Profile: George Bayley
by Danny Schweers, February, 2008
Music Beyond The Parish
If it were up to most of us, we would be content with the music we know and love. Thankfully, many of our churches have professional musicians who challenge us to listen to the wider world of music, a world without boundaries.
George Bayley, music director at St. Peter's, Lewes, is one such musician. He often brings music beyond the parish into his church near the sea. As this profile was being written, he had invited an award-winning early music ensemble, Brandywine Baroque, to give a concert at St. Peter's, not a concert of beloved hymns, but a concert featuring music from 18th-century London. The following month, at St. Peter's 9th annual Memorial Day Weekend Organ Recital, he will be joined by harper and organist Margaret Love as they perform music for two organists as well as music for celtic harp and organ. It is typical of Bayley, as you will see, for him to collaborate with musicians beyond the parish.
What makes Bayley unusual, perhaps even among professional church musicians, is that he is not content to bring excellent music into his parish. He also exports music.
He has exported music for a number of years through a "bench exchange" program that takes him to Great Britain and, at the same time, brings a Brit, a Scot, or an Ulsterman (Northern Ireland) to Lewes. The two musicians trade jobs, houses, and cars. In addition to these yearly exchanges, Bayley has made several recital tours through the United Kingdom as well as frequent concert appearances throughout the Eastern Seaboard as well as visits to Alabama, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
In 2007, Bayley exported music in a big way to the Diocese of Argyll & The Isles by leading a pilgrimage of some 30 Delaware musicians, not only musicians from St. Peter's, but also musicians from Immanuel, Highlands, in Wilmington. Above is a photo of the touring choir at Iona Abbey.
Recently, he has been exporting music beyond the parish through his own music publishing venture, Deerwood Music. The catalog of Deerwood Music includes many choir anthems suitable for the smaller church choir as well as anthems for medium to large choirs. In addition to choral music and organ transcriptions by Bayley, Deerwood Music offers sacred and secular works by composers Roo Brown, Christopher Putnam, and Victor Searle. Bayley wants to export this music into your life. See for yourself by visiting www.DeerwoodMusic.com.
He is especially proud of his new hymnal, 101 Hymns and Songs of the Celtic Spirit. This hymnal, and his earlier Deerwood Anthem Book, have been sold to churches in New Zealand, Ireland, England, and Scotland. Details and an index are on the Deerwood website, above. Currently, 101 Hymns and Songs in the Celtic Spirit is on sale at Seekers Spiritual Treasures, the new store at St. Peter's.
St. James' Music Press, a Kentucky firm, has published two of George Bayley's anthems — In the Year King Uzziah Died and Here Are We in Bethlehem — in their "Sewanee Composer's Project MMVI." Click here to listen to these anthems on the St. Jame's Music website. (Just scroll down the page until you see first one, and then the second of these anthems listed. Or use your browser's FIND command to search for Bayley.)
The website YouTube has a video of the St. Peter's Choir singing Bayley's first collaboration with Canon Mark Harris. Click here to see and hear this anthem, The Healing River, with music by Bayley and words by Harris. This was the premier performance on 21 October 2007, conducted by Malcolm Archer, former organist of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. (Please be patient; the page can be slow to appear.) The words to the anthem are found below the video, so you can follow along.
Harris and Bayley just finished their third collaboration, which will be presented on Saturday morning at the 2008 Diocesan Convention in Laurel. As well, both of Bayley's books — 101 Hymns and Songs of the Celtic Spirit and The Deerwood Anthem Book — will be on display and for sale.
Bayley has been an organist, choirmaster and composer for many years. A native of Massachusetts, Bayley received his musical education at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he majored in organ with Dr. Carl McKinley and studied liturgical music with Dr. Everett Titcomb, earning his bachelor's in music, honors with distinction.
Bayley subsequently earned his master's in music at the University of Michigan School of Music in Ann Arbor where he studied organ with Professor Robert Clark and choral conducting with Professor Thomas Hilbish.
Before coming to St. Peter's in May 2000, Bayley served churches and cathedrals in Albany, N.Y.; Newport News, Va.; and Jacksonville, Fla. He also served on the faculties of Christopher Newport University in Newport News and Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, where he taught church music and music history.
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Thanks to Jen Mason, Editor of the Delaware Communion, and to the Cape Gazette for providing background for this profile.