Passacaglia (Dem Adenken Josef Rheinbergers)

John Ebenezer West (1863-1929) was the son of William West, an organist and founder of the North-East London Academy of Music. His mother, the self-styled Madame Clara West, was a professional soprano, and his sister, Lottie West, a professional contralto soloist, pianist and teacher. West was taught at home by his father and received organ lessons from Frederick Bridge, organist at Westminster Abbey. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was taught composition by his uncle, Ebenezer Prout, the respected authority on the fugues of Bach. He gained his Associateship from the Academy in 1898 and passed the Fellowship exam of the then College of Organists. He held successive organ posts in London at St. Mary’s, Bourdon Street; St. John of Jerusalem, South Hackney ; and St. Augustine’s, Queen’s Gate. He conducted various choral societies and choirs in Lon­don, Reading, Croydon and Warlingham and lastly, the Railway Clearing House Male-Voice Choir. This choir was highly regarded in the early 20th Century.

In 1884, on his twen­ty-first birthday, he entered the music publishing firm of Novello & Company in London as an associate editor. Following the death of Berthold Tours in 1897, West succeeded to the post of chief editor and adviser. He was following in illustrious foot­steps; apart from Tours, the post had been occupied by Joseph Barnby and John Stainer. He remained with Novello’s for 45 years, of which 32 were spent as chief editor. He retired shortly before his death in 1929.

He was a prolific composer and editor with nearly 500 published pieces to his name. He was a pioneer in the field of editing, especially choral and organ music from earlier centuries. He is also well-remember for his important book of intersting information: "Cathedral Organists Past and Present", the "new and enlarged edition" was published by Novello in 1921.