Alec Wyton

Alec Wyton, organist, choirmaster, composer, and teacher whose career included two decades as organist and choirmaster at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine, died peacefully March 18, 2007, at Danbury Hospital. He had been a resident of Ridgefield for the past 20 years.
Born in London, England on August 3, 1921, he had his early musical training as a boy chorister and held his first job as organist at the age of 11. He received a B.A. from Exeter College Oxford in 1946 and an M.A. in 1949 and he was awarded honorary doctorates from Susquehanna University in 1976 and Virginia Theological Seminary in 1997.
In 1946, Dr. Wyton was appointed organist-choirmaster at St. Matthew's Church, Northampton and also served as conductor of the Northampton Bach Choir and Orchestra.
In 1950, he traveled to Texas to create a boys' choir at what is now St. Mark's School. Later that year, he was appointed organist-choirmaster of Christ Church Cathedral in St Louis, Mo., where he also taught at Mary Institute.
In April of 1954, Dr. Wyton was appointed organist and master of the choristers at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine, a position he held for 20 years. Several months after his appointment, he also accepted the additional responsibility of headmaster of the Cathedral Choir School, holding that position until 1962. He was adjunct professor of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary (1956-73) and visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary (1965-73).
During his Cathedral years Dr. Wyton actively sought to incorporate a variety of musical traditions into the music of the church. He provided a performing platform for emerging artists and collaborated with main-stream composers including Ned Rorem and Charles Wuorinen and performers including Eubie Blake, Duke Ellington, Leopold Stowkowski and the cast of "Hair."
He left the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1974 to become organist-choirmaster of St. James' Church in New York City. At that time, he also became coordinator of the Standing Commission on Church Music which produced The Hymnal 1982 for the Episcopal Church.
Always seeking to educate the next generation in church music, Dr. Wyton founded the Church Music Department at the Manhattan School of Music in 1984, serving as chairman until 1990. In 1987, he left St. James' Church to accept appointment as minister of music at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ridgefield, a position he held until his retirement in 1997.
In addition to his wife of 27 years, Mary Broman Wyton, he is survived by his four sons, Vaughan, Richard, Patrick and Christopher; three grandsons and his former wife, Maribelle Couper.
Services will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 23 at St. Stephen's Church, 351 Main St., Ridgefeld.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Dominic's Home, 500 Western Highway, Blauvelt, NY 10913.