Dr. Laurence West, F.R.C.O. 22/05/1897 - 1/10/1998
Honorary Vice-President since 1987

Laurie West was a monumental figure in our Society, introduced by the irrepressible Gilbert Curtis. Gilbert was also a brilliant 'organist and they both brought zest to a friendly rivalry in producing the more dazzling improvisations and the more daring accompaniments to unison singing. So Laurie was easily persuaded to seek lessons from EGW and must be one of the master's longest surviving pupils. But he knew there was more to learn and in his 70s had a course of lessons from me at Wigmore Hall studios. Before this I had been his pupil for the written part of the LRAM, learning from him, with much musicianship, the structure and harmonic richness of chords of the secondary seventh. Both as pupil and teacher I thus had an insight into his modestly carried excellence.

He served the Society not only as a trustee and eventually Vice-President but as an always willing and supportive accompanist. I recall two of our members, neither vocally very gifted and indebted in the first place to White's technique for the ability even to contemplate tackling a song cycle, who were enabled by Laurie's encouraging coaching and impeccable accompaniment to perform for us at Meetings the one, Elgar's "Sea Pictures", the other Beethoven's "An die feme Geliebte". In every way Laurie's eminence as a musician and keyboard player has made an inestimable contribution to the educational purposes of the Society for more than half a century.

The loss is irreparable, but we can only be thankful that he stayed with us for so long.

Arthur D Hewlett