nota1cambiata

John Langdon (King’s Organ Scholar 1961-64) moved to Glasgow in 1968 and spent the rest of his life there as an accompanist, organist, harpsichordist, and lecturer at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. It was rumoured that David Willcocks had said that Langdon had been his best organ scholar, and those of us who saw him in action on a weekly basis were happy to believe this. Just this week, I’ve had that rumour confirmed by Adrian Partington (also a former King’s organ scholar). He may not have been as famous as Preston or Davis, but if you want to know who set the bar for extraordinary keyboard skills, it was John Langdon, a bona fide genius who combined miraculous brilliance with true humility. He died in November 2018.