Hancock: Improvisation on St. Clement | Jillian Gardner, Organ | Huntsville First UMC, AL

Gerre Hancock (1934–2012) — Improvisation on "St. Clement" (after Scholefield's The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended) Transcribed by Stephen Buzard Jillian Gardner, organ 1961 Schantz Organ at Huntsville First United Methodist Church, Huntsville, Alabama Gerre Hancock was widely considered the finest organ improviser in America. He held the position of Organist and Master of Choristers at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City from 1971 to 2004, where he set a new standard for church music in America for more than thirty years. He served on the faculty of the Juilliard School and taught improvisation on a visiting basis at the Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University and the Eastman School of Music. The Improvisation on ST. CLEMENT was recorded in 1990 for Gothic Records at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue and later transcribed by former St. Thomas assistant organist Peter Stoltzfus Berton. This gorgeous six-minute extemporization is a veritable lesson in modulation and console manipulation, carrying the captivating melody of this evening hymn ever higher in a sweeping crescendo. The tune ST. CLEMENT, composed by Clement Scholefield, is best known as the setting for the evening hymn "The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended." Jillian Gardner serves as Director of Music Ministries and Organist at Huntsville First United Methodist Church, and is the founder of the Huntsville Sacred Chorale. She performs regularly at major venues across the United States and internationally. 🎵 Subscribe for more organ music, sacred choral performances, and concert recordings from HFUMC.