Arthur D. Rhea Jr., former longtime organist and choirmaster at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore who also taught at the Peabody Conservatory, died Sunday of cancer at his home in the Charlesbrooke neighborhood of Baltimore County.

He was 97.

“Arthur certainly was the epitome of a loyal, loving, faithful servant of the church,” said Henry Lowe, organist and choir director at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer until his retirement in May. “He was there for 23 years and was responsible for building our musical program, and was our first full-time director of music.”

“He was drafted to develop a choir program and provide musical leadership for the church, and he did a fantastic job,” Mr. Lowe recalled. “There was nothing before him except a paid quartet.”

“Words that come to mind to describe Arthur are rock-steady, soulful and faithful,” said Jeffrey P. Ayres, a Baltimore attorney and longtime communicant and choir member at the church.

“When I joined the church in 1978, he'd been there forever, and I remember him as a faithful person who reached out to the young, old, the regulars, visitors and newcomers. He went out of his way to be nice to people,” Mr. Ayres said. “He was kind to members of the youth group, and he'd compliment them on their plays and singing. I never heard a discouraging word from him.”

The son of Arthur D. Rhea Sr., a Congregational minister, and Ivy Staley Rhea, a homemaker, Arthur Dakota Rhea Jr. was born and raised in Pittsburgh.

He graduated from Pittsburgh public schools, then studied music for two years at what is now Carnegie Mellon University. He also studied organ for two years under noted organist, choral conductor and instructor Carl Weinrich at the Delacroze School of Music in New York City.

His studies were interrupted when he was inducted into the Army. He served in Europe as a field artillery officer with Gen. George S. Patton Jr.'s 3rd Army. He was discharged in 1946 with the rank of captain.

In 1949, he earned a bachelor's degree in music from Yale University, and a year later received a master's in music, also from Yale.

He did further music studies at the Berkshire Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and the Salzburg Music Festival, where he studied conducting under famed director Herbert von Karajan.

In 1950, Mr. Rhea was named organist and choirmaster at historic Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Va. The following year he was appointed music consultant and resident harpsichordist for Colonial Williamsburg Inc.

In 1953, a Colonial Williamsburg research grant allowed Mr. Rhea to study 18th-century music at the British Museum in London.

He was also instructor in organ at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg and performed regular concerts at the Governor's Palace. These included command performances for such international figures as England's queen mother and the crown prince of Belgium.

After a 1960 performance at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington Post critic Paul Hume wrote: “Rhea is a thoroughly musical organist who serves high standards with regard for the best ends of music and medium.”

Mr. Rhea came to Baltimore in 1961 when he was appointed organist and choirmaster at Redeemer. Two years later, in addition to his duties at the church, he joined the Peabody Conservatory and rose to become a senior member of the organ faculty.

“Arthur was not a quiet person and easily shared his feelings about things in life, whether it was music, spirituality, politics or whatever,” Mr. Lowe recalled. “He was fun to converse with, and he was very solicitous of others' views.”

Mr. Rhea retired in 1984.

“When I took over, he was a wonderfully supportive person,” Mr. Lowe recalled. “He always asked how things were going, and he was not ever a shadow. After he retired, he spent a decade in Easton, and when he came back and started coming to church, it was wonderful having him around. He was always eager to be supportive.”

David L. Crandall, a longtime parishioner at Redeemer, has been a member of its choir since 1971, and described Mr. Rhea as “thorough and very artistic.”

“He was also a bit of a disciplinarian,” Mr. Crandall said, “but being with him was the best choir I had ever been in. I learned a bunch of stuff from him.”

“He tended to be formal and, even on a warm night, he'd wear a jacket and tie to choir practice,” he said. “He'd take his jacket off to conduct, and when he was finished and we were taking a break, he'd put it back on.”

A perfectionist, Mr. Rhea patiently worked with his choir until he got the desired results.

“He had all kinds of sayings, such as, ‘You're sitting on that note like a hen sits on eggs,' or ‘You all sound like Ukrainian thigh-slappers.' He really did have a great sense of humor,” Mr. Crandall said. “If we weren't where he thought we should be, he used the words ‘dark' and ‘lugubrious' to describe what we were doing.”

Some of Mr. Rhea's compositions included “Toccata on an American Folk Tune,” “Te Deum Laudamus” and “Psalm Twenty-Four.”

He was a past president of the Association of Anglican Musicians.

In his retirement, he served as a member of the Service Music Committee, whose mission was to compile and edit a revision of the 1940 Episcopal hymnal. The work made its debut in 1982.

“It was a huge and significant compliment for Arthur to end his career that way,” Mr. Lowe said.

In addition to music, Mr. Rhea was an avid reader. He also enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, and entertaining family and friends.

“Working in his garden on Fridays was like therapy,” said his wife of 62 years, Dorothea Caroline “Dolly” Coutu. “He liked digging in his garden and planting flowers.”

A memorial service for Mr. Rhea will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles St.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Clifton L. Rhea of Stoneleigh and R. Douglas Rhea of Tampa, Fla.; and eight grandchildren. Another son, Arthur D. Rhea III, died in 2004.

frasmussen@baltsun.com