- John Langstaff
John Langstaff (
December 24 ,1920 -December 13 ,2005 ), a concertbaritone , and early music revivalist was the founder of the NortheastUnited States tradition of the Christmas Revels, as well as a respected musician and educator. He attended theCurtis Institute of Music as well as Juilliard. In 1943 he marriedDiane Hamilton . He was later married to Nancy Woodbridge, a pianist.Langstaff's lifelong project, the Christmas Revels, began in 1957 with a show in
New York . In 1971, the longest running Revels, in Cambridge,Massachusetts , began. The Revels, an eclectic mix ofmedieval and modern music and dance (primarily English in basis), involves the audience and the community in a continuation of pagan and older Christian traditions. Revels shows, now spread over the Northeast and the world, draw on local talent. Morris dancing,mummers ,bagpipe rs and large choruses of men, women and children celebrate the turning of theWinter Solstice in a cheerful fashion.Throughout his adult life, Langstaff was a dedicated music educator. In 1955, he became the music director at
The Potomac School , in Washington, DC, and later taught at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He wrote twenty-five books, including theCaldecott Medal -winning "Frog Went A-Courtin'". He hosted theBBC-TV children's program "Making Music" for five years, and produced a series of videos called "Making Music with John Langstaff" for parents and teachers. He also publishedsongbooks ,teacher's guides , and production guides for the Revels.Langstaff's recording career was varied and long. Beginning with English traditional music in the 1950s, he continued with the founding of
Revels Records , recording primarily children's and traditional music. Several of his early recordings were made in London, with noted producerGeorge Martin .On May 17, 2006, David Nath's documentary film "To Drive The Dark Away," which chronicles Langstaff's life and work with the Christmas Revels, had its world premiere in Arlington, MA.
References
ee also
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Revels External links
* [http://www.revels.org/about_revels/revels_people_JL2.htm John Langstaff page] from Revels Inc. site
* [http://www.sheldonbrown.org/revels/jlangstaff.html John Langstaff] (unofficial site by Sheldon Brown)
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