Robert P. Murray

Premier, and Raven. Although the LP recordings from Musical Heritage Society and Uni-Pro division of Spectrum are long out of production, they have been re-released in 2012 as a 4-CD set entitled "Violin Rarities", and offer the listener the opportunity to hear Murray playing two different and beautiful old Italian violins: a 1729 Carlo Bergonzi and a 1700 Giuseppe Guarneri "filius Andrea". The cover features photos of both instruments. Murray CDs produced by Premiere Recordings and others on the Raven label are also still available. Commenting about how the sound of Murray's violin complements the pipe organ, Pipedreams host Michael Barone has said, "The effect is magical." Their Breached Borders CD brought to light excellent music from behind the "Iron Curtain", including the first recording of the Concerto for Violin and Organ by Russian composer Victor Voloshinov. Murray can also be found on .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}"YouTube". YouTube.. A sixth CD featuring violin and organ music was released in September, 2010, also on the Raven label.

OAR-923, "An International Collection, Volume VI, Works for Violin & Organ", Robert Murray, Violin, Ardyth Lohuis, Organ. Music by O. Respighi, J. Aavik, C. Kint, E. Baghdasaryan, G. Hagg, G. Raphael, D. Healey, W. Held, S. Foster, V. Herbert. CD produced by W. Van Pelt, Richmond, VA, 2010

"Pipedreams" Radio Broadcast, Michael Barone, Host, Program No. 1040, October 4, 2010

OAR-650, "All American, Volume V, Works for Violin & Organ", Robert Murray, Violin, Ardyth Lohuis, Organ. Music by Mathews, Bartow, Corigliano, Weaver, Dethier, Healey, Sowerby, Held, Read, Wienhorst, Callahan, Whikehart. CD produced by W. Van Pelt, Richmond, VA, 2003

American Record Guide 66.6 (Nov-Dec 2003): p. 227(1), by Metz, Reviewer

Organ Historical Society, The Diapason, November, 2002, John L. Speller, Reviewer

Crossroads, Sun City FL., April, 2001, by Charleen Wilson

OAR-510, "Airs & Romances, Volume IV, Works for Violin & Organ", Robert Murray, Violin, Ardyth Lohuis, Organ. Music by Ravanello, Olsson, Becker, Beach, Coleridge-Taylor, Erb, Lindberg, Svendsen, Lovreglio, Jensen. CD produced by W. Van Pelt, Richmond, VA, 2000

OAR-370, "Breached Borders, Volume III: Works for Violin & Organ", Robert Murray, Violin, Ardyth Lohuis, Organ. Music from behind the Iron Curtain, by Lepnurm, Wilkomirski, Voloshinov, Orlinski, Woytowicz, Komarnitskii. CD produced by W. Van Pelt, Richmond, VA, 1996

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Feb. 21, 1996, Section M, pp. 1, 3, Marsha Hanzel

The American Organist, Aug. 1996, V. Gotwals, Reviewer

Organ Historical Society, The Diapason, Nov. 1996, D. Bartel

Leo Sowerby, Music for Violin and Piano, Robert Murray Violin, Gail Quillman, Piano, CD, 1995, N.Y.

Organ Historical Society, The Diapason, Feb. 1995, R. Dean, Reviewer

The American Organist, October, 1995, P. Hesselink, Reviewer

American Record Guide, July/Aug 1994, p. 214, Bond, reviewer

OAR-230, "Rondo: Volume II", Works for violin and Organ, 1993, Robert Murray, Violin, Ardyth Lohuis, Organ. Music of Schroeder, Becker, Foote, Bender, Sowerby, Paciorkiewicz, Paganini. CD produced by W. Van Pelt, Richmond, VA, 1993

Cross Accent, Journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, No. 2, July, 1993

OAR-200, "A Perfect Match” Violin & Organ works, Robert Murray, Violin, Ardyth Lohuis, Organ. Music of Rheinberger, Stanley, Sowerby, Raff, Weiner, Bender, Ravanello, Vieuxtemps. CD produced by W. Van Pelt, Richmond, VA, 1991

Richmond News Leader, June 1, 1991, F. Church, Reviewer

Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1991, J. Henken, reviewer

Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, September 12, 1987, James A. Jerritt, Reviewer

Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, Oct. 12, 1981, Judith Suben, Reviewer

SR-317, Georg Philipp Telemann, 12 Fantasias for Violin Without Bass, Robert Murray, Violin, LP stereo vinyl record, Harriman, N.Y., 1980. Unknown ID:86-743183

Audio Magazine, August, 1979, E. T. Canby, Reviewer

Audio Magazine, December, 1977, E. T. Canby, Reviewer

While a student at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Murray premiered the Sowerby Sonata for Violin and Piano at a convention of the International Society for Contemporary Music. After completing his master's degree, Murray served four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, after which he resumed his musical career and concertized widely as a soloist. He has been with Columbia Artists as a member of the Nashville String Quartet in Tennessee, has served as concertmaster of numerous orchestras including the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Amici della Musica Chamber Orchestra in Santa Clara, CA., and the Bach Festival Orchestra in Carmel, CA. He made his New York debut at Town Hall in 1975.

New York Times, April 8, 1975, Raymond Ericson, Reviewer

Murray was born in South Bend, Indiana, but he grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin and graduated from Janesville High School in 1955. He attended the American Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois where he earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. Murray received a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University in Bloomington. He learned electronics while serving as a Naval officer. This background enabled him to have complete artistic control over his recordings which, because of the organ, are made on location in concert halls and churches, rather than studio environments. Murray, who was born with perfect pitch, determines microphone placement in each venue through meticulous test sessions in each new hall. He uses his own recording equipment, and even does the editing for each composition. Before becoming a university professor, Murray worked as a backup studio musician in Nashville for Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer and other recording artists.

Robert Pfenning Murray (Oct. 24, 1936 – Aug. 11, 2020) was an American violinist, scholar and teacher. He premiered the 5th Sonata for Violin and Piano by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Leo Sowerby. Murray was the first violinist to record the four sonatas of Anton Rubinstein. More recently, he has partnered with Ardyth Lohuis in a violin and pipe organ duo which brought attention to the large body of musical repertoire available for this combination of instruments through concerts and recordings. Several well known contemporary composers have written pieces for Murray and Lohuis, and have worked closely with Murray and Lohuis to create definitive recordings of these works.

DZ 1686, "Gavotte en Rondeau BWV 1006", arr. by John Patykula, Violin and 3 guitars, accompaniment by Robert Schumann, violin part edited by Robert Murray. Sheet music published by d'OZ, inc., Canada, 2012