Christopher Dearnley

Christopher Hugh Dearnley LVO (11 February 1930 – 15 December 2000) was an English cathedral organist, who served in Salisbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral.[1]

Background

Christopher Hugh Dearnley was born on 11 February 1930 in Wolverhampton. He was educated at Cranleigh School.

He was organ scholar at Worcester College, Oxford 1948 - 1952.

Whilst organist at St Paul's he would greatly amuse the choristers by turning up for choir practice in his plus fours which he would also wear whilst cycling around the City of London early in the mornings doing a (presumably one of his children's) paper round.

On his retirement from St Paul’s Cathedral, he was appointed LVO in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Dearnley was also president of the International Association of Organists, 1968-1971, and chairman of the Friends of Cathedral Music, 1971-1989. The Archbishop of Canterbury awarded him a Lambeth doctorate of music in 1987 and he was made a fellow of the Royal School of Church Music in 1995.[2]

Dearnley and his wife, Bridget, migrated to Australia in 1990. Both committed nudists, their first stop in Australia was a nudist camp near Wadong, Victoria.[3]

While in Australia, Dearnley undertook locums as director of music at Christ Church St Laurence (1990), St David’s Cathedral, Hobart (1991), Trinity College at the University of Melbourne (1992-1993), St George’s Cathedral, Perth (1993-1994), St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney (1995), and Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle (1996-1997). He also became patron of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia in 1991.[4]

He died in Australia on 15 December 2000.[5]

Career

Assistant organist of:

Organist of:

Cultural offices
Preceded by
Douglas Guest		 Organist and Master of the Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral
1957-1968		 Succeeded by
Richard Seal
Preceded by
John Dykes Bower		 Organist and Master of the Choristers of St Paul's Cathedral
1968-1990		 Succeeded by
John Scott

References
  1. The Succession of Organists. Watkins Shaw.
  2. ”Obituaries: Dr Christopher Dearnley”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 Jan 2001, p 15.
  3. ”Organist avoids the bum notes”, The Sun-Herald (Sydney, Australia), 21 January 1990, p 11.
  4. ”Obituaries: Dr Christopher Dearnley”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 Jan 2001, p 15.
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jan/24/guardianobituaries1
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