Dr. Edward A. Wallace, 1926-2020
Dr. Edward A. Wallace, former Organist and Choirmaster of the Church of St. Michael and St. George, and former University Organist of Washington University in St. Louis, died peacefully in his home on August 17, 2020. He was 94 years old and had enjoyed a career in Anglican Church Music that spanned over 60 years and included working with some of the greatest church musicians of the twentieth century in England and America. He also served as organist for Congregation Shaare Emeth for over 20 years. He was widely regarded for his musicianship, his service playing, his choral work, and his understanding of organ tonal design. He was a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Association of Anglican Musicians.
Born in Hampton, Virginia, April 22, 1926, he grew up singing in the choir and eventually playing the organ at St. John’s Episcopal Church. In 1939, at age thirteen, he traveled with his family to New York City for the World’s Fair, during which the family visited the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Because he was so interested in church music and had shown such talent, his grandmother, always keen to support his musical development, made sure he met Dr. Norman Coke-Jephcott, Organist and Choirmaster of the cathedral. Dr. Coke-Jephcott surprised Edward by inviting him to join him at the console during a Sunday service. A light came on, awakening this talented boy from a small Virginia town to the possibilities open to him, and he promised himself that one day, he would play that great cathedral organ. He kept that promise many times over as he later became a student of, and assistant organist to, Dr. Coke-Jephcott, playing countless services and giving recitals in that magnificent space.
His studies included work at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore and the Royal School of Church Music in London. All the while, he was playing recitals and services at the great churches of New York and London. In London, he met and studied with some of the great musicians there, including Dr. George Thalben-Ball and Sir William McKie, who offered him the post of Assistant Organist at Westminster Abbey, unimaginable at the time for an American musician. Dr. Coke-Jephcott and the renowned Canon Edward West from St. John the Divine, spiritual director to the young Edward, urged him to return to the U.S. and dedicate his talents to building the tradition of music on this side of the Atlantic.
Back in the States, Edward continued working with Dr. Coke-Jephcott as his assistant. When he was ready to take a position on his own, he received a letter from “Cokey,” as he was known: “You are hereby appointed to the position of Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of the Ascension, Mt. Vernon, New York.” It was a very different era in church deployments. The job gave Edward the responsibility of developing a choral program on his own, while keeping him just a short train ride from Manhattan and a busy schedule of recitals and services.
Early in his career in New York, Edward caught the attention of T. Tertius Noble. Dr. Noble had come from York Minster to St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, in 1913, to establish the English choral music tradition there and to found what became the world-famous choir of men and boys. Edward regularly played services at St. Thomas and studied with Dr. Noble, and when the opportunity arose, Edward took the position of Assistant at St. Thomas and worked with Dr. T. Frederick H. Candlyn and later with William Self. During that time, G. Donald Harrison of Aeolean-Skinner was building a new instrument for St. Thomas, and Edward got to learn from him as he designed his final American Classic; later, Edward would design a practice instrument for St. Thomas, which would be the first of many he would help design. As Assistant Organist and Choirmaster and Assistant Headmaster of the Choir School, Edward gained invaluable experience working with a world-class music program unique in America.
In 1965, St. Michael and St. George in St. Louis was looking for a new organist and choirmaster. The search committee brought Edward out to show him the church, the organ, the music library, and the parish. Unimpressed, he politely declined their offer. Undeterred, they invited him back, though he saw little point in it since the committee never seemed to know just what they wanted in the new person. Finally, one member spoke up: “We want a new broom. We want someone from someplace else to come in here and sweep the place out and start a fresh, new program.” That sold him on the job, a challenge to build something – not from scratch, but from shambles – into something of enduring quality. He agreed to five years; he stayed for 35.
In that time, he built a music library. He oversaw the building of three organs: two by Petty-Madden, one at St. Michael and St. George and another at Graham Chapel at Washington University, and another by Quimby in St. George’s Chapel. He took a choir of elderly volunteers with perhaps more good intentions than talent and built it into an internationally regarded choral group singing services at Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and other great institutions. Among the many musicians along the way who benefited from his expertise and support was soprano Christine Brewer, who began her singing career with the choir when she was only 19. In 1995, he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Nashotah House Theological Seminary, in recognition of his work in liturgy and music. Dr. Wallace was a mentor to many organists whose work graces services throughout the country.
He will be remembered not only for his music, but also for his sharp wit and his unfailing charm. His Virginia accent never abandoned him, and he always dressed impeccably. He could burst out in a fit of frustration that Beethoven would have envied, but his appreciation was just as warm. His beloved rat terriers, Trick and, later, Skippy and Dixie, all long-gone now, were his regular companions in the neighborhoods of Wydown and Ellenwood, and later in Westmoreland Place.
Edward Wallace was the last of a very rare breed, the utterly devoted churchman. From the time he left home to go to college until he retired, he never lived any place other than a church, including residence in his tower apartment at St. Michael and St. George’s for 35 years. He grasped liturgy in a way that few have the capacity to understand, and he knew instinctively how music helps create a coherent pageantry of worship. His expertise has influenced clergy and shaped services across the country. Over the years, he transformed countless weddings and funerals into occasions worthy of royalty, with music far better than any of us deserved, because it was not music for us; it was for God.
He is survived by three nephews, John Whittington Hayes, Wilson Cox Hayes, Jr., and Edward Thomas Hayes, and a niece, Suzann Hayes Powell, all of Virginia. He is also survived by countless musicians, parishioners, and devoted friends whose lives have been immeasurably enriched by the unselfish sharing of his talents, and by his beloved Choir of St. Michael and St. George which bears the standards he established through days and weeks and years of labor and devotion. Si monumentum requeris, listen for the music.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the music program at the Church of St. Michael & St. George, 6345 Wydown Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. A memorial service will be announced for a time in the future when congregations and choirs can assemble safely.
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