John J. McClellan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
McClellan while teaching music at LDS College

John Jasper McClellan, Jr. (April 20, 1874 – August 2, 1925)[1] served as the chief organist of the organ in the Salt Lake Tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1900 to 1925.

McClellan was born in Payson, Utah Territory.[2] By the age of eleven McClellan was serving as a church organist in Payson. McClellan's father, also John J. McClellan, served as mayor of Payson from 1887 to 1890.[3]

In 1891, McClellan went to

Alberto Jonas while there. He served as organist of St. Thomas Catholic Church while in Ann Arbor. He also served as pianist of the Ann Arbor Choral Union.[4]

In 1896, McClellan returned to

Brigham Young Academy (the forerunner of Brigham Young University). It was during this time that McClellan married Mary Douglass. They eventually became the parents of five children.[2][4]
He also served as the pianist for the Salt Lake Opera Company.

In 1899, McClellan went to

Ernest Jedliczka. While in Berlin, McClellan edited and published a new edition of the LDS hymnal in German.[4]

McClellan became the organist of the Salt Lake Tabernacle in 1900. In this capacity, he accompanied the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir
and inaugurated the free weekly organ recitals at the tabernacle.

In the 1985

LDS hymnal
, the music for "Sweet Is the Work" (hymn #147) was composed by McClellan.

McClellan was a member of the Church Music Committee of the LDS Church when it was first formed.[5]

Among those who studied under McClellan were Alexander Schreiner,[6] Sidney B. Sperry[7] and J. Spencer Cornwall.[2]

John Jasper McClellan made the oldest solo pipe organ recordings that we know of today on the

Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin, no. 1 from A Day in Venice, opus 25) on both Columbia-Rena discs 1926 and 2399. Only the Toccata and "Gondoliers" were released in the U.S., on Columbia 10-inch disc A945 in 1911.[9]

References

  1. State of Utah
    . August 6, 1925. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
  2. ^ a b c Cornwall, J. Spencer, Stories of Our Mormon Hymns. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1975) p. 186
  3. ^ Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press, 1941) p. 644
  4. ^ a b c d Jenson, Andrew. Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News and A. Jenson Historical Company, 1901–1936) 1:747.
  5. ^ Church News, 1990-09-08.
  6. ^ Moody, Michael F. "Music" in Ludlow, Daniel H., ed., Encyclopedia of Mormonism. (New York: MacMillan, 1992) p. 977
  7. ^ "Sidney B. Sperry: The Man, The Scholar and the Teacher" in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 4, no. 1 (Spring 1995) p. xiv
  8. ^ Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society LIII/4 (July–August 2011) pp. 22–28
  9. ^ "McClellan, J. J. - Discography of American Historical Recordings".

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_J._McClellan&oldid=1217480876"