Few
musicians have been more important to modern Episcopal church music than
Peter Hallock. During his forty years at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle,
he produced a remarkable legacy: a daunting number of published and
unpublished compositions, including numerous motets as well as large-scale
anthems with instrumental accompaniment. A three-year cycle of psalm
settings for choir with congregational antiphons is the most popular
Psalter in common use in both the Episcopal and Lutheran denominations in
the United States.
At
the Cathedral itself, Hallock’s legacy includes the landmark Flentrop
tracker organ, the Compline service, the annual Messiah performances on
period instruments, and a national reputation for the great musical
tradition he brought about. The popularity of Compline at St. Mark’s
spawned a revival in interest in this service, now included in the prayer
books of Lutheran and Episcopal denominations worldwide.
His
musical accomplishments have been recognized by numerous degrees and
honors: Doctor of Sacred Music, honoris causa, from the Church Divinity
School of the Pacific (the Episcopal seminary of the western United
States); Associate of the Royal School of Church Music; Associate of the
Royal College of Music; Master of Music in Organ Performance and
Composition (University of Washington); Canon Precentor (emeritus), St.
Mark's Cathedral; and Canon of Honor, Diocese of Olympia.
Dr.
Hallock was the first lay person in the Episcopal Church to be given the
title of Canon Precentor, indicating his importance not only as a composer
and musician, but also as a contributor to the liturgy of St. Mark's and
the Dioceses of Olympia.
Now
retired from St. Mark's Cathedral, Dr. Hallock serves as organist at St.
Clement's Parish, Seattle, and continues as director of the prestigious
Compline Choir.