Richard Wagner (1813–1883) was largely self taught in music.
Tristan
und Isolde was first performed in 1865 and the “Liebestod” (never
listed in any translation) has remained popular to this day. It has been played
in various transcriptions by organists from Edwin H Lemare to Virgil Fox to
Wayne Marshall. Gibson’s transcription has unusually detailed registration
and instructions.
S Archer Gibson (1875–1952) was a teacher at Peabody,
organist to the rich and famous (Schwab, Frick, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller,
et al), and a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists. In 1901, the year
before this transcription, he was hired as organist of Brick
Presbyterian Church in New York City. Moderate.
