Virgil Fox
Virgil Keel Fox (May 3, 1912 in Princeton, Illinois – October 25, 1980 in Palm Beach, Florida) was an American organist, known especially for his years as organist at Riverside Church in New York City, from 1946 to 1965, and his flamboyant "Heavy Organ" concerts of the music of Bach in the 1970s, staged complete with light shows. Many of his recordings on the RCA Victor and Capitol labels, mostly in the 1950s and 1960s, have been remastered and re-released on compact disc. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Princeton (city in and the county seat of Bureau County, Illinois, United States), Died October 25, 1980 (Palm Beach (town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1941 - 1971
Roles Represented in DAHR: organ, arranger, electric organ
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | CS-071212 | 12-in. | 10/27/1941 | Trumpet tune and air | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | BS-071213 | 10-in. | 10/27/1941 | Rigaudon | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | arranger, instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | CS-071214 | 12-in. | 10/27/1941 | Fugue on la gigue | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | CS-071215 | 12-in. | 10/27/1941 | Come sweet death, part 1 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ, arranger | |
| Victor | CS-071216 | 12-in. | 10/27/1941 | Come sweet death, concluded | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ, arranger | |
| Victor | CS-071217 | 12-in. | 10/27/1941 | Claire de lune, part 1 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | CS-071218 | 12-in. | 10/27/1941 | Claire de lune, concluded | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | BS-071225 | 10-in. | 10/28/1941 | Toccata in B minor | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6239 | 12-in. | 10/10/1946 | Fantasy in F minor, part 1 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6240 | 12-in. | 10/10/1946 | Fantasy in F minor, part 2 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6241 | 12-in. | 10/10/1946 | Fantasy in F minor, part 3 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6242 | 12-in. | 10/10/1946 | Prelude and fugue in G minor no. 3, part 1 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6243 | 12-in. | 10/10/1946 | Prelude and fugue in G minor no. 3, part 2 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6244 | 12-in. | 10/15/1946 | Sonata no. 1, in F minor, part 1 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6245 | 12-in. | 10/15/1946 | Sonata no. 1, in F minor, part 2 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6246 | 12-in. | 10/15/1946 | Sonata no. 1, in F minor, part 3 | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6247 | 12-in. | 10/15/1946 | Sonata no. 1, in F minor, concluded [part 4] | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6248 | 12-in. | 10/15/1946 | Fugue á la gigue in G | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Victor | D6RC-6249 | 12-in. | 10/15/1946 | Dreams | Virgil Fox | Organ solo | instrumentalist, organ | |
| Decca | 119840 | 2/6/1968 | I love you (Grieg) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119841 | 2/6/1968 | Bridal chorus from Lohengrin (Wagner) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119842 | 2/6/1968 | Calm as the night (C. Bohm) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119843 | 2/7/1968 | Impatience (Schubert) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119844 | 2/7/1968 | I love you truly (C. Jacobs) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119845 | 2/7/1968 | Because (G. d'Hardelot) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119846 | 2/7/1968 | Be Thou with me (Bach) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119847 | 2/7/1968 | A dream (Grieg) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119848 | 2/7/1968 | St. Anthony chorale (Haydn) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119849 | 12/7/1968 | Wedding march (from A Midsummer Night's Dream) (Mendelssohn) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119850 | 2/7/1968 | Theme from Symphony No.6 (Tchaikovsky) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119851 | 2/7/1968 | O perfect love (J. Barnby) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119852 | 2/8/1968 | Praise my soul (J. Goss) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119853 | 2/8/1968 | Bridal march (from The Birds) (C. Hubert Parry) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119854 | 2/8/1968 | Rigaudon (Campra) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119855 | 2/8/1968 | Trumpet voluntary in D (Purcell) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119856 | 2/8/1968 | Theme from Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119857 | 2/8/1968 | Theme from Water Music (Handel) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119858 | 2/8/1968 | Nocturne (from A Midsummer Night's Dream) (Mendelssohn) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119859 | 2/8/1968 | Through the years (V. Youmans) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 119860 | 2/8/1968 | Ode to joy (from Symphony No.9) (Beethoven) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123291 | 12/1/1970 | Fanfare: Toccata in D minor | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123292 | 12/1/1970 | Fugue in A minor | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123293 | 12/1/1970 | Vivace: Trio sonata No. 6 in G major | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123294 | 12/1/1970 | Now thank we all our God | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123295 | 12/1/1970 | Prelude and fugue in D major | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123296 | 12/1/1970 | Perpetuum mobile | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123297 | 12/1/1970 | Passacaglia and fugue in C minor | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123298 | 12/1/1970 | Air for the G string | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123784 | 12/20/1971 | Prelude in A minor | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123785 | 12/20/1971 | Fugue a la gigue | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123786 | 12/20/1971 | Toccata and fugue in D minor | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123787 | 12/20/1971 | Vivace (Trio sonata No.3 in D) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123788 | 12/20/1971 | Sinfonia (Cantata No. 29) | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123789 | 12/20/1971 | Sleeper's wake | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123790 | 12/20/1971 | In dulci jubilo | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ | |||
| Decca | 123791 | 12/20/1971 | Come, sweetest death | Virgil Fox | instrumentalist, organ |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fox, Virgil," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/203368.
Fox, Virgil. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/203368.
"Fox, Virgil." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Virgil Fox
Discogs: Virgil Fox
Allmusic: Virgil Fox
Apple Music: Virgil Fox
Grove: Virgil Fox
IMDb: Virgil Fox
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Fox, Virgil, 1912-1980 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no91020597
Wikidata: Virgil Fox - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q934997
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/74037508
MusicBrainz: Virgil Fox - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0005682c-3083-415e-ae4c-debd7be3e47e
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/290796 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/290796
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