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Owen le Patourel Franklin, B. Mus., ARAM, FRCO Organist
& Choirmaster
January 1925 - September 1928
Owen Franklin's appointment as Organist and Choirmaster of St. Alban's Holborn
began in January 1925, when he was aged about 19. Born in London, he was
educated at Tollington School N10 and Taunton School. A newspaper article
written in 1954 tells us that Owen Franklin's ambition from the age of 12 was to
be a church organist. The article continues 'Son of a leather wholesaler, he
derived his musical aptitude from his mother, a first-class pianist. Like most
middle-class boys of the period he went to music lessons. But unlike the others,
he found he enjoyed them. The only point about lessons which irked him was the
fact that he was learning the piano when his hands were itching to play the
organ. Eventually youth had its way, and at 12 years of age he switched
instruments. His playing matured swiftly and, while at school in Taunton, he
became chapel organist. In his last term at school - he was then 16 - he won two
scholarships which sent him to the London Royal Academy. His four years'
experience at the Academy (his tutors included G. D. Cunningham, Birmingham City
Organist), placed him securely on the path towards his goal as a church
musician. At the Academy he was appointed organist to St. Alban's Church,
Holborn.'
There may be a reader who knows more about Owen Franklin than I have been able
to glean, who possibly even has a picture of him. If you are that person, please
get in touch with me, as I'd love to hear from you!
An article in the Parish Magazine for February 1925, presumably by Owen
Franklin, comments that ‘When a descant to a hymn is sung, the congregation
should be especially careful to sing the hymn-tune and not the descant. Tallis’
familiar Festal Responses heard today in so many Anglican Cathedrals are a
descant. The true melody is in the tenor part, and is the same as that to which
the Responses are sung in St. Alban’s. But most people quite wrongly sing the
descant, “the tune on the top” instead of the real Response beneath. The
beautiful effect planned by Tallis is thus quite lost.’
A series of articles by Gilbert Benham entitled Interesting London Organs,
written during Own Franklin’s time, comments thus, concerning St. Alban’s:
‘Unfortunately there is no choir school, with the result that the whole
resources of the parish have to be drawn upon, aided by all the outside help
that is available. It is, therefore, all the more creditable that Masses such as
those of Beethoven, Dvorak, Schubert, Mozart, Hummel, Silas, Gounod & c., are
sung, alternated during Advent and Lent with the works of Palestrina and Byrd.
The church is remarkably good for sound.’
June 1925 - THE PARISH MASS: ‘A very few years ago those who came to the 9.30
Parish Mass on Sunday mornings used to take their part in singing one of the
three or four different settings to the Creed and Gloria. Recently, however,
these settings have been dropped and forgotten, and only Merbecke’s music has
been sung on each and every occasion. Familiar and beautiful through Merbecke’s
music is, it was felt by many that a little variety would be welcomed, as in
days gone by. A second setting has therefore been in use since Easter, and will
be sung for the next few Sundays, in order that its frequent repetition may make
it familiar.
‘But it would be advisable for those who come regularly to the Parish Mass not
to wait for repetition to imprint the music on their memory, but to get a copy
of the Service for themselves. It is conveniently printed in Prayer Book size,
and costs only threepence. It is called “A Model Setting of the Communion
Service”, by Martin Shaw. Messrs Knott can supply copies, and if the somewhat
lengthy title be forgotten, it will suffice if the would-be purchaser asks for
the “new Service sung at the Parish Mass.”’
June 5, 1925, was the tercentenary of the death of Orlando Gibbons. In St.
Alban’s, prayers were asked for the repose of his soul at the 7 o’clock Mass,
and the hymn Jesu, grant me this I pray was sung in memory of him at the close
of the service. A long article about Gibbons appeared in the Parish Magazine,
probably written by Owen Franklin. Here is an extract:
‘It is as a composer of religious music that we at St. Alban’s naturally know
Gibbons best. His five-part Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, set to the 5th and 1st
Tones respectively, with alternate verses in faux-bourdon, are sung every few
weeks on a Sunday evening, in turn with similar settings by Tallis, Byrd and
Morley, which together contain some of the finest polyphonic writing of the late
sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Strictly speaking, Gibbons did not
write the Canticles as we hear them sung; the faux-bourdon verses alone are his
work, and were adapted to the Canticles from a setting of part of Psalm 145 by
the musical editors of the series, Francis Burgess and Royle Shore. The soprano
part of the Nunc Dimittis has been lost, but the editors have conjecturally
filled in the missing part in accordance with the tonal spirit of the other
verses, and the result is admirable.
‘The recent introduction in St. Alban’s of Descants to some of the hymns may
have seemed an innovation, but actually was nothing of the kind. These old
faux-bourdon settings to the Canticles are examples of the same principle
differently applied. They are much less strict than the hymn descants, and
correspondingly stronger. Next time Orlando Gibbons’ setting is sung, listen to
the exhilarating clash of “false relation” in verse three of the Magnificat, at
the words “shall call”, when G sharp in the second treble is at once followed by
an emphatic alto G natural. Or note verse two of the Nunc Dimittis, when the
word “have” is unexpectedly sung on A natural by the first basses. The moment it
is left, the boys’ voices ring out clearly on A sharp: nor is that all, for in
the second half of the same verse there is a thrilling false relation on the
second syllable of “salvation”, between the tenor and alto parts. These clashes
are nowadays a spiritual tonic to the careful listener. It is pathetic to
remember that the harmony books of a generation ago said that such false
relations were “wrong”! - though what that word means today when applied to
details of musical composition it would be difficult to determine.
‘Orlando Gibbons also wrote some twenty hymn tunes. Of these, twelve are in the
English Hymnal, whose timely appearance in 1906 was perhaps the most important
event in the history of English Church music since the death of Purcell. Two of
these hymn-tunes are well-known in St. Alban’s. Angels Song is sung to Peace,
perfect peace, by the school children at their week-day Sung Mass; the flattened
bass note near the end of the first line is the strong point of the tune, and
its alteration fatal.
‘Song 13 or Canterbury is, of course, the familiar tune set to Jesu, grant me
this, I pray. The Victorian hymn books are at fault in printing a regular series
of equal notes. As Gibbons wrote it, and as it is printed in the English Hymnal,
the first note of each line is two beats in length, and is preceded by one
beat’s silence; again there is a flattened bass “leading note” near the end of
the third line, as in the previous hymn, and a little decorative “run” in the
last line. These points combine in making up a much more vital hymn melody than
the regular, rhythmnless chain of minims to which we are more accustomed.
‘Three hundred years is a very short time where history is concerned. But how
much of our work today will give comfort and inspiration to countless men and
women even one hundred years hence? - let alone three. When next we are struck
by the beauty or spiritual power of some passage out of the varied selection of
musical settings chosen to assist our worship at St. Alban’s, let us not rest
content with praising the skill with which it was rendered. Let us also with
reverent humility breathe a few words of prayer for the soul of the artist whose
inspiration made that skilful rendering possible, by providing its material.’
July 1925 - Vicar’s letter (Fr. Ross): ‘We had a most edifying and delightful
Festival Week, full of blessings, and I am happy to have been able to come home
for it, and to be with you at this time. I have to crave your kind consideration
and indulgence for many weeks to come, for I can only do a limited amount of
work until I regain health and strength. The work and responsibility of such
churches as St. Alban’s is bound to be heavy, anxious and exacting, and to
require much attention, thought and strength. If I am to go on as Vicar here I
must get stronger and better than I am, and, therefore, I know you will all
understand my saying that I beg to be allowed to go somewhat with the brake on
for a while. I shall know in a few months if I ought for your sakes and my own
to take a less strenuous post of work, but that has not to be decided now, at
any rate. My thoughts and prayers were with you while I was away, and St.
Alban’s was always in my mind.
‘I have to ask for money for the Choir Fund, and the expenses of the orchestra,
and also for the Clergy Fund. Many bills awaited my return, but very little of
the wherewithal to meet them, but I think I need do no more than mention this.’
Choirboys outing: ‘On Wednesday July 15th a novel experiment was undertaken with
a view to improving the timbre and quality of our choirboys’ voices. After much
careful planning and calculation, arrangements were made for injecting some
thousands of cubic inches of ozone into their pectoral cavities, a not
unpleasant process, in the successful performance of which the boys themselves
very willingly lent their aid. The thoughtless observer might describe the whole
experiment as a “day trip to Clacton”, but of course the mere outsider often
speaks very disrespectfully of such serious matters.
'We started off a little after half past seven, and boarded the “Royal
Sovereign” at London Bridge. Mr. Franklin joined us there, but Mr Dykes Bower
was unfortunately unable to go with us. Mr. Wells-Bright, however, was there,
and the party numbered twenty-one all told.
'At Southend we changed onto the “Yarmouth Belle”, a smaller but less crowded
vessel, which reached Clacton at two o’clock. There was only an hour to spend at
Clacton, and what with paddling and exploring the pier the time soon passed. At
three o’clock we re-embarked onto the “Yarmouth Belle”, fortified by large
supplied of Clacton rock kindly presented by Mr. Franklin’s father and mother,
who by great good luck were staying at Clacton, and met us on our arrival. Great
excitement was caused at Southend: one of the piermen dropped the rope which
ought to have helped to moor us to the pier, so we drifted away, and the “Royal
Sovereign”, sailing up from Margate just behind us, made a sudden effort to dash
into the empty space at the pierhead before we could get back to it, but we just
managed to get there in time, thanks to a canny skipper.
'After leaving Southend we all went below, to find a very appetising supper of a
nautical nature waiting for us. The inner saloon had been reserved for our use,
and the chief steward’s arrangements earned him a round of very vociferous
applause. To the regret of all we had to disembark at Woolwich and take the
train to the City, as the “Yarmouth Belle” cannot pass under London Bridge. We
all reached the Clergy House just before nine o’clock, tired but refreshed.’
HOLIDAYS, CAMPS, ETC: Vicar's letter: 'For the expense of the above my budget is
£100. This includes Scouts, Guides, Choir, Catechism, Teas, Excursions, and I
don’t know what else, but this I do know, that the Vicar is held responsible for
whatever is required. Towards this budget I have received £41 14s., so here I
am, cap in hand, knocking at your door on behalf of my young friends. Please
don’t say “out” or I shan’t be able to say “in” when the bills arrive.’
CHOIR FUND: Vicar's letter: 'To my August-Monday friends I beg to state that my
inability this year means a money loss of £40 to this fund, for which the Vicar
is held responsible, and towards which I always give your offerings on these
occasions. Will you secure me against this by giving as usual, although for this
once you don’t have the services. I may add that for the June quarter, for Choir
and Orchestra, I had to supply £45 from my private fund, and I am certain I
cannot repeat in September. It was one result of my absence as I could not let
you know, nor could I trouble anybody else with financial responsibilities of
St. Alban’s.’
THE ASSUMPTION
'On Sunday August 16th, in the Octave of the Feast of the Assumption of our
Blessed Lady, we had the privilege and joy of a visit from Mr. G.D. Cunningham*,
now Organist of Birmingham City, but always “ours”. He most kindly presided at
the organ at 11 a.m. and consequently, with even our much diminished choir
(absent on holidays) we had a most beautiful service and a musical treat
afterwards. Mr. Cunningham is among the very foremost and most inspired
interpreters and exponents of Bach and he gave us an exquisite selection from
that great Master. The Vicar preached at High Mass and Father Frost in the
evening, and many members of the congregation joined in the procession which
closed this Festive Sunday.’ *G.D. Cunningham was St. Alban's Organist from
1920-24.
There is a long and moving account in the December magazine of the funeral and
burial of Fr. Russell who died on November 7th 1925, after 59 years of service
and ministry at St. Alban’s. An extract from The Church Times of November 13th
is given here:
‘Nothing could have exceeded the beauty of the singing of the Gradual and Tract
and the Dies Irae. At the end of the Mass, after the Russian Contakion of the
Departed had been sung, there followed the moving rite of the Absolutions of the
Dead. Then all remained standing while from the organ came the familiar music of
the Dead March. Finally a procession was formed to the west door, the Bishop
carrying his crosier and walking immediately in front of the coffin. Outside in
the street the sun had come through the mist, and a great crowd was in waiting.
To it, after the coffin had been borne away, the Bishop imparted his blessing.
At Woking, in the St. Alban’s burial ground, the body of Fr. Russell was laid to
rest next that of Fr. Stanton, the committal prayers being said by Fr. Ross.’
In 1925 Reginald Goodall was appointed Assistant Organist under Owen Franklin.
Cost of music, January 1st - December 31st, 1925
Organist & Asst Organist £150.0s.0d.
Hydraulic blowing £29.14s.9d.
Tuning organ & adjusting blowing £45.12s.6d.
Maintenance of organ blower £6.0s.0d.
Solo Boy £30.0s.0d.
Stipends of Choir Men & extra services £191.6s.6d.
Given to Boys, & for Music £61.15s.0d.
Expenses of Orchestra £64.14s.5d.
1926
March, Vicar's letter: 'Our quartet of voices at the Sung Mass on Holy Days is
greatly appreciated, and I am glad of this, for I have wanted this arrangement
for a long while, and have succeeded in starting it at last. Please therefore,
if you desire it, assist in its support by sending me a little additional help
to the Choir Fund, for the quartet cannot be a voluntary one.'
April, Vicar's letter: 'The unaccompanied Mass Music of Palestrina and Byrd
obtained again with us this Lent, and the organist and members of the choir
deserve our thanks for their contribution to our worship and devotion. And now
we are to have our outburst of praise at the Easter Feast, and the High Mass
will have the orchestral accompaniment on both Easter Day and Low Sunday if you
will give me the money necessary to cover the expenses. There is a box on a
pillar at the end of the church, in which contributions for this purpose may be
placed, and cheques you can send me marked “for Orchestra” if you desire this
music. I agree with it personally at great Festivals, because I think all real
Art is of God and praises God, and I recall singing when I was a boy -
“Swing the censer, raise the anthem,
Praise our God to Whom belong
All the worship man can offer,
All the praise of sense and song,”
and I do not understand worship which does not command my whole being - spirit,
mind, and present body, the whole man, even as I hope the whole man will be
redeemed and glorified - spirit, mind and resurrection body, to praise and bless
God through all eternity.'
July, Vicar's letter: 'I am sure you will agree with me that our Patronal
Festival brought us all much rejoicing and I hope many blessings…To my mind the
High Mass on the Sunday in the Octave was most inspiring, the music and singing
most beautiful, showing ample evidence of great care and painstaking on the part
of the choir and organist, and to the delight of everybody we had the great joy
and privilege of Mr. Cunningham at the organ on both days, and also for that
glorious organ recital he so generously gave us on the night of St. Alban’s Day.
I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to him for his wonderful help at our
Festival, and in saying this I know that I express your feelings also.
'Owing to the generosity of several friends, and of one in particular, the
quarterly bills gave me no anxiety, with the exception of two matters I bring
before you…The second is the orchestra for the Patronal Feast and the Sunday
following. The expenses were £21.10s, and I have not got one half of this. I
will not comment on it, but I will be optimistic, mention it, and expect. We had
it, we enjoyed it, now let us pay for it.'
August, Vicar's letter: 'I have to move out of the Clergy House at once, as the
acid fumes from the refinery close by are most injurious to me, and have greatly
injured my lungs. Therefore I am seeking a little flat somewhere, as near as
possible for working purposes in a better atmosphere; this is my last effort to
remain as your Vicar, and if this fails I must certainly resign.'
October: 'The Organist of St. Alban’s is resuming teaching, and has vacancies
for a few pupils in pianoforte, organ and theory. Lessons can be arranged in
town if necessary. He would be grateful if anyone interested would apply to him:
OWEN FRANKLIN,
23, Midhurst Avenue,
Fortis Green, N.2.'
ORGAN RECITALS: 'Our Organist, Mr. Owen Franklin, will give two recitals during
November. These will take place on Wednesdays, November 10th and 24th, at 8
p.m.'
The stipends of the Organist and Assistant Organist in 1926 were £195.2s.7d.
1927
March: CHARLES RULE - R.I.P. 'I am sure we shall all feel the very deepest
sorrow at the news of the sudden death of our dear friends, Mr. C. Rule, who for
forty-five years was our Headmaster at St. Alban’s Boys’ School, and for almost
all that time Manager of the Sunday Schools, and organist at the Catechism
services right up to his death. On his retirement he still kept in touch with us
to our great pleasure and gain, not only singing in the choir, but also playing
the organ on Sunday afternoons. It is a sad loss which we shall long feel. May
he rest in peace, who for so many years lived as a Christian man should.'
THE CHOIR: 'After forty-nine years of service in our choir Mr. George Hydon has
been forced through failing health to resign. This is another cause of sorrow to
me and to all his colleagues.
'We must now miss two familiar forms from the choir stalls - Mr. Hydon and Mr.
Rule, and we all regret this very much. We all wish Mr. Hydon better health, and
several years of quiet and comfort, and we hope to see him at times whenever he
feels well enough to come to St. Alban’s.'
June: THE CHURCH FUNDS. Vicar's letter: 'Have your entirely forgotten? I have
received scarcely anything since my return at Easter towards the Clergy Fund or
Choir Fund and but little for my Discretion fund. Towards the orchestra for
Easter, which cost £15.18s, I received less than £5, and you will desire an
orchestra for the Patronal Festival. I am sure that you will see to it that I do
not get too worried before the end of this quarter from lack of money to carry
on our essential works.'
OUR FESTIVAL: 'You will be delighted to know that our friend, Mr. Cunningham,
has consented to give us an Organ Recital on St. Alban’s Day at 8 p.m. This is
indeed good news for us all, and we shall welcome our beloved friend most
heartily.'
LECTURES ON CHURCH MUSIC: 'Members of the congregation whose work takes them
into the City, may be interested to hear of the Lectures on Church Music at St.
Mary, Aldermary, on Thursdays at 6 p.m. The first series deals with hymns.
October 13th - “Latin Hymns”, by Dom Anselm, O.S.B., the gifted Secretary of the
Plainsong and Mediaeval Music Society.
October 20th - “A Cheerful Noise”, by Mr. Geoffrey Shaw, the unrivalled
conductor of congregational music.
October 27th - “Fun with Hymn Tunes”, by the Rev. C.E. Douglas. (“Fun” being
used in the old sense of enjoyment.)
November 3rd - “The Music of John Sebastian Bach”, pianoforte recital by Mr.
Eric Grant (Professor of the Royal College of Music).
St. Mary’s is becoming a kind of “cultural centre” for Church singing, the more
welcome because, in order not to compete with suburban churches, its Sunday
services are no longer sung.'
Music Expenditure, January 1st to December 31st, 1927
Organist and Asst. Organist £205. 6s. 6d
Hydraulic blowing £26.19s. 4d
Tuning organ £22. 0s. 0d
Maintenance of organ blower £18.10s. 0d
Orchestra £35. 9s. 0d
Stipends - Men, Boys & Solo Boys, & Extra Choir £398.12s. 1d
1928
February: AN EVENING OF MUSIC AT ST. ALBAN’S. 'Mendelssohn’s Cantata The Hymn of
Praise will be sung on Thursday February 9th at 8 p.m. The soloists will be Miss
Lesley Duff, Miss Molly Iverson (Sopranos) and Mr. Wilfred Miles (Tenor). It is
earnestly hoped that the rendering of this ever-popular Cantata will be well
supported. A collection will be taken, the proceeds of which will form the
nucleus of a fund for the provision of a modern control system for our beautiful
organ.'
The Vicar subsequently reviewed the performance thus: 'With augmented choir and
special soloists, this was rendered with great reverence and skill, and the
large congregation would unanimously testify to the excellence of the singing
and of the organ accompaniment all through. Indeed, we all felt it was good to
be there. The whole rendering reflected the very greatest credit on our
organist, the soloists and the choir, and we are grateful to them for such a
help to worship through music and singing, and hope we may have repetitions of
such help on future occasions, and this hope expresses, perhaps, our best
appreciation of all they did. The money given at the doors forms the beginning
of a fund to bring the mechanism of our most beautiful organ up to date and yet
more effective. The amount was £12. 1s. 6d.'
May: 'There are vacancies in the Choir for voluntary bass voices. Any gentleman
willing to undertake the work should apply to the Organist, Mr. Owen Franklin.'
Patronal Festival: Organ recital 8 p.m. G.D. Cunningham Esq., F.R.A.M., F.R.C.O.
'I regret to tell you that our Organist, Mr. Owen Franklin, is leaving us at the
end of September, as he has accepted an invitation to go on a musical tour in
Canada. We shall all miss him and feel sorry at his departure, but he decides
that he ought not to miss this opportunity while he is young, and although I am
not in accord with his leaving us, I feel that I cannot over-persuade him and
stand in his way, so I wish him every blessing and prosperity. I must find a
successor, and I ask your prayers that the right and efficient Catholic organist
may be found to help us in our worship' The newspaper article, quoted at the
beginning of this article, tells us that this was, in fact, a concert tour of
both America and the United States, lasting seven months.
Reginald Goodall held the fort at St. Alban's for six weeks till the new
organist, Bertram Orsman, arrived. Fr Ross wrote in the Parish magazine: 'In the
short interregnum Mr Goodall has done remarkably well, and I venture to think
that he will make his mark most successfully in due course. He has thrown
himself into his opportunity with enthusiasm, and I am very grateful to him and
them members of the choir who have responded so well to his efforts.'
From 1929-1941, when he was called up for military service, Owen Franklin held
the post of Assistant Organist at York Minster. In 1937 he conducted two
concerts given by the York Symphony Orchestra. He served as a Petty Officer in
the Royal Navy during the war. Afterwards, in April 1946, he took up his duties
as Organist of St. George's Parish Church, Doncaster. He gave several recitals
on the St. George's organ, described as one of the best in the country. G.D.
Cunningham also gave at least one recital there at Owen Franklin's invitation.
In December 1947 he conducted Messiah in Rotherham with the Rotherham Choral
Society and the Lemare Orchestra. On 22 January 1947 he conducted the first
concert of the Doncaster String Orchestra, which he founded. A little after this
he founded the Dorian Choir, to give programmes of sacred music at Doncaster
Parish Church, the first of these being in 1950. The repertoire included Byrd's
Mass for 5 voices, Armstrong Gibbs Psalm 19, Vaughan Williams' Mass in G minor
and Ireland's Greater Love. On 11 February 1948 the BBC Singers, under Leslie
Woodgate, sang Evensong at Doncaster Parish Church (was this a braodcast Choral
Evensong, I wonder?) and the music included Owen Franklin's own setting of the
Responses. He composed an anthem for a centenary service at St. George's which
took place in 1953. The anthem was not published and its present whereabouts is
unknown.
While in Doncaster (date unknown) Franklin married Doris Mary Abey, an
accomplished soprano. They had a son, who attended Doncaster Grammar School.
Franklin left St. George's Minster in November 1957 to take up a position as
Head of Music at Heathfield Girls' School, Ascot, Berks, and organist of Ascot
Parish Church, where he remained till his death in the 1970s.
Christine Petch
March 2007
Mass settings performed at St. Alban’s under Owen Franklin
Beethoven, Mass in C
Byrd, Mass for 5 voices
Dvorak, Mass in D
Gounod, Messe Solennelle, Messe du Sacre Coeur
Handel, And the glory (Messiah)
Harwood, Mass in A flat (first performed in July 1927)
Hummel, Mass in B flat,Mass in D
Mozart, Mass in B flat
Palestrina, Missa Brevis, Missa Aeterna Christi Munera, Missa Papae Marcelli
Schubert, Mass in C, Mass in B flat, Mass in F, Mass in G
Silas, Mass in C
Spohr, Praise His awful name, Come up hither, Holy Lord God of Hosts, All glory
to the name
Weber, Mass in E flat
Franklin appears to have dropped the Byrd Mass for 4 voices from the repertoire.
The only addition in his time seems to have been the Harwood Mass setting in A
flat. An orchestra was normally employed every Christmas, Easter and St. Alban’s
Day. For those occasions, either Beethoven in C or Dvorak in D was performed.
Franklin’s article on Gibbons in the June 1925 magazine, quoted above, tells us
that the settings of the Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis used for Evensong at St.
Alban’s at this time were, in alternation, Gibbons 5 part, Tallis, Byrd and
Morley.
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