Peter Bergquist Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Jul. 3, 2016.

Peter Bergquist

1930 - 2016

A memorial service for Peter Bergquist will be held at 1:30 p.m. on July 30 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Eugene. He died quietly on Saturday morning, June 11.

Peter was born to Ed and Margaret Bergquist in Sacramento, CA. He studied at the Eastman School of Music as a bassoon major from 1948-51. After his service in the United States Air Force, during which time he gave the Alaska premier of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto, he resumed his studies at Mannes College of Music in New York, where he received the B.S. in bassoon performance in 1958. Peter met Dorothy in a class at Mannes, fell in love before the term was over, and they married in June of that same year. Their daughter Carolyn was born while he completed the Ph.D. at Columbia University, and the family moved to Eugene when Peter joined the faculty of the School of Music at University of Oregon in 1964. Their second daughter Emily was born the following year. He retired at the end of 1995 after a long career of teaching, research, service, and mentoring, a recipient of the University of Oregon's Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Having started his career as an authority on the early sixteenth-century Italian music theorist, Pietro Aaron, he then became the most prominent American authority of his generation on the music of the most published composer of the entire sixteenth century, Orlando di Lasso. He was especially active as an editor of Lasso's music, notably with four volumes of Sämtliche Werke neue Reihe and the new edition of Lasso's Complete Motets. His research was supported by grants from the German-American Fulbright Commission, the National Endowment for the Humanities, DAAD, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the University of Oregon.

Peter was for many years an active professional bassoon player in New York and Eugene. He wrote program notes for many local organizations, including the Oregon Bach Festival, the Eugene Symphony, and the University of Oregon Chamber Music Series. He reviewed concerts for The Register-Guard.

Peter and Dorothy were both active members of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, a community that supported them when their daughter Emily died in 1987 and that has helped him through these years since Dorothy's death in 2012. He is survived by his daughter Carolyn and brother Sidney. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary's Episcopal Church or the University of Oregon School of Music.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

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3 Entries

July 13, 2016

Amy Jo Butler

Dear Carolyn,
I was saddened to hear that Peter has passed. My thoughts are with you. Your dad gave so much to the music community of Eugene. His reviews were so full of knowledge and so encouraging to musicians and audience members. Your mom also was such a great addition to Eugene with her teaching and singing. I have a wonderful smile memorie of her standing on her head on the top of a grand piano holding one note as it was raised to the stage of Bealle Hall during one of the great April Fools faculty concerts. I am grateful for all they both did for music in the world.

July 6, 2016

Don Lambdin

Peter often visited my store during the years it was open (Musique Gourmet). It was always a pleasure to talk with him.

July 6, 2016

My condolences for your loss. May the love of God and friends help to carry you through your grief. John 3:16.

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