Calvin Hampton

Who was Calvin Hampton?

Calvin Hampton was a leading American organist and sacred music composer.

He was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and Syracuse University. He served as Organist and Choirmaster of Calvary Episcopal Church, Gramercy Park, New York City, from September 1963 to June 1983. His “Fridays at Midnight” organ recital series, running from 1974 to 1983, was one of the most famous and popular organ recital series in American history.

Hampton was also a respected composer for the church and for the concert stage. Before his death, Erik Routley, a noted authority on church music, called Hampton " the greatest living composer of hymn tunes." His settings of the Episcopal liturgy are also in use in Catholic churches, and his choral works are milestones of innovative, challenging sacred music. He also transcribed music from other sources for the organ. His versions for organ of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and César Franck's Symphony in D minor are noteworthy.

Hampton’s views on the proper design and function of the organ, particularly in the orchestral context, were controversial in their time because they conflicted with then-current neo-Baroque opinions.