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Alan Webster, Dean of St Paul's '78-'87
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In Memoriam
Reverend Stephen Francis Gunyon (chorister 1923-26), died in Bury St Edmunds in August 2005
John Evers (chorister 1931-38), died in Brighton in 2004
Philip Harold Weller (chorister 1938-43), died in Eastleigh 2006
Very Reverend Alan Webster (Dean of St Paul's 1978-87), died in Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk on 3 Sept 2007.
Read his Obituary here.
• The Guild celebrated its 115th anniversary in 2006
80 former choristers and guests celebrated at a dinner held in January 2007 in the Cathedral School and were entertained by The King's Men, a close-harmony singing group of pupils from The King's School Canterbury, many of whom were former St Paul's Cathedral choristers (Tristan Hambleton, Dominic Collingwood, Ed Watts, Tom Kelly and Guy Edmund-Jones).
• The following choristers left at the end of the 2006 & 2007 academic years; we thank them for their contributions to the choir over the years, welcome them to membership of the Guild and wish them all luck in their senior schools and future careers:
2006: Hamish Bain (Hampton School), Peter Dennison (Oundle), George Fuest (Haileybury), Matthew Hilborn (St John's Leatherhead), Cem Hurrell (Eton) and Harry Purvis (The King's School Canterbury).
2007: Adam Drury (Berkhamstead), Max Gumpert (Wellington), Freddy Ireland-Rose, Kit Irwin and Duncan Kelly (The King's School, Canterbury), Oliver Jackson (Oundle), Tom James (Winchester), Henry Moulton (Harrow), Christopher Sladdin (Frankfurt International School) and Christopher Theobald (Gresham's).
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The Guild recommends a visit to www.ofchoristers.net, an extraordinary work of dedication to choristership.
• Another extraordinary publication in 2006 was The English Chorister: A History, written by Alan Mould. Its 'vivid, sometimes bizarre, sometimes hilarious detail, should interest musicologists, church historians and a wide general readership.' - not least former choristers of St Paul's Cathedral.
• New Dean of St Paul's appointed 23 March 2007
The Queen approved the nomination of the Right Reverend Graeme Paul Knowles AKC, Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, to be appointed to the Deanery of the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul in London, following the resignation of the Very Reverend John Henry Moses BA PhD on 31 August 2006.
Graeme Knowles (born 1951) served his title at St Peter-in-Thanet, Broadstairs from 1974 to 1979 before becoming Precentor and Senior Curate at Leeds Parish Church from 1979 to 1981. From 1981 to 1987 he was Chaplain and Precentor at Portsmouth Cathedral and Chapter Clerk from 1985 to 1987. His next appointment was as Vicar of Leigh Park from 1987 to 1993 when he also served as Rural Dean of Havant from 1990 to 1993. He was Archdeacon of Portsmouth from 1993 to 1999 and then, from 1999 to 2003, Dean of Carlisle. He was appointed Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man in 2003. He currently chairs the Council for the Care of Churches and he became a Member of General Synod in 2002. Bishop Knowles is married to Susan. His recreations include Victorian and Edwardian songs, the books of E F Benson, and wine and food.
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The Very Reverend Dr John Moses KCVO, Dean of St Paul’s since November 1996, retired on 31 August 2006
His last Service was a Sung Eucharist on Wednesday 12 July 2006 at 5pm, and was attended by over 2,000 friends, family, colleagues and invited guests including HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, Baroness Thatcher and the Lord Mayor of London.
During his ten years at St Paul’s, Dr Moses led the nation in celebration, commemoration and mourning in services for the Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday, Her Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, the bicentenary celebrations surrounding the death of Lord Nelson, and in remembrance of 9/11, the Iraq war, the Asian Tsunami and the victims of the London Bombings.
The last major service that Dr Moses presided over was the Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration to mark the 80th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen on 15 June 2006, with a congregation that included over 30 Royals, the Prime Minister, Faith leaders and celebrities such as Eric Clapton and Sir Cliff Richard.
Among the fresh initiatives undertaken by the Cathedral under Dr Moses were the forming of a Lay Community of young people and the foundations of the St Paul’s Cathedral Institute, which has hosted a number of public lectures by speakers such as Kofi Annan and Sir David Attenborough.
In addition, Dr Moses oversaw the inception and completion of many major projects in the Cathedral’s 300th Anniversary Restoration Campaign, including the cleaning of the whole interior of the Cathedral along with the repair of the West Front; key works were still ongoing as he left, most notably the restoration of the South façade and the construction of a new education suite in the Crypt. These works should provide a lasting legacy for centuries to come, enabling generations of visitors to enjoy St Paul’s.
Reflecting on his period at the Cathedral, Dr Moses said: “I have loved my time at St Paul’s. I am a London boy who had always hoped to work in London as a priest and who still cannot quite believe his luck in having being asked to do one of the most marvellous jobs in the Church of England. No one can serve as Dean of St Paul’s without being aware from the very beginning of our immense privilege in being asked to host from time to time the services of national and international importance. These are the occasions when St Paul’s comes into its own as a London landmark, as a national symbol of endurance, and as an international icon of faith.”
Dr Moses also gave thanks to his colleagues, saying: “I make no secret of my immense indebtedness to my Chapter colleagues and to the whole staff and to the entire body of volunteers at St Paul’s. Nothing can be achieved on any front without the professionalism and the dedication of the whole team. My years have been rich and fulfilling and I shall leave with very great gratitude for all that we have been able to do together.”
The Guild will miss his witty after-dinner speeches (when replying to the Headmaster's toast to the Dean and Chapter) and his regular references to not having a musical ear. We cannot overlook the fact, however, that he surely lent an ear carefully to the needs of continuing the great musical traditions of St Paul's. The Guild wishes Dr Moses a happy retirement.
Malcolm Archer, Organist & Director of Music,
2004-2007
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St Paul's Organist and Director of Music, Malcolm Archer, left on 31 July 2007 to take up a new post as Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College. The Chapter of St Paul’s thanked him for his dedication and excellent work during his two years at St Paul’s and wished him and his family well in their new home.
Malcolm introduced several of his compositions to the Cathedral music repertoire and was commissioned to write several anthems for special occasions. We are sure that we will continue to see his name as composer on the Cathedral music lists for many years to come.
The choir recorded a CD, Love Came Down at Christmas, Griffin (GCCD 4051), of Christmas music under his direction. It was recorded – as is often the way – in the summer of 2006 and includes Malcolm’s carol of the same name, plus a beautiful recording of Jan Sandstrom’s ethereal arrangement of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen.
Andrew Carwood
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Andrew Carwood took up the appointment of St Paul’s Cathedral Director of Music in September 2007. A choral scholar at St. John’s College, Cambridge and a lay clerk at Christ Church, Oxford and Westminster Cathedral, Mr Carwood was also Director of Music at the Brompton Oratory in London for five years and has had a distinguished career himself as a tenor.
Canon Lucy Winkett, Precentor, commented: “We are delighted that Mr Carwood is coming to join us. He brings enormous experience as a conductor and singer, and he will be supported by our team of professional organists. Together we will seek to maintain the Cathedrals music tradition to which we are all committed.”
Andrew commented, “St Paul’s has a unique position in the history and spiritual life of the country and I am thrilled at the prospect of working with the Cathedral Choir. I look forward to maintaining the tradition of musical excellence established by a long line of previous directors and am excited at the thought of developing the scope and range of the repertoire hand in hand with imaginative and meaningful liturgical planning. St Paul’s already boasts a first-class team of musicians and I am honoured to be joining them.”
• Many former choristers, Guild members and current chorister parents sing in St Paul’s Cathedral Chorus, which has augmented the Cathedral Choir in performances of Handel's Messiah and JS Bach's St John Passion for many years. The Chorus is always happy to hear from former choristers who would like to join their happy throng. Contact Chorus Secretary, Diana hambleton (herself a former chorister parent), via the Guild or Cathedral Music Department for further information. Neither the rehearsal nor performance schedule is demanding, yet standards are very high, so here is a fine opportunity for good singers who would like to keep singing but cannot meet the more demanding schedules of the bigger London choruses. Chorus rehearsals are at 6.15pm on Tuesdays in St Martin’s Ludgate, Ludgate Hilll, just down the road from our alma mater. Prior audition is required, but, by arrangement, you may attend an initial rehearsal to see whether you can still read Messiah in half-light!
2006 Dates
9 Jan: from The Daily Telegraph:
St Paul’s tries again with £1m request for lottery funding
Aerial photo of One New Change development area: Land Securities
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18 Jan: Land Securities Group plc received a resolution from the Corporation of London's Planning and Transportation Committee to grant planning for the
One New Change development, immediately opposite the School. Designed by Jean Nouvel, one of the world’s 'most innovative and acclaimed architects', notably of Barcelona's Agbar Tower, One New Change will be an enormous 220,000 sq ft retail and 340,000 sq ft office development and will include rooftop public space from which to enjoy the commanding new views across St Paul's Cathedral and the wider city. The design was chosen through an open architectural competition judged by a panel including Millennium Dome architect Lord Rogers and Architecture Institute director Rowan Moore, the Evening Standard's architecture critic. The Dean and Chapter of St Paul's, the Greater London Authority and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment are all understood to have approved the design before the application was filed. The red brick, stone and granite buildings currently on the three-acre site, designed by Victor Heal for the Bank of England as part of the post-war reconstruction of this badly bombed part of the City - and which Pevsner found to be reactionary “almost beyond comprehension.”, will be demolished. Completion of the new building work is expected in 2010.
William Ralph Inge, 'the gloomy Dean'
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28 Jan: At the Guild AGM, the president of the Guild, the Dean, was voted Life Membership of the Guild. Dr John Moses was presented with a commemorative Guild wall plaque at the annual Guild dinner that evening. In his acceptance speech he spoke of the 'precious musical tradition' and the Dean and Chapter's 'total commitment to the musical foundation of the Cathedral', in contrast to the infamous 'caterwauling' description of the choir by the 'gloomy Dean', William Ralph Inge, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral from 1911-34.
3 Mar:
Having been recalled from the England 'A' team West Indies tour (where he scored a century), Alastair Cook (chorister 93-98) made cricketing history by joining the distinguished list of only 16 England test cricketers (W G Grace was the first, in 1880) who scored a century on their test debut. Scoring 60 in the first innnings of the First Test v India in Nagpur, he took 6 hours for his maiden test century and survived two dropped catches (when on 70 and 91), showing real style and determination. Len Hutton and Denis Compton may have been younger when they scored their maiden test centuries, but surely not even 'Brylcreem Boy' Compton was as handsome in his achievement as this former St Paul's Cathedral chorister...
Extract from The Guildhall Library Manuscripts section:
The archives of St Paul's Cathedral Choir School, which date only from the 19th century, were deposited with the Manuscripts Section, in 1994 and after. A brief history of the school, first mentioned in 1127, is given in the catalogue of its archive (Guildhall Library Mss 29518-45, 29746). The school, formerly in Carter Lane, is now in New Change.
A list of known choristers, early 18th century to 1873, compiled by KI Garrett, can be found in Guildhall Studies in London History, vol.1, no.2 (1974), pp.82-93. Payments to choristers (with surnames of recipients), 1873-6, may be found in Ms 25725/1, and, 1876-81, in Ms 25725/2. There is also a register of applicants to the school (giving the names of those who were successful), 1879-1938 (Ms 29518). A printed register of the choir school, 1873-1964, is held by the Printed Books Section of Guildhall Library.
The medieval choir school, run by the almoner, was distinct from the grammar school, run by the chancellor (and later re-founded by Dean Colet in 1510) ... This school was originally near the cathedral, but was destroyed in the Great Fire. It was rebuilt in 1670 and 1822, moving in 1884 to Hammersmith and in 1968 to Barnes. Until 1876 the school was run by the Mercers’ Company, who continue to hold administrative records of it.
...and finally:
11 Jan 1569:
First lottery in England is drawn in St Paul's Cathedral under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I. Click here for more history of lotteries and St Paul's.
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Photo:
Dome crossing, St Paul's Cathedral: Upwards Photosphere 7455 - © 2006 Edward Hill, Greenwich Landscape Artists Ltd
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