Randall Giles (1950 – August 27, 2010) was an American music composer, Episcopal Church missionary, and ethnographer.Obituary at the Episcopal Church website
. Accessed October 12, 2010. He was born in

Oregon City, Oregon Oregon City is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, located on the Willamette River near the southern limits of the Portland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 37,572. Established in 1829 ...

in 1950. His first studies in composition were with Mark DeVoto at

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

, after which he took his undergraduate degree at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

while studying with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was a

United States Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

volunteer in

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

, and also earned a master's degree at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. He was known for both his music used in the Episcopal Church, and as an ethnographer and missionary in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Giles wrote several settings for religious services in the Episcopal Church, including ''Service Music for St. Mary's'', and ''Trisagion''. He also wrote three

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s for ''Wonder, Love and Praise'', the 2001 supplement to the bestselling ''

The Hymnal 1982 ''The Hymnal 1982'' is the primary hymnal of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is one in a series of seven official hymnals of the Episcopal Church, including ''The Hymnal 1940''. Unlike many Anglican churches (including t ...

'' -- ''

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

'', which is a new musical setting for ''Faithful Cross'' by Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, ''Dorland Mountain'', and ''Dillow''.Episcopal Church, ''Wonder, Love, and Praise: A Supplement to the Hymnal 1982'' (Church Publishing, Inc., 2001). . Found a
Google Books
Accessed October 12, 2010. He lived most recently in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, where he was diocesan director of music, and died in

Pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...

of a heart attack at the age of 60.

References

External links

Official websiteThe Hindu articleObituary in the ''Oregonian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giles, Randall 1950 births 2010 deaths People from Oregon City, Oregon Reed College alumni Northwestern University alumni Alumni of the University of York 20th-century American Episcopalians 20th-century American classical composers American film score composers American male film score composers American expatriates in India American ethnographers Anglican missionaries in India American Anglican missionaries Classical composers of church music 20th-century American male musicians American expatriates in Liberia