Jennifer Lucy Bate, (11 November 1944 – 25 March 2020) was a British concert organist best known for recording the complete organ works by

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

César Franck César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

and

Peter Dickinson Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (16 December 1927 – 16 December 2015) was an English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories. Dickinson won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association ...

Early life and education

Born in London, Bate was the only child of Horace Alfred Bate, organist of St James' Church, Muswell Hill, from 1924 to 1978, and Dorothy Hunt.''Church Times'', "Obituary: Jennifer Bate"
1 May 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2024. Her mother was also the daughter of an organist, and sister to one.''The Guardian'', "Jennifer Bate obituary"
30 March 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2024. Bate was educated at the

Tollington School Tollington School (1901-1967) was a selective, coeducational grammar school in Muswell Hill, London, England. For the present school on this site, see Fortismere School. Foundation Tollington School of Muswell Hill, North London N10, was the ...

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, London, Highgate, Hampstead Garden ...

, then the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

. Having initially been taught by her father, she became an

Associate of the Royal College of Music Associate of the Royal College of Music (ARCM) was a professional qualification awarded by the Royal College of Music. Like the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM), it was offered in teaching or performing. There is no obvious success ...

in 1961 and a

Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) is a professional diploma, or licentiate, formerly open to both internal students of the Royal Academy of Music and to external candidates in voice, keyboard and orchestral instruments and guitar, as ...

in 1963. After graduating from university in 1966 she worked for a few years as a librarian at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

Career

Bate was considered an authority on the organ music of

, whom she met in 1975 when he and his wife attended one of Bate's concerts at her father's church in Muswell Hill. In 1986 she gave the first British performance of his '' Livre du Saint-Sacrement'' at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

and later made the world premiere recording of the work under the personal supervision of the composer, winning the ''

Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

''. She recorded the works at the Eglise de la Sainte-Trinite in Paris and at

Beauvais Cathedral Beauvais Cathedral otherwise the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Beauvais () is a Catholic church in the northern town of Beauvais, Oise, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Beauvais, Noyon and Senlis. The cathedral is in the High Gothic style, ...

. Messiaen also endorsed Bate's earlier recordings of all of his other organ works. She owned scores that contain many personal markings and references made by him. Bate had a broad repertoire spanning several centuries. She recorded the complete organ works of

and of

, the reviews of the latter mentioning the "easy fluency of her technique" and "her highly articulate and intelligent interpretations". She also recorded English organ music, including works by John Stanley and

Samuel Wesley Samuel Wesley may refer to: * Samuel Wesley (poet, died 1735) (1662–1735), English poet and churchman * Samuel Wesley (poet, died 1739) (1691–1739), English poet and churchman, son of the above * Samuel Wesley (composer, born 1766) (1766–1837 ...

, and the complete organ works of

, whose organ concerto she premiered and first recorded. She appeared at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

four times between 1974 and 2008.

Personal life and death

Bate was married briefly, from 1968 to 1972, to the organist and composer George (later Sir George) Thalben-Ball (1896−1987), who was 48 years her senior. The marriage was later annulled. She died of cancer on 25 March 2020, aged 75.

Honours

Bate received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from the

in 2007. She was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2008 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...

, and became an officer of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

and a chevalier of the

Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 2012. She was granted honorary Italian citizenship in 1996.

Early life and education

Career

Personal life and death

Honours

References

External links