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Contributor


John Wells

Composer, Performer

Born: 1948

Biography

John Wells is a graduate of Cambridge University, where he was organ scholar at King’s College Chapel under Sir David Willcocks. He received his organ doctorate with high distinction from Indiana University after studies with Dr Oswald Ragatz. He is well-known to New Zealand audiences as a concert performer, composer, recording artist and teacher.

Tours have taken John to Australia and beyond to England, Poland, Germany, France and North America. He established the Cambridge Summer Recitals in 1979 which has now grown to become one of England’s leading organ festivals. John is the national NZ director of the Australian & New Zealand College of Organists, Organist to the University of Auckland, Patron of the NZ Association of Organists and Visiting Artist-Teacher (Organ) at the Auckland University School of Music. As City Organist, he instigated the project to rebuild the Auckland Town Hall organ; after ten years of planning and two years' construction, the new organ was inaugurated on March 21st, 2010.  

John is active as a composer: recent commissions include the Orlando Singers' suite of four NZ love poems  Wild Daisies for their 40th anniversary concert. The works were well received and have appeared on subsequent programmes performed by the Singers. A new mass is under way, dedicated to the memory of David Dunningham, and a second Organ Concerto. The first concerto was premièred in 1996 and has since been heard throughout NZ (8 performances) and in Melbourne with the Orchestra Victoria.

Other commissions include a work exploiting the particular sonorities of the Tongan choral tradition, other choral works, and his fourth and fifth organ suites for a meantone instrument (inspired by the Auckland University organ). His compositions incorporate Maori scales and rhythms and his organ concerto has been performed throughout New Zealand and in Australia. He has composed 25 prelude and fugue pairs for ‘The Well-Tempered Piano’, thirty prelude and fugues in all keys. Other compositions include works for young players and youth orchestras.


Composed (131)

A Little Birthday Suite

for organ, 7m


Ah, my dear Lord

for SSAATTBB choir, 3m


Arise and Hail

for SATB choir and organ


Benedicite Aotearoa

for unison singers with keyboard accompaniment, 3m


Blow me eyes

for SSAATTBB choir, 3m


Blythe Bells

composed by Percy Grainger, arranged for solo organ


Bumblebee Stew

for piano


Cauliflower Cheese

For piano, 1m


Chaconne

for solo violin


Chaconne

for two violins


Comes Jesus

for SATB choir and organ


Concert Overture

for orchestra


Concertino

for 2 clarinets and strings


Diferencias

for piano


Divertissement en Forme des Variations

for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello


Drop, drop slow tears

for SSAATTBB choir


Elevation (Tierce en Taille)

by Couperin, arranged for cello and piano by John Wells and Euan Murdoch, 4m


Fanfare for a Wedding

for organ, 3m


Fantasia

for organ, 17m


Festival Mass

for SATB, brass and organ


Fifth Suite

for organ tuned to meantone, 19m


First Mass

for unison choir and organ


First String Quartet

for string quartet


First Suite

for organ, 10m


Five Images

for cello and piano


Five Miniatures

for violin and cello


Four Baroque Songs

for two sopranos, gamba and harpsichord


Four Short Pieces

for piano


Fourth Suite

for an organ tuned in meantone


Fun in the Summertime

for solo piano


Gloria Tonga

for SATB choir and organ (or piano), 10m


Grand Prelude Op.66 No.1

by Charles-Valentin Alkan arranged for pedal organ


Hine e Hine

arranged for voice and piano, 2m


Holy Communion (Rite A)

for unison choir and organ


Horn Trio

for horn, cello and piano


How Sweet the Name

for unaccompanied SATB choir, 2m


I Was Glad

for four-part choir and organ


I Will Sing of the Lord's Great Love

for SATB choir and piano


In Days to Come

a festive anthem for choir, trumpet and organ, 7m


Introduction and Descant "Luckington"

for SATB choir, 2 trumpets and organ


Jade and Gold

for SATB choir and piano


Just Another Millennium

for SATB choir and organ


Kokako Fanfare and March

for solo organ


Laudate Dominum

for SATB choir


Magnificat and Nuncdimittis in D Major

for double SATB choir, 8m


Magnificat and Nuncdimittis in G Minor

for SAATBB choir and organ, 8m


March Waikato

arranged for organ, 4m


Mist over Waitemata

for piano, 2m


Moving Along

for piano


Music for Holy Communion

for unison church choir with piano or organ accompaniment


Now is the Hour

arranged for SATBB choir, 2m


Organ Concerto

for organ and orchestra, 23m


Organ Concerto No. 2

for organ and orchestra, 23m


Organ Symphony in C

for organ, 33m


Piano Trio

for violin, cello and piano


Piece in Three Layers

for orchestra, 10m


Psalm 47

for SS (or SA) treble choir, baritone and organ


Psalm 66

for double SATB, brass and organ


Quartet

for clarinet, violin, cello and piano


Sacerdos et pontifex

for SATB choir, brass and organ


Second Mass

for SATB choir and organ


Second String Quartet

for string quartet


Septet

for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and string quartet


Settings for A New Zealand Prayer Book

for unison voices and organ


Slovenly Peter

an operetta, 45m


Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

for clarinet and piano


Sonata for Flute and Piano

for flute and piano


String Sextet No. 1

for two violins, two violas and two cellos, 6m


Suite

for cello


The Call of the Running Tide

for SATB choir and piano, 18m


The Cygnet

for cello and piano, 3m


The Kraken

for baritone, tuba and piano


The Late Song

for voice and piano


The Lord's Prayer

for SATB choir unaccompanied or with organ, 2m


The Musica Sacra Canticles (Set One)

for mixed choir and organ


The Musica Sacra Canticles (Set Two)

for unaccompanied mixed double choir


The Shepherd's Carol

for SATB Choir with piano accompaniment


Therefore we before Him bending

for SATB choir, 2m


Third Suite

for organ, 18m


Three Herrick Canticles

for SATB choir and piano duet


Three Herrick Canticles

arrangement for SATB choir and orchestra


Three Songs for Alto Voice

for alto voice and piano, 8m


Three Songs of War

for soprano and piano, 10m


Three Studies for Four Chromatic Tympani

for solo percussion with four chromatic tympani, 10m


Toccata for piano

for piano


Tuba Suite

for tuba and piano


Unfinished Business

for solo piano


Variations on Adeste Fideles

for organ pedals


Violin Sonata

for violin and piano, 10m


Vistas

for orchestra


We praise the infant Jesus

for SATB choir and organ


When the Moon is Blue

for SSAATTBB choir


Wind Quintet

for wind quintet, 7m



Arranged (1)

Grand Prelude Op.66 No.1

by Charles-Valentin Alkan arranged for pedal organ



Commissioned (1)

Variations for Organ

for organ, 12m