8. Web site: David Gedge's Family Tree . FamilySearch . 10 August 2024.
9. Web site: The London Gazette, 1993 New Year Honours List, supplement: 53332, p. 17. . Gov.uk. 11 August 2024.
10. International Who's Who in Music and Musicians Directory. David Cummings. 2000