John J. McClellan

John Jasper McClellan Jr. (April 20, 1874 – August 2, 1925) 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.

Biography

McClellan was born in Payson, Utah Territory. 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.

In 1891, McClellan went to Saginaw, Michigan, where he studied under Albert W. Platte. He then went to the Ann Arbor Conservatory, where he studied under Johann Erich Schmaal. He also studied with 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.

Among those who studied under McClellan were Harold Orlob, Alexander Schreiner, Sidney B. Sperry and J. Spencer Cornwall. the Columbia engineer deemed the recordings successful, but they were never approved for release; however, all five 10-inch sides recorded were indeed released, though primarily in the United Kingdom. Columbia's British branch issued "Melody in F" (Anton Rubinstein, opus 3 no. 1) and "Toccata and Finale" (an abridged version of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 by Johann Sebastian Bach) on Columbia-Rena disc 1704, "Sextette" (from Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti) and "Tannhäuser: Overture" (Richard Wagner) on both sides of Columbia-Rena 2232, and "Gondoliers" (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.