Alec Rowley

Alec Rowley (13 March 1892 – 12 January 1958) was an English composer, organist, pianist, lecturer and writer on music. He composed a large number of works, mainly on a small scale and often of an educational nature though with some larger-scale orchestral and choral works. He was a dedicated teacher, broadcaster and writer; after his death the Alec Rowley Memorial Prize was established at Trinity College of Music.

Life Rowley was born in Ealing, West London on 13 March 1892. He entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1908, where he studied under Frederick Corder, H.W. Richards (organ) and Edward Morton (piano). He won several prizes, including the Mortimer and Prescott prizes for composition. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO) in 1914, and held a succession of church organist appointments: at St John's, Richmond, 1912–21, St Alban's, Teddington 1921–32 and, during the Second World War, at St Margaret's, Westminster. From 1920 he was a lecturer at Trinity College of Music, later a professor and Fellow of the college. He became well known as a broadcaster during the 1930s, through a series of piano duets with Edgar Moy. In his compositions he generally avoided modernity, although on occasion he was not afraid to experiment with more modern harmonic forms. Like his contemporary John Ireland, his keyboard works sometimes show the influence of French music. He was the soloist in the first performance of his Second Piano Concerto at the wartime Proms in September 1940 with the London Symphony Orchestra under Henry Wood. Among his numerous educational piano works for various levels of pianistic ability is the short piece The Rambling Sailor, which was chosen as one of ten test pieces for the Daily Express national piano playing competition in 1928, and recorded as a demonstration by William Murdoch.

There are also more extended works such as the Five Nocturnes (two from 1932, three from 1947)

Rowley wrote or contributed to a number of books, mainly of an educational nature, such as Four Hands, One Piano (1940); Practical Musicianship (1941); and Extemporisation: a Treatise for Organists (1955). He also acted as musical adviser and reader to a number of publishing houses.

Recordings Recordings are available of a few of Rowley's works: Music for piano (including Piano Sonatas No 1 and 2, Nocturnes No 1 and 2 and Seven Preludes on all the intervals. Dutton Epoch CDLX7401 (2022) Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Major for Piano, Strings and Percussion, Naxos 8557290 Down Channel (a 'Nautical Overture'), The Golden Age of Light Music: Non-Stop to Nowhere, Guild GLCD5206 Organ solos – Soliloquy (on Priory PRCD1083), Festival March (Priory PRCD661), Benedictus (Delphian DCD34064) Nocturne No. 5 in F for piano (Quartz QTZ2128) Music for viola and piano: Reverie, Aubade, Farandole Guild 7275 Shepherd's Delight, for strings (1929) (MPR CWSO01 ) The Rambling Sailor (1928), William Murdoch, piano APR 6029 A Flower Suite, op 10 (1915), Jeffrey Wagner, piano Three Quiet Preludes for organ (1937), Robert James Stove, Ars Organi AOR004 (2022)