Murrill, Herbert (Henry John)
Murrill, Herbert (Henry John)
Murrill, Herbert (Henry John), English organist, choral conductor, broadcasting executive, and composer; b. London, May 11, 1909; d. there, July 24, 1952. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with York Bowen, Stanley Marchant, and Alan Bush (1925–28), and then was an organ scholar at Worcester Coll., Oxford (1928–31), where he took courses with Ernest Walker and Sir Hugh Allen. He occupied various posts as organist and choral director. He was prof, of composition at the Royal Academy of Music (1933–52), and also joined the staff of the BBC (1936), where he was program organizer (1942). After working in the British intelligence service (1942–46), he returned to the BBC as asst. head (1948) and head (1950) of music. His relatively small output was in a modern vein, exemplified by a “jazz opera/’ Man in Cage (London, 1930). He also wrote 2 cello concertos (1935; El cant dels ocells, 1950), choral works, chamber music, piano pieces, and songs.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire