Colin Hand

[S_L]

I noticed, only today, in the 'Church Times' that Dr. Colin Hand has died - on 6th of August.

 

He was born in 1929 in North Lincolnshire and, after a proposed career in biochemistry, he turned to music, studying organ with Dr Melville Cook and completing a Mus.B. at Trinity College, Dublin. He composed throughout his career and spent fifteen years as a lecturer in further education and another fifteen years as an examiner for Trinity College of Music, London. He spent most of his life in Lincolnshire, living mostly around Boston where he sometimes played the organ at 'The Stump'!!

 

His music comprised choral, orchestral and chamber music, as well as producing a substantial amount of music for teaching purposes including arrangements of pieces for 'pianists turned organists'. Quite a lot of this was published by Mayhew. He was also active as a composer for the recorder.

 

Research on the music of John Taverner, also from Lincolnshire and a singer at The Stump' in 1524, gained him a Ph.D. in the 1970's. John Taverner, his Life and Music was published by Eulenburg in 1978 and he was also a considerable authority on Renaissance music.

 

Requiem aeternam dona ei Domine

Et lux perpetua luceat ei

 

Requiescat in pace.