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Music at St.
Alban’s Holborn - the early days: 1862 - 1874 In this the second article, I will go back to St. Alban’s
earliest days and recount what I have gleaned from here and there.
St. Alban’s first Organist was Thomas Morley.
I think he probably held this post till James Farquharson Walenn became
Organist in or about 1879. The copy
of The Tune Book as used at St. Alban’s Holborn that we have in the
Choir Vestry has a hand-written date of May 1876 and this, the second edition,
contains some hymn tunes newly-composed by Thomas Morley especially for the
reprint. In all, it contains about
15 hymn tunes written by Morley. Our Patronal Festival hymn tune, Craggy Way, was in the first edition of the St. Alban’s Tune Book but the name of the composer is not given.
The preface says, regarding hymns for which the book does not give the
composer’s name, ‘the greater portion are taken from the German Choral
books; the rest are old English
Hymn Tunes’. I think our tune
probably belongs to this latter category, but more than that I do not know.
Is there anybody out there who knows the origin of our Patronal Hymn? In the extracts which follow, you will see reference to the
Revd. H.A. Walker. He was one of
St. Alban’s Assistant Priests, and had been appointed Precentor by Fr.
Mackonochie, our first Vicar. Notice
that, shortly after its foundation, St. Alban’s had a choir school. It was not in existence for very long, however, as money
could not be found to keep it running. So
here is what the records tell us of matters musical at St. Alban’s in its
first twelve or so years. CHOIR PRACTICES - BY FATHER
IBBOTSON. ‘In our earliest
days we had no choir, but we got together a few boys and held some practices in
the Church. The organ had been
erected in the South chancel-aisle, and was used at these attempts to provide a
choir as soon as the need arose. We
found it difficult to get boys and voices suited to that purpose.
The first two who were eligible were not natives of Baldwin’s Gardens.
One was Herbert Thompson Anderson, the son of our servant, Sergeant
Anderson; the other was Christopher Thompson.
The former was delicate in health at that time.
When I was Assistant Priest at Dorchester, Oxon., he paid me a visit for
a change of air; he was then very ill, and soon after his return to London, died
on March 7th, 1869. Mr.
Gill, who was Churchwarden, was one of the earliest members of the choir in the
cellar. What a long, steadfast, and
worthy service he rendered to the Church! Just
before leaving, I heard that the late Rev. H.A. Walker (who was my friend and
fellow-student at Cuddesdon in 1857) would follow me and take charge of the
choir; and that Mr. Stanton would also form one of the staff as soon as he had
received Deacon’s Orders.’ From an article by H.W. Hill in The Sign, June 1913, concerning the history of St. Alban’s
Holborn: ‘Lovers of Plainsong and
Congregational hymn singing ought never to forget the great work accomplished by
the late Rev. H.A. Walker. It may
be that much of his work is now forgotten, but in the opinion of many who are
not experts in these matters, but who, from
experience may be permitted to arrive at an opinion from results, Mr.
Walker’s work deserves wider recognition.’ George W E Russell’s book St
Alban the Martyr Holborn - a history of fifty years gives us tantalising
glimpses of what the music was like in those early days.
It is clear that there was much plainsong, and one can surmise that the
singing of the psalms to plainsong has been the tradition at St Alban’s from
the very beginning to the present time. The
congregation sang the hymns lustily and enthusiastically, and the impression is
given that mission-type hymns were favoured.
Here are some interesting quotes: ‘The “Choral Celebration”
if not “High Mass” with all liturgical accessories, was from the very first
the principal service of Sunday.’ The
founder, George Hubbard, is said to have recognised the duty of bringing ‘the
beauties of religious architecture, good music, and an expressive ritual to the
very doors of the poor and degraded.’ ‘As regards the music, it
should be said that Dr Doran was Precentor when the church was opened, but was
very soon succeeded by Mr Walker. It
was Mr Walker who, conjointly with Mr Stanton, compiled a book of devotions for
the “Three Hours” Service, which was observed (for the first time in the
Church of England) at St Alban’s on Good Friday 1864. ‘Mr Walker was an accomplished
and refined musician, and had a musician’s horror of a choir that attempts to
flourish out into musical exploits which it is unable to perform satisfactorily.
When he succeeded to the Precentorship, the choir consisted wholly of
volunteers. The amount of time that
such choirs can give to practice and training is limited, and consequently in
most cases all that can be safely attempted by them is good steady unison
singing in time and tune. This was
all Mr Walker would allow his choir to aim at in the beginning.
The music chosen was of two sharply-contrasted parts; each type was
presented in its most uncompromising form.
When one recalls the character of the music in most “High Church”
places of worship at that time, one is reminded of the preference of one of
Gilbert and Sullivan’s aesthetes for a “not too
French, French bean”. Gregorians
were used, carefully trimmed and curtailed so as not to be too Gregorian. Hymns
were sung, sometimes to popular tunes, but the tunes were toned down to a
genteel placidity. But at St
Alban’s, Gregorian music pure and undefiled (as it was then understood) was
used for the liturgical forms in the services, for the Psalms and Canticles, for
Office Hymns, and so forth, while modern devotional hymns were sung to tunes of
a modernity of style that sometimes verged on the rampant.
An Oxford musician referred to the St Alban’s tune-book, when writing
to Mr Walker, as “your collection of jigs and groans”! ‘Such was the music in St
Alban’s at the beginning. It has
passed through many differing phases since then, and has gained a name and fame
for great artistic perfection, but from the first it had a note of distinction
which one could not but be conscious of; some did not like the “jigs”, some
did not care for the “groans”, but whatever was sung, was sung perfectly
after its kind. Mr Walker was a man
of marked personality, who drew forth feelings of strong attachment from those
who became his friends but he was rather a terror to evil-doers. He ruled his choir with justice, but with a rod of iron; his
word was law. ‘In all his ways, Mr Walker
was ably and loyally seconded by Thomas Morley, the first organist of the
church. Morley was a man with many
charming qualities, and was a most brilliant executant.
Unlike many brilliant musicians, Morley was a fervent admirer of
Gregorian music; he used to declare that in the eight tones might be found the
concentrated essence of all music. The
volunteer choir of those distant days should always be had in grateful
remembrance, as being a body of men and youths who gave their services to the
Church and parish when help was most urgently needed, and gave it “all for
love, and nothing for reward”.’ Good Friday, 1866, description of the Devotion of Three Hours: ‘The preacher first read aloud one of the Seven Last Words of our Divine Lord. The choir then chanted them with music…..The organist played a very devotional selection of sacred music.’ July 1866:
‘The communicants went up to the tune of soft music.’
‘The music of the services was either sternly ecclesiastical, or simply
popular.’ Thoughts of a
clergyman: ‘Of the music in general I can say nothing whatever, and specially
of the “grand music” which I suppose began to be developed to its perfection
after the early years. But the
hymns have always been a feature…..How well-chosen too were the hymns for the
seasons!…and above all, where are the hymns of the Passion sung in England
with such devotion as there?’ 1867: H. W. Knott, as a choirboy
(later Vicar’s Churchwarden) played cricket
in the St. Alban’s Choir Eleven against the All Saints Margaret Street
Choir. November 1869.
Comments of a priest leading the parish mission:
‘The penitential psalms were chanted slowly to the most unmitigating
Gregorians, and the prayers mono-toned very low in the gamut.
One cannot help wondering whether a little cheerful music written in
round notes on five lines would not suit these simple folk as well as the
dreadful square-headed notes on four lines.
Why must we go back to imperfect musical notation when we want to sing
about religion? The hymns, however,
were more lively, and There is a fountain
followed by its refrain of I do believe, I
will believe, put one in mind of the meeting house. Sunday 2 February, 1873.
Account of a visitor at Matins: ‘Mr Mackonochie was intoning on a very
wrong note, and the choir sang a hymn on the Purification to a distressing
Gregorian tone…..When Morning Prayer was over…an introit was sung.
The effect, when the Incarnation was asserted in the Nicene Creed to deep
and solemn chords of accompaniment, was solemn in the extreme…The Mass was
bright with colours, odours, flowers and music.’ In a speech given many years
later, Fr. Hogg recalled his first visit to St. Alban’s Holborn, in 1874,
thus: ‘Fr. Mackonochie suggested
I should stay a few days at the Clergy House, with a view to occupying a curacy
that was then vacant….I arrived on the evening of July 9th.
On the following day, the clergy were all out, and I found myself a
stranger in a strange place, with four services and a choir practice on my
hands…..It was mutually agreed that I should commence work in October.
I accordingly came on the 10th of that month into residence,
at the then Choir School in Mecklenburgh Square, where my honoured predecessor
had been Father Russell. This
establishment was presided over by an amiable elderly lady of the name of Miss
Lott, and consisted of about twenty choir-boys, and a master besides.
They were all called “The Children of Lott”, not only so, but a
neighbouring clergyman, on seeing them - as usual - walking to church, told me
that he did not know I was married!’ ST ALBAN THE MARTYR, HOLBORN - A HISTORY OF 50 YEARS: ‘Others might be excellent and exemplary, more showy, or more “correct” or fashionable, or more popular; but there was a sound of adventure and romance in the very name of St. Alban’s - a kind of glamour about the fabric and the priests - which attracted adherents from far and wide. One might not wholly approve of its ways - one might prefer, as a matter of taste, another form of ritual, or another style of music - some might perhaps desire that the truly English character of the religion taught in it were more clearly displayed in liturgical action - but, let these things be as they might, St. Alban’s was what no other church was or could be. It was the “Jerusalem” below, which was the “mother of us all”. |
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Copyright © 2007
S. Alban the Martyr, Holborn
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