'Grand Chorus'  

   
Twenty-two historic and important organs South of the Thames

A collaboration between the Royal Academy of Music and the

Southwark and South London Society of Organists
  
 
Played by organists from the Royal Academy of Music

© Royal Academy of Music and Southwark and South London Society

of Organists (SSLSO). Catalogue RAM032
  
Recorded between April 2005 and August 2006 using a pair of Røde NT2 microphones and digital recording equipment
Producers: Harry Bramma, Nicolas Kynaston, David Titterington, William McVicker
Recording Engineer: Christopher Town
Editing and Mastering: Timothy Yeo
CD and website Design: Peter Craik
 

An introduction to the double CD of organs South of the Thames - page 2

How can I purchase a copy of the CD? - page 3

Grand Chorus: Track listing and links: Compact Disc 1   Compact Disc 2 - page 4

The organs used for this recording: an overview by Harry Bramma - page 13

An architectural summary by Barrie Clark - page15

Of organs, organ-builders, composers and South London by William McVicker - page 16

A note on pitch by William McVicker - page 19

Organ Studies at the Royal Academy of Music by David Titterington - page 21

Southwark and South London Society of Organists by John Webber - page 22

A note on the recording by Christopher Town - page 23

Artist Biographies - page 24

Thanks - page 28

     
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

An introduction to the
double CD of organs    
South of the Thames

  
This project followed the compilation of a list of historic and important organs in the Diocese of Southwark
prompted by the Newman Report. The authors were Dr Harry Bramma, Barrie Clark and Dr William McVicker,
Organ Advisers to the Diocese of Southwark. They teamed up with David Titterington, Head of Organ Studies at
the Royal Academy of Music, and Southwark and South London Society of Organists, as all parties realised the
value of a scheme to record for posterity significant instruments in Southwark and beyond, whilst at the same
time giving students the opportunity to gain experience not only of recording but also of matching chosen
repertoire to the style of the individual instruments. We are delighted, therefore, to present this unique recording.

The project has not been without its challenges. Some recordings were made on 7 July 2005, the day of the
terrorist bombings in London. Having decided to proceed on that day, to maintain a level of continuity in the
capital, the organists and engineers coped patiently with interference from traffic noise and emergency services.
Some of the recordings were made in difficult circumstances, e.g., churches located in areas of dense housing
and in close proximity to main roads, railway stations, flight-paths and so on. Some sessions coincided with
school playtimes, and each of the instruments needed tuning preparation, some requiring a good deal of
attention to bring them to a state worthy of recording. There were, though, many enjoyable moments during the
project, and some of these are recorded on the project website.

Many of the instruments recorded here are in a remarkable state of preservation - notably the organs at
Bermondsey, Camberwell and Rotherhithe; additionally they retain their original pitch. Listening to the tracks one
after another on these CDs tends to highlight the variety of surviving pitches and temperaments, and a note on
this is offered below. We see this as part of the legacy of organ-building in this area of the country and hope that
it will enhance enjoyment of the instruments. A certain level of mechanical noise is generated by these organs,
and we have sought to capture the performances and resisted any attempt to clean up the recordings to a point
where they no longer give an honest representation of the instruments as found in their respective locations.

William McVicker co-ordinated the project, aided by our producers, Harry Bramma, Nicolas Kynaston and David
Titterington, recording engineer Christopher Town, and editor Tim Yeo. The logistics and planning of each visit
were complicated, and we are indebted to each parish for enabling access to be straightforward. At each venue
generous assistance from incumbents, organists, churchwardens and parish administrators enabled the team to
have free access to the buildings, and at each one we met with kindness. This turned a substantial logistical task
into a genuine pleasure. We have recorded below our thanks to all those concerned.

Harry Bramma
William McVicker
David Titterington
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

How can I purchase

   
a copy of the CD?

Please Contact the Organ Department Administrator at the Royal Academy of Music Tel: 020 7873 7373
or write to this address for more details:
Organ Department
Royal Academy of Music
Marylebone Road, London NW1 5HT

The recording can be bought in person from Academy Chimes, the music shop at the Royal Academy of Music.

You can also buy the discs by sending a cheque made payable to 'Southwark and South London Society of
Organists' for £14 (including UK postage and packaging) to:
Christopher Town Recording Service
 96 Ridgeway Drive, Bromley, Kent BR1 5DD.
Tel: 020 8851 9116; Email: christophertown@ntlworld.com
   
If you require the CD to be posted abroad, please email for full details of the postage costs, stating the address
to which you'd like the CD to be sent.
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

Organs South of the Thames: CD1    

  
Track 1
Simon Preston (b. 1938) Alleluyas
Alexander Eadon at Dulwich St Barnabas
Kenneth Tickell & Company, 1996; recorded on 8 July 2005

More information about Simon Preston

Dulwich, St Barnabas:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Royal College of Organists PDF
Photographs of the organ

Track2
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Andante and Variations
Thomas Wilson at Rotherhithe, St Mary
Byfield, 1763, Russell, 1816 and 1828-9, Gray & Davison, 1864, 1876, 1881-2, restored Mander, 1959 and 1975
and Goetze & Gwynn, 1991; recorded on 5 July 2005

More information about Felix Mendelssohn

Rotherhithe, St Mary:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Associated website: BBC London walk
Photographs of the organ

Tracks 3–6
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Sonata in G, Op. 28
[3] Allegro maestoso
Riccardo Bonci at Beddington, St Mary
T.C. Lewis, 1869, Willis, 1903, 1933, 1957 and 1992; recorded on 6 June 2006

[4] Allegretto
[5] Andante espressivo
Ourania Gassiou at the organ of Christ Church, Streatham Hill, formerly in Thornton Heath United
Reformed Church
William Hill & Sons, c.1886, restored by Michael Buttolph, 1998; recorded on 6 July 2005

[6] Presto (comodo)

Arnfinn Tobiassen at Upper Norwood, St John the Evangelist
T.C. Lewis, 1882 with later alterations, Willis, 1927, N.P. Mander, 1947, Harrison & Harrison, 1999; recorded on
19 August 2006

More information about Sir Edward Elgar

Beddington, St Mary:
Parish website
Specification of the organ via the NPOR
Organ-tuner's website
Photographs of the organ

Streatham, Christ Church:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Other associated web pages

Upper Norwood, St John the Evangelist:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Associated web page: British Institute of Organ Studies
Photographs of the organ

Track 7
Herbert Howells (1892-1983) Psalm Prelude, Op.32, No.2
'But the meek-spirited shall possess the earth; and shall be refreshed in the multitude of peace.'
Adam Baker at Merstham, St Katherine
Harrison & Harrison, 1913 and 1934; recorded on 6 July 2005

More information about Herbert Howells

Merstham, St Katharine:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Photos of the Church
Photographs of the organ

Track 8
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) Impromptu, Op.78, No.1
William McVicker at Woodcote (Purley), St Mark
J.W.Walker & Sons, 1915, Harrison & Harrison, c.1951; recorded on 11 July 2006

More information about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

More information about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Woodcote, St Mark:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Track 9
William Boyce (1711-1779) Voluntary I in D: Larghetto - Vivace
Jessica Cottis at Deptford, St Paul
William Drake, 2004; recorded on 7 July 2005

More information about William Boyce

Deptford, St Paul:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Associated web page
Photographs of the organ

Track 10
Aleksandr Nisse (b.1979) Improvisation
Aleksandr Nisse at Clapham, Holy Spirit
Hunter & Sons, 1914 and 1921; Vincent Coggin, 2001-2; recorded on 26 June 2006

More information about Aleksandr Nisse

Clapham, Holy Spirit:

Parish website
Specification of the organ

Track 11
William Thomas Best (1826-1897) Adagio in D (from Sonata in G)
Sunny Son at South Norwood, Holy Innocents
Norman Bros. & Beard, 1898; British Institute of Organ Studies Historic Organs Certificate; recorded 6 June
2006

More information about William Thomas Best: Liverpool bust

More information about William Thomas Best: wikipedia

South Norwood, Holy Innocents:

Parish website
Specification of the organ

Track 12
Thomas Attwood (1765-1838) Dirge
'Perform'd At the Funeral of Lord Viscount Nelson ... St Paul's Cathedral 9th January 1806.'
Joseph Fort at Bermondsey, St James
J.C. Bishop, 1829, 1877 and 1975; restored Goetze & Gwynn, 2002; recorded on 5 July 2005
 More information about Thomas Attwood

Bermondsey, St James:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page
Photographs of the organ

Track 13
Vincent Novello (1781-1861), arr. Sir John Stainer (1840-1901) Diapason Movement in D
David Titterington at Camberwell, St Giles
J.C. Bishop, 1844 (opened by S.S. Wesley), 1891 and 1961 (with Ralph Downes); British Institute of Organ
Studies Historic Organs Certificate; recorded 27 June 2006

More information about Vincent Novello

More information about Sir John Stainer

Camberwell, St Giles:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website

Track 14
Sir Edward Bairstow (1874-1946) Scherzo (from Sonata in E flat)
Martin Ford at Southwark Cathedral
T.C. Lewis, 1897, Willis, 1952, Harrison & Harrison Ltd, 1986 and 1991; recorded on 9 June 2005

More information about Sir Edward Bairstow

Southwark Cathedral:
Website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page
Photographs of the organ

 
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

Organs South of the Thames: CD2    

  
Track 1
Alfred Hollins (1865-1942) Concert Overture in C minor
David Pipe at Croydon Parish Church
William Hill & Son, 1869, 1871 and 1893; Harrison & Harrison, 1937, 1969 and
2000; recorded on 2 June 2006

More information about Alfred Hollins

More information about Alfred Hollins

Croydon Parish Church:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page
Photographs of the organ

Track 2
Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) Choral Song [and Fugue]
Riccardo Bonci at Bermondsey, St James
J.C. Bishop, 1829, 1877 and 1975; restored Goetze & Gwynn, 2002; recorded on 5 July 2005

More information about Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Bermondsey, St James:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page: Building Conservation
Other associated web page: British Institute of Organ Studies article
Photographs of the organ
Track 3
Henry Smart (1813-1879) Andante No. 1 in G
Karl Dorman at Wandsworth, Holy Trinity
Henry Willis, 1889, 1901, 1911 and 1960; recorded on 7 July 2005

More information about Henry Smart

Wandsworth, Holy Trinity:

Parish website
Specification of the organ

Track 4
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934), arr. Sir George C. Martin (1844-1916) Imperial March, Op.32
Andrew Scott at Tooting Graveney, All Saints
Harrison & Harrison, 1907, 1946 and 1992; recorded on 7 July 2005

More information about Sir Edward Elgar

Tooting, All Saints:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page
Photographs of the organ

Track 5
Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) Duetto [for Eliza] No. 6 in B flat: Moderately slow — Lively
David Titterington and William McVicker at Merstham, The Epiphany
H.C. Lincoln, c.1810, formerly in Hellesdon (Norfolk), St Mary until 1950, restored Mander, 1965; recorded on 6
July 2005

Merstham, The Epiphany:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website

Track 6
Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) Air
John Webber at Hither Green, St Swithun
Conacher 1880s (sometimes attributed to Abbot), formerly in Blenheim Palace, Willis 1959; recorded on 11-12
July 2006
 More information about Samuel Wesley

Hither Green, St Swithun:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page
Photographs of the organ

Track 7
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Prelude and Fugue, Op.37, No.2 in G major
Alexander Eadon at West Croydon, St Michael and All Angels
'Father' Henry Willis, 1873 and 1901, N.P. Mander, 1955 and 1989; recorded on 7 June 2006

More information about Felix Mendelssohn

West Croydon, St Michael & All Angels:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page
Photographs of the organ

Track 8
Sir William Harris (1883-1973) Prelude in E flat
Nic Turner at Camberwell, St Giles
J.C. Bishop, 1844 (opened by S.S. Wesley), 1891 and 1961 (with Ralph Downes); British Institute of Organ
Studies Historic Organs Certificate; recorded 27 June 2006

More information about Sir William Harris

Camberwell, St Giles:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Track 9
William Russell (1777-1813) Voluntary XI in E minor: Largo - Fugue: Allegro - Andantino
Jessica Cottis at Deptford St Paul
William Drake, 2004; recorded on 7 July 2005

More information about William Russell

Deptford, St Paul
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
Other associated web page
Photographs of the organ

Track 10
Frank Bridge (1879-1941) Adagio in E
Aleksandr Nisse at the organ of Clapham, Holy Spirit
Hunter & Sons, 1914 and 1921, Vincent Coggin, 2001-2; recorded on 26 June 2006.

More information about Frank Bridge

Clapham, Holy Spirit:

Parish website
Specification of the organ

Track 11
Francis Edward Bache (1833-1858) Andante and Allegro
Ourania Gassiou at Tulse Hill, Holy Trinity
Norman & Beard, 1896, rebuilt Harrison & Harrison, 1993; recorded on 13 June 2006

More information about Francis Edward Bache

Tulse Hill, Holy Trinity:

Parish website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website

Track 12
Alfred Hollins (1865-1942) A Song of Sunshine
Arnfinn Tobiassen at Tooting, St Augustine
T.C. Lewis, 1875 and 1893, Saxon Aldred, 1995, formerly in Dulwich, St Peter; recorded on June 6 2006

More information about Alfred Hollins

 More information about Alfred Hollins

Tooting, St Augustine:
Parish website
Specification of the organ
Other associated web pages

Track 13
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) Fantasia and Toccata, Op.57
Eleni Keventsidou at the Royal Festival Hall
Harrison & Harrison Ltd/Ralph Downes, 1954/2000; recorded on 11 April 2005

More information about Sir Charles Villiers Stanford

Royal Festival Hall

Website
Specification of the organ
Organ-builder's website
More information and photos of the organ

 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

The organs used for this recording:

   
an overview

  
The Diocese of Southwark has arguably the finest collection of organs in England — ranging across 243 years
from the Byfield instrument in St Mary's, Rotherhithe (1763) to the new organ by William Drake in the eighteenth-
century case at St Paul's, Deptford.

The two discs aim to present something of the richness and variety of South London organs — though the
twenty-two organs recorded here by no means form an exhaustive list. The important new organs in the diocese
— by Frobenius (Kingston-upon-Thames and Shirley), Marcussen (Putney), Nicholson (Woodmansterne) and
others await recording. Some instruments have attracted attention through notoriety: the Grant, Degens &
Bradbeer in Westcombe Park was formerly in the Undercroft Chapel, House of Commons; it replaced a Hope-
Jones which possessed his unusual Tibia Mollis stop; the much-altered and unplayable Hope-Jones at All
Saints', West Norwood still has Diaphonic Horns; Hill's fine, large four-manual in St Peter's, Streatham is not in a
good enough condition to record. There are many others — but as an example we have included the Conacher
at Hither Green, formerly in the Long Library at Blenheim Palace and usurped by the splendid 'Father' Willis
organ of 1891.

Of the three oldest organs, St Mary's, Rotherhithe, as altered by Gray & Davison with 'German' compasses, and
St James's, Bermondsey are amazing survivals — particularly the latter, an instrument by J.C. Bishop of 1829,
largely unaltered and recently restored by Goetze & Gwynn with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is a
rare example of a large three-manual organ with pedals which still retains the old English G compasses. The
Choir and Great begin at 10-foot G whilst the 20-foot G-compass Pedal department is awesome.

In a quite different style, the c.1810 Lincoln organ at the Church of the Epiphany, Merstham, in the Church of St
Mary, Hellesdon, Norfolk until 1950, is a wonderful survival, too. The tone of the instruments speaks of another
era.

As one might expect in Southwark, Lewis has the largest representation in these recordings. The four organs
found here give a good, well-contrasted account of this remarkable South London builder, from the early three-
manual at St Mary's, Beddington (1869), the three-manual at St Augustine's, Tooting (1875), originally in St
Peter's, Dulwich Wood, and his magnum opus at Southwark Cathedral (1897) to the glorious instrument at St
John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood (1882, revised by Lewis & Co. in 1912).

The work of Harrison & Harrison is well represented by two landmark instruments — All Saints', Tooting (1907)
and the Royal Festival Hall (1954). The charming multum in parvo two-manual of 1913 at St Katherine's,
Merstham provides an interesting contrast with the larger instruments; all three Harrison organs are in identifiably
different styles.

'Father' Henry Willis did not build many instruments south of the river, but the two recorded here are notable —
the unaltered three-manual at Holy Trinity, Wandsworth (1889), with the impressive chalumeau register of the
Choir Corno di Bassetto, and the largely original three-manual at St Michael and All Angels, West Croydon
(1882), augmented by Mander in 1955.

The work of Hill is represented by two quite different organs. The one at Christ Church, Streatham Hill, originally
in Thornton Heath United Reformed Church, is very much older Hill vintage with pneumatic-lever coupling; it is
contemporary with the organ at Sydney Town Hall (1889). The organ at Croydon Parish Church is
quintessentially the smoother Edwardian Hill, now somewhat altered by Harrison & Harrison in 1969.

The work of Norman & Beard can also be seen in two quite different varieties. The three-manual, mechanical-
action 'Norman Bros. & Beard' scheme in the church of Holy Innocents, South Norwood probably dates from
1898, and was awarded an Historic Organs Certificate (HOC) by the British Institute of Organ Studies. It features
a modest leathered Large Open Diapason, a genuine, imported French Vox Humana, and a flue ensemble
almost worthy of Cavaillé-Coll. Its unforced voicing is very different from that at the 'Norman & Beard' organ in
Holy Trinity, Tulse Hill, built in the same year, but now with fulsome Romantic voicing and two weights of wind on
Great and Swell, all underpinned by a formidable Pedal Ophicleide.

No disc of South London organs would be complete without an example of the work of Alfred Hunter, who had
his works in Clapham. The organ at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Clapham has very much the ring of
authenticity about it, started in 1914 and partially finished in 1921. Recently the organ was beautifully restored by
Vincent Coggin through the generosity of a Heritage Lottery Award. Plans are now in hand to complete the
instrument using unaltered contemporary Hunter pipework from redundant instruments.

The Edwardian work of J.W. Walker is not well represented in the Diocese; the organ in St Mark's, Woodcote in
Purley, dating from 1915, is therefore all the more interesting. Immediately apparent is the huge dynamic range
of the organ, from its barely audible Choir Gamba to the tutti, which is crowned with a substantial free-toned
Trumpet.

Finally, two instruments which represent modern British organ-building — St Barnabas, Dulwich (1996) by
Kenneth Tickell, a fine and versatile three-manual organ, and the equally impressive, but very different, three-
manual by William Drake at St Paul's, Deptford.

These discs represent a comprehensive historical anthology of organ tone, of instruments large and small, and of
the very finest products of a number of first-rank English organ-builders.

Harry Bramma
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

An architectural summary    

  
The varied character of the Diocese of Southwark, stretching from the industrial and commercial areas close to
the Thames in the north, to countryside on the Sussex border in the south, has an equally diverse heritage of
churches. Some are mediaeval and remain the centre of earlier villages. Many but by no means all have been
heavily restored or enlarged; a few are still largely unspoiled and in truly rural settings. The variety of churches
which protect these organs reflects the development of South London, with the steady growth and migration of its
population since the eighteenth century. Sometimes the organs are more engaging than the churches. It is
interesting to note that many of these recordings were made in significant architectural buildings.

Southwark Cathedral is an amalgam of many styles and periods, all happily blending together. Beddington is a
large former village church dating from the eleventh to the nineteenth century, with an outstanding organ screen
of 1869 by Morris & Company. St Katherine's, Merstham, still a village church, dates from the early thirteenth
century onwards. Croydon Parish Church, formerly the largest mediaeval church in Surrey, was destroyed by fire
and rebuilt by Scott in 1870. The fine chancel organ case is by his son John Oldrid Scott.

The magnificent baroque church at Deptford (1713-30), by Thomas Archer, is one of England's most important
buildings. St James's, Bermondsey (1827-9), by James Savage, is a fine Commissioners' church in the
fashionable Greek style. Christ Church, Streatham Hill (1840-1) by J. Wild is impressive, and an important
example of the Rundbogenstil or round-arch style, and is well-sited to be noticed from a distance.

St Giles's, Camberwell (1841-4), by Scott and Moffat, introduces the gothic revival with the Early English style.
Externally it is a commanding design and its plain interior has recently been renovated. St John's, Upper
Norwood (1876-7) is one of J.L. Pearson's outstanding designs. Even more magnificent is his design for St
Michael's, Croydon — a veritable cathedral in miniature. Here Bodley's organ cases are equally splendid. Holy
Innocents, South Norwood, 1894-5 is by Bodley, with windows by Kempe; it is a competent design as one would
expect from this fine architect and is one of Southwark's hidden gems. All Saints', Tooting Graveney, constructed
between 1904 and 1906, is a very elegant church by Temple Moore, containing many fine Italian furnishings. The
organ case is by Walter Tapper.

The only building which is not a church, the Royal Festival Hall, was designed in 1948 by Robert Matthew and
Sir Leslie Martin — an outstanding and iconic design. This was Britain's first major public building in a
contemporary style. St Barnabas's Dulwich brings us up to date; the new church was constructed following the
fire of 1992. It is also a contemporary design in which the organ case is fully integrated with the design of the
interior.

This recording not only reflects the best of Southwark's organs but the great wealth of buildings, without which
the organs could not exist

Barrie Clark
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

Of organs, organ-builders,
   
composers and South London

  
Many of the composers recorded here have a connection with South London, and the various associations are
detailed below.

Having said that, Sir Edward Bairstow's Sonata was written on the Aran Isles in 1937. The Scherzo perfectly
demonstrates the wide range of colour obtainable from T.C. Lewis's organ in Southwark Cathedral, his last great
instrument and probably the finest in South of the Thames. The Byfield/Gray & Davison organ at Rotherhithe
was chosen for the Andante and Variations of Mendelssohn, whose Prelude and Fugue in G is also included. In
addition to owning a fine town house in Upper Cheyne Row, Chelsea, Thomas Attwood owned an out-of-town
villa at Beulah Hill. During the early part of the nineteenth century Beulah Hill was a spa resort; it is in a
commanding position, well away from the London smog and overlooks Surrey to the south and the whole of
London to the north. Attwood's villa, Roselawn, was situated close by, only yards from Harold Road, where, thirty
years later, the conductor August Manns and writer Sir George Grove were to own properties. Mendelssohn was
a guest at Roselawn both in 1829 and 1832. The composer had an accident in 1829, having been thrown from a
cabriolet in central London. Attwood kindly sent him a get-well hamper and, later, an invitation to his villa in
Upper Norwood. The South London historian Alan Warwick tells the story in his book The Pheonix Suburb:
'There is a musical composition by Mendelssohn entitled The Evening Bell. It bears the date "Norwood, Surrey,
November 1829", and is a little piece for harp and pianoforte. The circumstances surrounding the composition
are that a large party of friends had been to Roselawn to meet Mendelssohn, who had to return to London that
night. He was in high spirits, and had been extemporising on the piano in his best manner accompanied on the
harp by Attwood's daughter. While the music was in progress a ring was heard on the gate bell. It was the
coachman announcing the arrival of the carriage that was to carry him back to London. The summons was
unheeded. It was repeated again and again, till at last Mendelssohn reluctantly dragged himself away from his
friends. Back in his lodgings in London, and before going to bed, he sat down and composed the piece, and next
day sent it to Attwood and his daughter with a dedication in his own hand-writing. The melody of The Evening
Bell is frequently interrupted by the gate bell note (A) — an affectionate echo of that musical evening on Beulah
Hill.'

As a lasting tribute to the friendship between the two composers, Mendelssohn dedicated his Three Preludes
and Fugues for Organ, Op.37 to Attwood, who was organist of St Paul's Cathedral between 1796 and 1838. It
seems appropriate to include the second of these works on this recording, together with his less-well-known
Andante and Variations. Attwood's own Dirge, 'Perform'd At the Funeral of Lord Viscount Nelson … St Paul's
Cathedral … 9th January 1806' is played on the J.C. Bishop organ at Bermondsey; Attwood owned a house-
organ made by Bishop, whom he engaged to work on the organ at St Paul's Cathedral, and he often
recommended him to parishes as a good organ-builder.

In attempting to claim Sir Edward Elgar as a composer with South London connections, it is possible to record
that on 10 October 1889 the great composer moved to 'Oaklands', Fountain Road (now Drive) in Upper
Norwood, so that he could be close to the Crystal Palace in order to hear the concerts there — and at which he
hoped to get his compositions played. The last movement of his Sonata in G (1895) is recorded here on the fine
Lewis organ in the Church of St John the Evangelist, Auckland Road, Upper Norwood. The first movement is
recorded on another Lewis organ, this time using the earlier instrument in St Mary's, Beddington. His Sonata
was given its premiere on the four-manual Hill organ in Worcester Cathedral built in 1874. The large Hill organ
now at Christ Church, Streatham has therefore been used to record the inner movements of the Sonata.

Although it is possible tenuously to connect William Boyce with South London — he composed songs for the
pleasure gardens at Vauxhall — and Herbert Howells, who lived for many years at Barnes, it is difficult to find an
excuse to include music by Vincent Novello or Frank Bridge. Novello's great love was for the music of J.S. Bach
— an interest he shared with Samuel Wesley, whose Duetto for his daughter Eliza is included here on the c.1810
H.C. Lincoln organ now in the Church of The Epiphany, Merstham. Wesley and Novello were regular duet
partners, but whether they ever shared the bench at St James's, Bermonsdey seems unlikely, as the two had
fallen out at the time the organ was built. The 1829 Bishop organ, with its curious finger-pedalboard, would
certainly have been a convenient vehicle on which to explore the works of Bach, particularly as performing them
at the organ required the third-hand technique. Samuel Wesley named his son after the great master, and in due
course, on 8 January 1829, Samuel Sebastian Wesley became organist at St Giles's, Camberwell, a post from
which he resigned in November 1832. Wesley later returned to design, and give the opening recital on, the
Bishop organ at Camberwell in 1844 in the new church. The inter-connecting Bach theme is neatly threaded
together here with music by Sir William Harris (a chorister at Tulse Hill), whose Prelude 'Composed in the
Thomaskirche, Leipzig, August, 1931' is played by the present organist at St Giles, and Samuel Sebastian
Wesley's great Choral Song — for that is the proper title of this prelude and fugue — on the other fine Bishop
organ in Southwark, at St James's, Bermondsey.

Other tenuous links with South London may be observed in the careers of William Russell and Sir Charles
Villiers Stanford. The former studied music with William Cope, then 'organist at Southwark'; Stanford's music, on
the other hand, was well featured at the Crystal Palace concerts, and he must have been a regular visitor to
Norwood to hear the concerts directed by Manns.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was an Afro-British composer who lived at Aldwick, St Leonard's Road, Croydon —
close to Croydon Parish Church. He is well known for Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, and his career has acquired
an almost iconic status. The score is based on Longfellow's poem and Coleridge-Taylor later sold it to his
publishers for a depressingly small sum and consequently earned nothing from its huge success. On 28 August
1912, he collapsed at West Croydon Station from overwork. After struggling home and taking to his bed, where
he continued to work on his Violin Concerto, he died a few days later at the age of 37 and was buried at Bandon
Hill Cemetery. The scandal which attached to his publishers' refusal to pass on any royalties to his widow
became the impetus behind the formation of the Performing Rights Society, which was established two years
after Coleridge-Taylor's death.

Alfred Hollins is one of South London's most distinguished organists. Although not born south of the Thames, in
1878 he moved to the College for the Blind in Norwood, where he continued his studies. Hollins lived between
Norwood and Gypsy Hill at 'Clovelly', Alexandra Road (now Drive). In his book A Blind Musician Looks Back he
describes in detail the route from his home to the organ console at the Royal Albert Hall. Hollins's book is a
remarkable catalogue of meetings and encounters with the most distinguished musicians of his day. From its
pages, for example, we get possibly the only recorded glimpse into the character of his great friend the South
London organ-builder Thomas Christopher Lewis. Hollins records: 'One could not know Lewis all at once. He
was a big, heavy man, slow in movement and speech. He had a lethargic and melancholy way of speaking, but
when he was annoyed — and in spite of his slowness he was easily roused — he could be terrifying to anyone
who had angered him. I knew he could teach me a great deal about organs, and I wanted to ask him countless
questions, but could not bring myself to do so. But once I had got used to his peculiarities of manner he taught
me a great deal, and as time went on he got into the habit of consulting me about organ matters, especially the
laying out of a console, &c. Before he brought out his combination key-touches he came to our house and took
out of his pocket ten small pieces of ivory of key-touch shape and placed them between the black keys of the
piano in different groups, as he thought they should be placed on an organ. I suggested a slight alteration. He
suggested another. So we went on for an hour. It was always the same with anything new he was trying; he used
to take hours, sometimes days, before he could satisfy himself. At one time he took up bell-founding, and told
me that when he received an order for a ring of bells for St Andrew's, Wells Street, he cast nearly seventy bells
before he could get eight that satisfied him as being even in tone.'

The reader wishing to know more of the musical and organological world during Hollins's lifetime will not be
disappointed with his book. He relates encounters with W.T. Best, 'Father' Henry Willis (and later members of
the dynasty), the brewer John Courage and his family and stories of S.S. Wesley, who, under the influence of
drink, tried to play the front steps of his house as if they were organ manuals. It seems apposite to record two of
Hollins's works as a tribute to this remarkable musician — the Concert Overture in C minor on the Hill/ Harrison
& Harrison organ in Croydon Parish Church (Hollins describes playing the Sydney Town Hall organ whilst fully
constructed in Hill's workshop and during a recital trip to Australia) and his lyrical Song of Sunshine on an organ
by his friend Lewis. Of the origins of his Concert Overture in C minor, Hollins writes: 'My visit to Paris [1895] had
been well worth while … for the experience it brought me from those three great organists, Guilmant, Dubois and
Clarence Eddy. As a slight acknowledgement of Clarence Eddy's kindness I wrote my second concert overture
for the organ and dedicated it to him. It is a better and more "solid" composition than the first overture, but
requires a bigger organ. It wears well.'

Hollins speaks in almost reverential tones (as he does of his teacher E.J. Hopkins) of the work, personality,
compositions and performing style of Henry Smart, whose Andante in G is recorded on the 'Father' Willis organ
at Holy Trinity, Wandsworth. Smart, like Lewis, was fond of bell tone. Hollins reports that Smart considered the
clock bell of St Paul's Cathedral the finest he had ever heard — a deep A flat. 'How fine I thought it then', reports
Hollins, 'and how fine I think it now with its big splash of harmonics.' Smart arranged the chimes for a fine clock
made by Dent for T.C. Lewis, for which there were eight chiming bells and a ninth to strike the hour. Smart
became blind later in life, which probably helped cement the affinity Hollins felt for him.

Of his encounters with 'Father' Willis, Hollins writes kindly, but on W.T. Best's views of Willis — especially after
the two had famously fallen out — the blind musician is particularly interesting. Having caught a piston with his
thumb, Best observed of Hollins (whom he termed 'Alfred the Great'): 'Ah! Now you've got hold of one of Willis's
little damn tricks for seducing the thumbs'. Several character sketches of W.T. Best exist, notably the
monographs by the almost sycophantic admirer John Mewburn Levien. From Hollins we learn more of a critical
nature: although Best was without doubt one of the great performers of the nineteenth century, Hollins did not
entirely warm to his style, preferring the staccato touch of Dr Peace (Best's successor at St George's Hall,
Liverpool) which Best described as having 'too much of the cat on hot bricks about it'. The Adagio from Best's
little-known Sonata in D is included on this recording using the organ at Holy Innocents, South Norwood.

It is from Hollins that we learn more of the Birmingham-born pianist and conductor Walter Bache (1842-1888)
who, like his brother, Francis Edward Bache (1833-1858), studied in Leipzig. Francis Edward, a pupil of
Sterndale Bennett, acquired a distinct prejudice against the music of Liszt (and others), but, curiously, his
brother, who studied the piano with Liszt, later became, in effect, his ambassador in London and embarked on a
life-long crusade to promote his music in England (where, in Liszt's early career, it was fairly universally
despised). How odd, then, that the Francis Edward Bache organ work recorded here contains an almost direct
quote from Liszt's well-known BACH organ Fantasia and Fugue. Is the English composer poking fun at the
Lisztian style? Amidst the Verdi-like jollity, is there an in-joke in which Liszt's music is quoted and promptly
rejected in favour of something much more, well, Victorian? Perhaps we will never know the truth.

William McVicker
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

A note on pitch
   

  
The listener may perceive that many of the instruments recorded here are set at a variety of pitches. A decision
was made to record the organs warts-and-all, without any digital repitching.

At the height of the British Empire the sheer numbers of British Army-trained musicians, both serving and
demobilised, probably meant that the prevailing concert pitch during the second half of the nineteenth century
was strongly influenced by the army's regulation pitch. A high pitch was perhaps considered preferable because
it was perceived as carrying better outdoors and in large spaces. With the rise of the trade unions and formation
of colliery bands, this sharp pitch seems to have become quickly established as the standard for outdoor use and
in large concert arenas. Massed brass bands met annually at many town and concert halls up and down the land
- and notably at the Royal Albert Hall and, of great significance for South London, at the Crystal Palace in
Sydenham. The Salvation Army also adopted this pitch and the manufacture of instruments at the high pitch
continued at Boosey & Hawkes until 1964. Naturally, organs needed to accompany such instruments in concert
work and on civic occasions, and so the sharp pitch was adopted in concert halls and major churches.

Fortunately the story of the rise of pitch in Europe, but most particularly in England, is very well documented, by
Alexander Ellis, who not only translated Helmholz's work of 1863 On the Sensations of Tone..., but also
published On the measurement & Settlement of Musical Pitch (London, 1877) and 'On the History of Musical
Pitch' in the Journal of the Society of Arts in 1880.

By way of summary, between 1852 and 1874 the average pitch of the Philharmonic Orchestra, under the
direction of Michael Costa (1846-54), was said to be a1=452.5Hz, a pitch used by Broadwood's piano
manufacturers until 1874, when a1=454 Hz became more usual for concert work.

In the late 1850s Broadwoods were tuning at three pitches: low pitch was a1=433Hz (close to the 1850s French
Government Commission Diapason Normal pitch of a1=435Hz); this is sometimes known as 'Broadwood's vocal
pitch'. Medium pitch was a1=445.9Hz, which seems to have been used most often for domestic pianos. High
pitch, or 'Philharmonic Pitch', was a1=454Hz and was later revised down slightly to 452Hz, perhaps as a result of
Costa's influence.

Whilst in the 1860s disagreements rumbled on at London's Society of Arts, pitch continued to rise, and
eventually a so-called 'medium pitch' was established in 1878, at 445.1Hz. British Army regulation pitch of 1859
was c2=537.5Hz (or a1=452Hz) and was adopted as the International Exhibition pitch of 1885. When a new
season of concerts was under discussion in London in 1895, a throat specialist named Dr Cathcart offered to
finance the season, but only on condition that pitch be lowered to the French Diapason Normal of a1=435Hz.
And thus, by virtue of financial incentive, a lower pitch was introduced in London's concert-making. By way of
comparison, pitch in America at this time was higher (i.e., c2=560Hz in New York - that's an astonishing
a1=457Hz), but the writer does not know of organs in England pitched higher than the 'Philharmonic Pitch' of
c2=540Hz.

In 1896 this 'New Philharmonic Pitch' was agreed as a1=439Hz, the discrepancy - apparently - partly the result
of misunderstandings of the actual pitch of the Diapason Normal of the French Government Commission (the
pitch then rose fractionally after the agreement); this was unfortunate, because, despite the 1896 decision, a
pitch for piano manufacture was agreed internationally from 1899 as a1=435Hz. So there was an immediate
discrepancy between the 435 and 439 pitches. Any agreements at this time seemed only locally and briefly to
hold authority.

As with the terms Cammer-Ton and Chor-Ton, we have to exercise care when describing English 'Philharmonic
Pitch' - a term which now refers approximately to Cathcart's preferred pitch. 'Philharmonic pitch' has been used to
describe several pitch areas: 'original' Philharmonic pitch in 1813 was a1=425Hz; a pitch approved by Sir George
Smart in 1820 was a1=433z and is called 'Old Philharmonic Pitch'; 'Philharmonic Pitch' was the high pitch of
a1=454z (described above); and finally the 'New Philharmonic Pitch' was a1=439Hz. The irony is that, in order to
achieve this pitch, the conductor Sir Henry Wood, who had a meticulous attitude to tuning and acoustics)
insisted that his orchestra tuned to two pitches: stringed instruments (whose pitch flattens as temperature rises)
to a1=439Hz and winds (which sharpen as temperature rises) to a1=435.4, the idea, presumably, being that the
pitches coincided during performance and 'met' somewhere between the two tuning notes. These two tuning
forks are preserved in a display cabinet in the Treasury of the York Gate Collections at the Royal Academy of
Music.

It is an extraordinary testament to the build-quality of many of the instruments recorded here that they have
survived, by and large, in a fairly unaltered state. This means that the pitches at which they were finished have
survived too. The instruments from the earlier part of the nineteenth century are found, as expected, to be
roughly at what is now considered concert pitch; these instruments include the Bishop organs in Bermondsey
and Camberwell, and the Lincoln organ in Merstham. The influence of the high pitch used at the Crystal Palace
concerts must have had a strong influence on the pitch at which instruments were constructed in South London.
Instruments recorded here at Philharmonic Pitch include the Willis organ at Holy Trinity, Wandsworth, the Hill at
Christ Church, Streatham, and the Lewis at St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood. Is this recording of the
Elgar Sonata at the sharp nineteenth-century pitch an authentic 'first'?

By the late 1890s pitch had fallen slightly, as noted above. There are two books from the period that we can call
on for assistance. The first is Thomas Elliston's Organs and Tuning: A Practical Handbook for Organists,
published in 1894. The pitches he gives for c2 are 517Hz, 530Hz (actually Broadwood's medium pitch of 538Hz
or a1=444Hz), and 540Hz (or a1=454Hz). These he describes as being 'now in use'. For the pitch of c2=535Hz
(449.9Hz) we have to look to T.C. Lewis's A Protest against the Modern Development of Unmusical Tone,
published in 1897. It seems that this pitch emerged in the mid-1890s as a compromise between 530 and 540Hz.

By way of a summary of these confusing pitches, a table follows:

Pitch description a1 c2
'High', 'concert' or 'Philharmonic Pitch' 454Hz 540Hz
Costa's 1852-1874 Philharmonic pitch (sometimes called 'British Army Regulation Pitch' for
452.5Hz 537.5Hz
the 1885 Exhibition)
Lewis 'protest' pitch (1897) 'Diapason normal' 450Hz 535Hz
Broadwood's Medium pitch ('530Hz') 444Hz 528Hz
Modern concert pitch 440Hz 523.25Hz
New Philharmonic pitch 1896 'Cathcart's' 439Hz 522Hz
French Diapason Normal pitch of 1859 (sometimes called Broadwood's 'vocal pitch') 435Hz 517Hz

William McVicker
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

The Department of Organ Studies at

   
the Royal Academy of Music

  
'The players' expertise was astonishing'
(The Times, April 2003, Royal Festival Hall's contemporary organ music project).

The Royal Academy of Music is 'one of the great conservatoires of the world, a powerhouse that has produced
the great and the famous from Sir Simon Rattle to Sir Elton John', The Guardian, October 2004.

The Academy's Organ Department has a worldwide reputation for training both soloists and church musicians
and attracts students from throughout Europe, the United States of America, China, Russia, Australia and New
Zealand.

Its distinguished teaching faculty offers a diverse range of specialist performance courses, including
contemporary music, improvisation, historical performance, and organology (repertoire, organ construction and
performance practice). These courses are complemented by regular masterclasses by such distinguished
teachers as Marie-Claire Alain, Daniel Chorzempa, Helmut Deutsch, Kenneth Gilbert, Kei Koito, Jon Laukvik,
Wijnand van de Pol and Daniel Roth. In June 2002, a pioneering harmonium course began under the direction of
Anne Page, and remains the only course of its type in the country.

Students have regular access to organs in the 'classical' and nineteenth-century French symphonic traditions.
The four-manual classical organ by Rieger in nearby St Marylebone Parish Church is part-owned by the
Academy and used as its main teaching instrument, as well as a two-manual organ after the great French
builder, Cavaillé-Coll. A rare Neapolitan organ of 1763 by Michelangelo & Carlo Sanarica, restored in Italy by
Riccardo Lorenzini, was installed in the David Josefowitz Recital Hall in 2004. A two-manual Orgue-Celesta
harmonium by Alphonse Mustel was purchased for the Academy in 2003, and is in the Keyboard Gallery of the
York Gate Museum.

In recent years, many Academy organ students have gained prizes in international competitions including
Odense (First Prize); Grand Prix Bach de Lausanne (Prix de la Presse); St Moritz (Third Prize); St Albans
(Audience Prize); many other former students now hold cathedral appointments, e.g., Westminster, St Paul's,
London, Canterbury, Salisbury and Southwark.

www.ram.ac.uk/organ

David Titterington
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

Southwark and South London

   
Society of Organists

  
The London Society of Organists was established in 1930 and the present Society was its South Eastern
Branch. From 1961 the Branch became the Southwark and South London Society, with Harold Dexter (then
Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral) as the first Chairman; the Vice Chairman was Malcolm Hubble. In
those days the Committee met at Henry Willis's home, The White House in Palace Road, Tulse Hill.

Ever since its beginnings, meetings of the Society have been held for the benefit of organists who are interested
in organ music. These events usually take place in our own area, but sometimes much further afield. The
Society is ecumenical and meetings take place in churches of all denominations; occasionally visits have been to
schools and even stately homes, such as Blenheim Palace.

Southwark Cathedral has often been used as a venue, and the Society has had a long association with various
Directors of Music there. In June 2005, to celebrate the ninetieth birthday of the ever-young E. H. (John) Warrell,
who left Southwark in 1976, the Society and the Dean, the Very Reverend Colin Slee, arranged a weekend of
musical events involving Mr Warrell and his two successors, Dr Harry Bramma (1976-1989) and the present
Director, Peter Wright. Harry, who has been a guiding light behind the present recording, went on to become the
Director of the Royal School of Church Music, then based at Addington Palace, near Croydon, and also All
Saints', Margaret Street, in London's West End.

A typical annual format for the Society in recent years: a February visit to about three churches in an area in or
near South London (Beckenham, Greenwich and Clapham); an Annual General Meeting at a venue where the
organ is demonstrated and then tried out by many of those present; a summer visit out of the area. We have now
begun to venture into France (Calais, Boulogne, St Omer) and Belgium (especially Ypres). Staying in this
country, we have had summer jaunts to Winchester, Purbeck and Laycock (in Wiltshire); an early autumn
meeting locally. Sometimes this is an all-day educational or training event, with a theme such as 'improvisation'
or 'liturgical accompaniment', with invited experts such as Anne Marsden Thomas and Martin Baker. Young
people have had a chance to demonstrate their skills, as in 2004 at St Barnabas, Dulwich. Finally, there's an
annual meal, often in central London.

Some of our members have given a lot of their energy to the Society and gone on to lead distinguished careers:
Peter Barley has been Director of Music of St Marylebone Parish Church and, since 2002, St Patrick's
Cathedral, Dublin. Carleton Etherington became sub-organist at Leeds Parish Church and, since 1996, has been
organist of Tewkesbury Abbey. Other long-standing and much-loved members have included Arthur Arnold,
Harry Coles, Donald Eggleton, George Fill, John Goode, Gerald Gostling, Raymond Gray, Ray Luckett, Arthur
Newell, George Nullis, Charles Poupart and Bill Wilson. Present members include E. H. Warrell, who joined in
1930, and Malcolm Hubble (1946).

The Southwark and South London Society is one of many such groups affiliated to the Incorporated Association
of Organists. The membership currently stands at about seventy-five; the Chairman is Paul Gobey, the
Secretary Susan Heath-Downey, and the Treasurer Robert Bowles.

John Webber
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

A note on the recording    

  
When I was first invited to provide an estimate of costs for recording this project I had only a vague
understanding of the scale and significance of the work in which I was to become involved. It would be
something of an understatement to describe my role of recording engineer as 'challenging'. Our schedule
sometimes necessitated recording three organs in a day and many were housed in buildings alongside major
roads, railway lines or bus stations. One even featured a nursery percussion class in an adjoining room. I hope
that we have avoided the more obtrusive environmental noises, but we have not attempted to eliminate the
unintentional sounds of key-actions, noisy blowers or leaking wind-systems.

All the recordings have been made using a single pair of Røde NT2 microphones mounted on a tall stand and
feeding two DAT recorders via a Mackie 1402-VLZ PRO mixer. In each venue we have tried to position the
microphones in such a way that they captured the clarity of direct sound blended with the building's acoustic.
Needless to say, some church buildings have acoustics that provide a wonderful bloom to the organ, while
others are so 'dead' that a blend is difficult to achieve. At each venue we turned an adjacent room into a studio in
order that the producers and organists were able to listen to the recorded sound via speakers and headphones.
We have endeavoured to keep editing to a minimum but some has been inevitable. My colleague Timothy Yeo
has carried out this difficult task with tremendous skill.

I believe that this unique partnership between the Royal Academy of Music and the Southwark and South
London Society of Organists has resulted in a fascinating and valuable set of recordings.

It has been a great privilege to work with some outstanding young organists and a distinguished team of
producers. As you listen to these recordings I hope you will experience something of the excitement and
pleasure that we have shared in recording these remarkable organs.

Christopher Town

Christopher Town Recording Service, 96 Ridgeway Drive, Bromley, Kent, BR1 5DD.
Tel: 020 8851 9116
Email: christophertown@ntlworld.com

Photographs of members of the production team

Harry Bramma, Sunny Son, Christopher Christopher Town, Harry Ourania Gassiou and
Christopher Town and Town, Arnfinn Tobiassen Bramma, Riccardo Bonci, Jo Nicolas Kynaston at
Riccardo Bonci and David Titterington at Fort, Tim Yeo and David Tulse Hill, Holy Trinity
South Norwood, Holy Titterington at one of the first
Innocents sessions in Bermondsey

 
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

Artist Biographies    

  
 

Adam Baker began studying the organ while at the King's School in Canterbury, where he was an Academic
and Music scholar. In his gap-year Adam was the organ scholar at Croydon Parish Church. During this time he
also took the foundation-year organ course at the Royal Academy of Music. Presently, Adam is the Senior
Organ Scholar at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he studies History of Art, focusing on Early Mediaeval Art
and the Architecture of Britain and Rome.

Riccardo Bonci studied piano and organ in Italy in the conservatoires of Terni and
Perugia, and graduated in both instruments cum laude; as a specialism he trained
as an opera répétiteur. Riccardo attended masterclasses with a number of
distinguished musicians. He took the Postgraduate Performance Organ course at
the Royal Academy of Music, studying with David Titterington and Susan Landale
and graduated in 2005 with Distinction and the award of DipRAM, the Academy's
highest performing award. He held the Academy's Pidem Organ Fellowship
between 2005 and 2006. He is currently Organ Scholar at St Barnabas, Dulwich,
under the direction of Dr William McVicker.

Jessica Cottis is a first-class honours graduate of the Australian National

University, where she studied the organ, piano and musicology. Prizewinner in the
2000 Australian Young Performers' Competition, she appeared with orchestras
across Australia and performed at London's Westminster Cathedral a year later.
She continued her studies with Nicolas Kynaston and Susan Landale at the Royal
Academy of Music on a postgraduate course, where she was recipient of the
Whalley and E. Power Biggs Awards. She is Musical Director of The King's Opera
and most recently conducted Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. In 2006 Jessica will join
the Academy's postgraduate conducting course.

Martin Ford is currently Organ Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he is reading Music. Prior to this, he
took a gap-year, during which he was the Organ Scholar at Southwark Cathedral and studied at the Royal
Academy of Music with Susan Landale and David Titterington. He currently studies with David Sanger. He has
given numerous organ recitals, at venues including Douai Abbey, Romsey Abbey, St Martin-in-the-Fields,
Queen's College, Oxford, Southwark Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral; he can be heard accompanying the
choir of Southwark Cathedral on a CD of Christmas carols released in 2005.

Joseph Fort (pictured left) is the Senior Organ Scholar at Emmanuel College,
Cambridge, where he is reading Music and was recently awarded an Academic
Scholarship. Prior to this he studied on the foundation course at the Royal Academy
of Music, with Susan Landale, and simultaneously held the Organ Scholarship at All
Saints', Margaret Street, London. He has given recitals at St Paul's Cathedral, St
John's College, Cambridge and at the 2005 Three Choirs Festival in Worcester. He
has performed a concerto with the Guildford Symphony Orchestra. Joseph studied
at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music for seven years, and played
the bassoon in the National Youth Orchestra.

Karl Dorman studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Nicolas Kynaston and is now completing his
 undergraduate studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire. He was Director of Music at St Philip's and All Saints',
Kew, a post he combined with that of associate conductor of Sine Nomine, a professional chamber choir based
in the Midlands. He has given recitals at Coventry Central Hall, and All Saints', Margaret Street.

Alexander Eadon is a former chorister of King's College, Cambridge and was a

Music Scholar at Harrow School. He is a final year student taking the BMus at the
Royal Academy of Music (studying organ with David Titterington) and in 2006 he
won a discretionary award. Alexander is Director of Music at Christ Church,
Southgate.

Born in Athens, Ourania Gassiou studied the piano with Vinia Tsopela and the
organ with Nicolas Kynaston in the Athens Concert Hall with a three-year
scholarship awarded by the Friends of Music Society. In 2004 she received a
scholarship to study under Nicolas Kynaston at the Royal Academy of Music. She
was awarded various prizes and graduated with distinction and DipRAM, the highest
award for performance. She won Third Prize in the International Organ Competition
of St Moritz in 2005, First Prize in the Panhellenic Piano Competition in Andros and
Second Prize in the Panhellenic Piano Competition. In 2005 she was awarded an
Eric Thompson Trust grant to continue private tuition with Johannes Geffert in
Cologne. She is currently a scholar of the Alexandros Onassis Public Benefit
Foundation.

Eleni Keventsidou graduated in piano in 1995, with a unanimous First Prize, from
the National Athens Conservatory. In 1998 she won the second prize in the
Thirteenth Panhellenic Piano Competition and was then awarded a three-year
scholarship by the Friends of Music Society to study the organ with Nicolas
Kynaston at the Athens Concert Hall. She continued her studies with Nicolas
Kynaston and David Titterington at the Royal Academy of Music, where she won
several prizes and awards and graduated with distinction. In 2003 Eleni was
awarded a scholarship from the Alexander S. Onassis Scholarship Foundation. She
has performed in Greece, UK, France, Spain and Germany and is currently she is
Organist-in-Residence at Tonbridge School.

William McVicker read Music at St Hild and St Bede College, Durham and won an
Organ Scholarship, a British Academy Scholarship and a Bowes Bequest to study
the organ in Paris. He was later appointed Caedmon Fellow in Music at the
University of Durham before being awarded a PhD. William is Director of Music at St
Barnabas, Dulwich, Organ Curator at the Royal Festival Hall, and teaches
Organology at the Royal Academy of Music. Having spent many years conducting
and performing as a soloist and duettist, he now concentrates on organ consultancy
work and is Chairman of the Association of Independent Organ Advisers. He is still
active as a performer and recently gave concerts in Bath, Bristol, Cambridge and,
with the violinist Levon Chilingirian, in Singapore.

Aleksandr Nisse was greatly influenced by his father's teacher, Helmut Walcha. He studied the piano with
Valery Krol and began organ studies in 1999 with Susan Landale in Paris. Between 2001 and 2004 he studied
with Louis Robilliard at the Conservatoire National de Region de Lyon, where he was awarded a unanimous
Premier Prix de Perfectionnement with distinction. Since 2005 has been studying with Susan Landale and Lionel
Rogg on the postgraduate performance course at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

David Pipe was educated at Epsom College, where he held a Major Music
Scholarship, and later studied on the Foundation Course at the Royal Academy of
Music with David Titterington concurrently holding the organ scholarship at All
Saints', Margaret Street; he then read music at Cambridge University, winning the
Organ Scholarship at Downing College. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of
Organists in January 2004, before returning to the Royal Academy of Music to study
the organ with Susan Landale, having been awarded a postgraduate entrance
scholarship on the Master's course. He is Organ Scholar at Southwark Cathedral
and performs regularly as a recitalist.

f
Andrew Scott began his musical education in 1989 as a chorister at Christ Church,
North Shields under the tutelage of Dr Russell Missin. In 1994 he was awarded an
Organ Scholarship before being promoted to Assistant Organist and Director of
Music. On leaving school, Andrew was apprenticed to Harrison & Harrison Ltd,
Organ-Builders of Durham to train as a professional organ-builder. He moved to
London in June 2000 to take up the position of London Tuner for Harrison &
Harrison and is responsible for the tuning and maintenance of the instruments in
most of the main London venues including Westminster Abbey, Westminster
Cathedral and the Royal Festival Hall. Andrew spent five years as Organist at St
Margaret's, Lee, before taking up the post of Assistant Director of Music and
Director of the Girls' Choir at Croydon Parish Church in September 2005.

Sunny Son received a bachelor's degree in organ performance from the University
of North Texas, where she studied the organ, harpsichord and continuo playing with
Dr Lenora McCroskey. In 2002 she went to the University of Kansas, where she
completed her Master's degree, and studied with Dr James Higdon. At both
institutions she was awarded several major prizes and received scholarships. Sunny
has won several competitions, including the 1999 William C. Hall Pipe Organ
Competition in San Antonio,TX, the AGO Regional Young Artists' Organ
Competition for Region VII in 1999, and the 2002 Ottumwa Undergraduate
Competition in Iowa. She is currently on the Postgraduate Diploma course, studying
with David Titterington and Susan Landale, at the Royal Academy of Music in
London.

David Titterington was Organ Scholar at Pembroke College, Oxford and continued
his studies with Marie-Claire Alain and Susan Landale at the Conservatoire de
Rueil-Malmaison, Paris, winning a Premièr Prix à l'unanimité avec les felicitations du
Jury. Following his debut at the Royal Festival Hall, in 1986, he has performed
world-wide at leading international festivals including Sydney Bicentennial, Hong
Kong, New Zealand, Israel, BBC Proms, Cheltenham, Leon, Schleswig Holstein,
and with leading orchestras (Berlin Symphony, BBC Symphony, Lahti Symphony,
City of London Sinfonia), ensembles and soloists. He gives recitals and
masterclasses and is a member of many international juries. In 1999 he was
awarded an honorary Professorship and Doctor honoris causa by the State
University of Budapest, the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, where he was Visiting
Professor 1997-2004, and Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists.
In 1991 he was appointed a professor of organ at the Royal Academy of Music and
since 1996 has been Head of Organ Studies.

Arnfinn Tobiassen is currently a postgraduate organ student at the Royal Academy

of Music under Susan Landale and Lionel Rogg, having previously completed his
undergraduate degree, studying with David Titterington and James O'Donnell. At
the Academy he has received several major prizes, attending masterclasses with a
number of distinguished musicians. Arnfinn was awarded the John S. Cohen
Charitable Trust Bursary to attend Dartington International Summer School in 2005.
In addition to being the Organ Scholar at St Paul's, Knightsbridge, he is also one of
the assistant organists at the Dutch Church in London.

Nic Turner began his organ studies at Bolton School with Norman Harper, and
continued with Graham Barber at Leeds University and Simon Lindley at Leeds
Parish Church. Nic moved to London in 1986, and is now in his second term as
Organist and Director of Music at St Giles's, Camberwell. He has performed in many
UK cathedrals, including St Paul's, Southwark, Lincoln, Norwich, Brecon and St
Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. He is accompanist for the Triptych
Singers, and accompanies the choir of Wimbledon Parish Church at services and
concerts.
 John Webber, a member of the Southwark and South London Society of Organists
since 1967, studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Harold Dexter
and Nicholas Danby. John was appointed organist of St Swithun's, Hither Green at
the age of 15 and passed the ARCO at 18 and FRCO at 21. In 1982 he gained the
Durham BMus (Hons) and shortly afterwards the CHM and ADCM diplomas. John
held appointments at St George's, Beckenham, Chelsea Old Church and St
George's, Bickley and is currently based at St John's, East Dulwich. John runs the
Beckenham Junior Choir, which he founded in 1993.

Thomas Wilson completed his undergraduate music studies at Victoria University,

Wellington, New Zealand, and moved to London in 2003 to undertake postgraduate
studies with David Titterington in organ and musicology at the Royal Academy of
Music, where his research interests included the organ music of Buxtehude and the
choral music of J.S. Bach. At the Academy he won prizes for organ-playing and
improvisation and performed in several high-profile concerts, accompanying the
cellist Stephen Isserlis at the Wigmore Hall and giving a concerto performance in
Neresheim Abbey with the Royal Academy Baroque Orchestra. Thomas has been
Assistant Organist at Westminster Cathedral since October 2004. In addition to
working with the Cathedral choir he has specific responsibility for music at non-
choral services. He was previously Assistant Director and Organist for the choir of
Ealing Abbey. In addition to his duties as one of the Cathedral organists, Thomas
has recently been appointed Precentor of Westminster Cathedral.

 
 
   
 

'Grand Chorus'  

   

Thanks    

  
This project would not have been possible without the considerable goodwill of very many people. Thanks are
therefore due to the following, with apologies for any omissions:

For the Southwark and South London Society of Organists: Paul Gobey, Steve Robson, Robert Bowles, Susan
Heath-Downey and the late Alan Pfaff.

For the Royal Academy of Music: The Principal, Professor Curtis Price, KBE; the Vice Principal, Professor
Jonathan Freeman-Attwood; David Titterington, Nicolas Kynaston and Susan Landale, with administrative
support from Helen Thorpe. The booklet was typeset by Peter Craik, for whose skill and patience we are grateful.

Beddington, St Mary: The Reverend Justine Middlemiss

Bermondsey, St James: The Reverend Stewart Hartley, Pat O'Connor and Betty Peart

Camberwell, St Giles: The Reverend Nicholas George and Nic Turner

Clapham, Holy Spirit: The Reverend Jeremy Blunden and Robert Bowles

Croydon Parish Church (St John the Baptist): Canon Colin Boswell, Nigel McLintock and Andrew Scott

Deptford, St Paul: The Reverend Peter Fellowes, E.H. Warrall, and Anne Rickwood

Dulwich, St Barnabas: The Reverend Dianna Gwilliams, Sarah Streatfeild and Anna Picken

Hither Green, St Swithun: The Reverend Robert Daniell

Merstham, United Benefice of The Epiphany and St Katherine: The Reverend John E. Smith, The Reverend
Valerie Williams and Gillian Buchanan

Rotherhithe, St Mary: the late The Reverend C.E. Nicholas Richards and Alan Phillips

Royal Festival Hall: Amelia Freedman, CBE and Melanie Wilson

Southwark Cathedral: The Dean and Chapter and Peter Wright

South Norwood, Holy Innocents: The Reverend Nicola Jane Coleman and her husband

Streatham, Christ Church: The Reverend Steven Tricklebank and Dr Robin Field

Tooting Graveney, All Saints: The Reverend Simon Metzner, Mrs Cheryl Clarke and Tim Petts

Tooting, St Augustine: The Reverend Hugh Grear

Tulse Hill, Holy Trinity: The Reverend Dr Bill Musk

Upper Norwood, St John the Evangelist: The Reverend Beverley Mason and Adrian Adams

Wandsworth, Holy Trinity: The Reverend Gregory Prior

West Croydon, St Michael and All Angels: The Reverend Donald Minchew

Woodcote (Purley), St Mark: The Reverend John Paton

Thanks to Relf Clark for proof-reading the liner booklet and for valuable historical and editorial suggestions; to
William Drake, Dominic Gwynn, William McVicker and Andrew Scott for preparing a number of the organs,
correcting technical faults and tuning the instruments, and to our recording team, Christopher Town and Tim
Yeo.

William McVicker