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THE COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS OF

Percy Whitlock (1903 - 1946)

Graham Bar6er pLays the Or9an of Huff Ci-ry HaUI VOLUME ONE I

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The Complete Organ Works Of Percy WhitlockVolume One

The music on this recording shows the wide stylistic range of Percy Whitlock's compositional <CIlvreand, in addition to long-established original organ works, revives several titles (in transcription) whichhave been hidden away for half a century or more. The choice of Hull City Hall is also a happy one sinceWhitlock appeared there on 9 March 1939 as soloist in his Symphol/Y iI/ G mil/or for organ and orchestra;and Graham Barber was only the second organist to play the solo part in the Symphony, when it wasbroadcast in 1991 by the B.B.C. Welsh Symphony Orchestra. Back in that same 1939 week the City Hallalso hosted AI Bowlly and 'Jack Payne and his boys!' Not that Whitlock would have felt out of place in theircompany. As part of his duties at Bournemouth Pavilion (where he presided over the dual-purpose Comptonorgan) he was called upon to provide what he termed 'Pavints', (i.e. Pavilion Interludes), between the actsof the plays and shows presented each week. The billings for those years read like a roll-call of the biggestnames in entertainment at that time, including Jack Hylton and his band, Patricia Rossborough, (a brilliant

'rhythm pianist' whom Whitlock much admired), Gracie Fields, Tommy lIandley, Paul Robeson and ArthurAskey. As a young man growing up in the 1920s, Whitlock recalled listening in via the cat's whisker to theSavoy Orpheans dance band, and a piano pupil encountered him revelling one day in a Jack Payne broadcast.Although Whitlock did not publish any of his lighter music, several of his pupils achieved success in thatsector of the music business, such as the theatre organist George Blackmore (1921-1994) and Leon Young

(1916-1991), the arranger for Acker Bilk, the Frank Chacksfield Orchestra, ITMA and his own 'StringChorale'.

The earliest music on this disc, the Five Short Pieces of 1929, were first performed by the composer in

Rochester Cathedral in June 1930, just before the end of his ten-year tenure as Assistant Organist. Allegrettowas inscribed to a cathedral chorister James Peter Burney (b, 1915) whose whistling in the Choir School

Yard one day was the inspiration for this piece. As Peter's Tune it was arranged for small orchestra andincorporated into the Suite: Music for Orchestra of 1941. In 1928, Whitlock spent several weeks recuperatingfrom tuberculosis at the Midhurst San;l!orium in Sussex where a fellow patient was Rita Adeline Dyson

(1908-19831), dedicatee of the Folk TUI/e, one of his best loved pieces. The third of the set, Am/al/te Tnmljuillo,was also a token of friendship, for Violet Kathleen Bannister (b. 1908), a Chatham musician who had

deputized for Whitlock during his absence from St. Mary's Church in 1928, as did John Somers Cocks (b.1907), dedicatee of the Scherzo. Whitlock described him as a "composer of the modernist school, and a

very dear person". This piece was inspired by the 'two ripping flutes' of the organ in the chapel of St.Bartholomew's Hospital in Chatham. The set finishes with a song of triumph, Paeal/, for Whitlock's fiancee,Edna May Kingdon (1901-1993) whom he married in January 1931.

In August 1930, Whitlock took up his post as Director of Music at St. Stephen's Church, Bournemouth,and was quick to immerse himself in the widely-varied musical climate of the town, from Sir Dan Godfrey's

Municipal Orchestra's symphony concerts in the Pavilion, through the military band on the Pier to theweekly rituals of Anglo-Catholicism at St. Stephen's. In 1932, he succeeded Philip Dore as part-timeBorough Organist. The FOllr Extemporizatiol/s, composed later in that year, follow on naturally from theh,'c Short Pieces and rellect Whitlock's growing confidence in using a richer harmonic palette (furtheringthe development shown in the 'Ii\'(, l-IlIIta,;" CllOmls of 1931). With the exception of Carol (composed inhomage to Frederick Deli us), the collection was dedicated to newly-made Bournemouth acquaintances.The Vierne-cum-Parry-influenced Dil'ertillle>l(o was dedicated to the Rev. Douglas Hamilton Priest (1904­1988), known as' Peter', the son of a Bournemouth butcher. He had been a server at 51. Stephen's and anassistant master at the Choir School in Winchester. According to Whitlock, he was "an amusing and

r~frcshing person, something of a musician". He deputized occasionally on the organ at 51. Stephen'sChurch where Whitlock's faithful head chorister was Charles Keel (b. 19]6), hence Fidelis. The rousing

Fa>l!"re belongs to Bernard Stinton Walker (b. 19(1), art master at Bournemouth School from 1928-1966and one of the Whitlocks' closest friends. "... a frequent and much appreciated visitor. V. keen indeed onmusic, ... a very vital person, intensely critical and yct appreciative and encouraging". The dedication wasreciprocated in 19-'7 with Walker's Lege>ld j()J" organ.

As early as October 1934, Whitlock had suggested to Richard Austin (Godfrey's recently-appointedsuccessor as Conductor of the Municipal Orchestra) that he should write amongst other things a 'lightSuite.' This eventually came to fruition in 19-'7 and was known as the Wess"x SlIite. "Vhitlock was anxiousto separate what might be termed his mainstream Illusic (destined for the Oxford University Press) fromthose lighter pieces he considered more suited to Chappells. A pseudonym seemed to be the answer, and'Kenneth Lark', possibly inspired by the oper" singer, Kingsley Lark, was born in lune 1937. Lark went onto produce many arrangements such as FOllr (:e>ltllries of nil >IceMe/od)'and SO>lgs"fErin which Whitlockdutifully included in his popular organ recitals! In addition, from 1939 'K.L.' wrote a weekly piece ofmusic criticism for the Bournemouth Daily Echo. The ordlcslratiol1 of the \ VCSSfX Suite overlapped withthe composition of the Ply",ollth SlIite during August to November 1937. Whitlock and his wife Ednatravdlcd to Plymollth to attend the Conference of the Incorporated Assodatinn of Organists. Each of thefive movements was dedicated to organists who attended, the tlrsl, Allegro /!i'''{lIto, being Harvey Grace(t 874-1944), Organist of Chichester Cathedral and Editor of the Ivlusical Times. La>ltlllIa (the Wayfaring

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Tree) was dedicated to Dom Winfrid (ne joscph Rechtsteiner, 1879-19(5),a monk and Organist of Buck!;"tAbbey where he met Whitlock during the Congress. CllIlIlty was dedicated to James Ilugh ReginaldDixon (1888-1976), the ear-ringed Organist of Lancaster Priory and, according to Whitlock, "generallythe naughty boy at any party". With its hornpipe-like wit, this suitably nautical movement might havebeen intended as a response to Dr. Dixon's own All Organ Shallty. Salix (the Weeping Willow) wasWhitlock's gentle joke at the expense of Henry Austin Dewdney (1898-1965), a Bournemouth pianist,organist and critic, who had "something to do with most of the musical ventures in Bournemouth. Aperpetual grouser, yet with much humour ... I sbould think he has the most inlluence of any of the localmusicians." Appropriately, this lovely movement has a rhythmic suggestion of Sillg alia grei'll ",illo", lilYgarland ""lst be and melodic echoes of Grainger's My Robill is to the greellwood gOIli'. The concluding7(,ccatll is dedicated to Dr. George !larry Moreton (1864-1961), Borough Organist of Plymouth, "asprightly old fellow [who] has been shabbily treated by the corporation, who are mercenary".

Although Whitlock never broadcast as a theatre organist ("denizens of the underworld" he jestinglytermed them) and considered it 'infra dig' to come up on the organ lift at the Pavilion for his solos, he didappreciate the musicianship of such masters as Quentin Maclean and Sidney Torch and he enjoyed thecompany of Reginald Porter-Brown and Eric Spruce. He made the Pavilion console into an organists'Mecca with visits from such a diverse group of practitioners as Dr. William Harris, Dr. Thomas Armstrong,Quentin Maclean, Frederic Curzon, Marshall Bidwell, Reginald Foort, Berkeley Mason, Fcla Sowandeand Rex O'Grady. For many musical holidaymakers, no visit to Bournemouth was complete without aconcert at the Pavilion. This might have been the idea behind Whitlock's Holiday Suite which was firstmentioned in a diary entry for April 1938. The three movements were taken from some incidental musicJ{)f orchestra which Whitlock had been commissioned to write for the Church of England Children'sSociety Waifs and Strays Matinee given at the Pavilion on II February 1939. The story-line concernedthe adventures of the 'Day Dream Family' with Edna Whitlock cast as a character called 'Sweetest One'.Composition stretched out through the summer of 1938 and, at the height of the Munich Crisis, Whitlocknoted in his diary on 20 September: "Wrote a Polka for the 'Dreamland Family' (Spade and BucketBallet). Chamberlain sees Hitler again tomorrow, but the whole world seems ripe for disruption. Lifewill scarcely be worth living in the event of war."

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The delightful Halloo" Hallct was also composed J{II the Matinee. It shares a similar mood to John

Ireland's piece \/illalldla, and transcribes quite happily from the small orchestra original.

Three days aftcr the Matinee, Whitlock was hard at work composing the Pre/ude, Air and Fugllcfor largeorchestra. It was completed in the space of twelve days, just in time for its first (and only) pert()fmanceon 15 March 1939, as part of the Bournemouth Music Festival. The central Air stands alone quitesatisfactorily.

The Morch fin the' I'Jwc/}C' was composed in July 1942 and sent to the Royal Marine Band musicians

stationed on board H.M.S. Phoebe at Scapa Flow, prior to service on the Malta Convoys. The 5000 tonsDido class light cruiser had been adopted earlier that year by the Borough of Bournemouth following a'Warship Week'. As the Municipal Organist, it befell to Whitlock to write a March for the ship's dozen orso bandsmen. 'l"IVards the end of October 1942, 'Phoebe' was torpedoed off French Equatorial Africawith the bandmaster amongst the fifty seamen killed. Nothing further was heard of the March until1978 IVhen the autograph short score was discovered in a pile of music sent to a church jumble sale inBournemouth by the widow of Byron Brooke, the post-war Conductor of the Pavilion's pit orchestra.The manuscript contains just six indications of scoring and was arranged for organ solo by RobertGOIVer in 1980.

© Malcolm Riley, 1995

Malcolm Riley is the Secretary of the Percy Whitlock Trust, a charity founded in 1983 topromote Whitlock's music. He is currently writing a biography of Whitlock. Further details ofthe Trust's work can be obtained from him at: 32, Butcher Close, Staplehurst, Kent, TNI2 OTj

er~()~ /3

Percy Whitlock at the organ of Bournemouth Pavilion in 1932 playing BillyMayerl's Marigold.

(Photograph: George Jessup)

The Organ

The organ of Hull City Hall was originally built in 1911 by Forster and Andrews. With 95 stops,including - controversially - percussions, it was the largest organ ever built by the Hull firm. Badlydamaged during World War II, it was completely reconstructed in 1951 by The John Compton OrganCompany. The tonal scheme was enlarged, notably by the addition of a Positif division, a Cymbal(mixture) on the Great and an extended Tibia rank. Wind pressures were generally increased and anew console was provided. Between 1985 and 1991 the organ was restored in stages by Rushworthand Dreaper of Liverpool, in the course of which drawstops were substituted for the Compton luminousdiscs and a solid state capture system was installed. The specification is as follows:-

Four Manuals CC-C, 61 notes.Pedals CCC-G, 32 notes.

Pedal Organ

7 Unit Sound Buards. PipesI.Gravissima (from 2) 64

2.Double Open Wood 3212Wood

3.Major Bass 1632Wood

4.Open Wood (from 2) 1632Wood

5.Open Diapason 1632Metal

6.Violone 1632Metal

7.Subbass 1632Stp'd Wd.

8.Echo Bourdon (from Sw. 2) 16

9.Gamba (from Sw I) 16

10.Quint (from 7) 10 VJ

II.Major Octave (from 3) 812Wood

12.Octave Wood (from 2) 812Wood

13.Principal (from 5) 812Metal

14.Octave Violone (from 6) 812Metal

15.Flute (from 7) 812Stp'd Wd.

16.Echo Flute (from Sw. 2) 8

17.Violin (from 6) 412Metal

18.Supcroctave (from 2) 412Wood

19.Fifteenth (from 5) 412Metal

20.Flute (from 7) 412Stp'd Wd.

21.Harmonics of 32 ft. V

22.Mixture (15.19.22) III96Metal

23.Contra Trombone (from 25) 3212Metal

24.Bombarde (from Solo 22) 1612Metal

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25. Trombone 1632Melal 'fi't'I1Il1It/llt

26.

Tuba (from Solo 21) 16 511h ()C!(I\'l'

27.Posaune (from GI. 21) 16 IIlli."'" 0((

28.

Bassoon (from Sw. 12) 16 Octw't'

29.

Krumhorn (from Solo 8) 16 5\\'t'III0 Choir

30.Bombarde (from Solo 22) 8 Sofo [() Choir

31.Trumpet (from 25) 812Melal

32.Posaune (from GI. 21) 8

33.Posaune (from GI. 21) 4 }J'osilif

34.Bass Drum Tap Uncndoscd - playahle on the Choir

35.Bass Drum Roll I Dircc! Eleclric Sound Board.

36.Snare Drum \Pipes

37.Cymbal -(I.()uintalol1 1661Slp'd Wd.

38.

Triangle 2.Gdgcn 861Melal

.J.

Doppel Flute 861Slp'd Wd.Choir to Pedal

4.(;cmshmn 461Melal

(irt'llt to Pedal

5.Doppel FllIte 461Slp'd Wd.SUit'fI to Pedal

6.NaliJrd 2 HI61Slp'd Wd.Solo to Petial

7.FlIgara 261Metal

Solo Oerm't' to PnJ(/f

8.II;mnonk Piccolo 261Melal

9.

Tierce I .\I~61Melal

Choir Organ10.Mixture (12.15.19.22) IV244Melal

Enclosed. 2 Slider Sound Boards. PipesI.Melodic Diapason 861Metal (;rcat Organ

2.

Hohl Filite 861Triangular Wood 2 Slider Sound Boards, 2 Unit Sound

3.

Lieblich Ged eckt 861Stp'd Wd. and Metal Boards for the Reeds.

4.

Unda Maris 1.c. 849Metal Pipes

5.

Dulciana 861Metal I.Douhle Opcn Diilpason 1661Melal

6.

Vox Angelica T.c. 849Melal 2.IJounlon 1661Slp'd Wd.

7.

Viol d'Orchestre 861Metal 3.First Opcn Diapason 861Melal

8.

Principal 461Mclal 4.Sccond Or~n Diapason 861Metal

9.

Flauto Traverso 461Melal 5.Third Open Diapason 861Metal

10.

N azard 2 ~n61Metal 6.Claribel Flllte 861Melal (Stp'd Bass)

II.

Piccolo 261Metal 17.Stopped Diapason 861Stp'd Wd.

12.

Bass Clarinct 1661Metal J8.I)oke 861Metal

13.

Corno di Dasselto 861Metal 9.<Juint )11.161Melal (Slp'cl Bass)

14.

Cor Anglais 861Metal 10.I)rincipal 461Melal

15.

Trompette 861Metal III.OClavc 461Metal

16.

Cclesla (49 MllslcllJars) 4 .,12.Ilarnlonic I:lutc 461Melal

17.

Vibraphone (on Cclesta) 4 13.Twelfth 2 ~/361Metal

18.

Snare Drum 14.hftccnth 261Melal

19.

Cymbal 15.Supcrocla\'c 261Melal

20.

Triangle 16.Mixture (19.22.26) III18.1Metal

17. Mixture (15.19.22.26) IV244Metal Solo Organ

18.

Cymbal (26.29.33) III183Metal Enclosed, 2. Slider Sound Hoards, 4 Unit

19.

Contra Posaune (from 21) 1622Metal Sound Boards, I Orf Note Chest.

20.

Tromba 861Metal Harm. Trebles

21.

Posaune 861Metal Pipes

22.

Clarion (from 21) 412Metal I.Vi()lonccllo X61Metal

2.

Viol d'Orchcstrc 861Metal

Swell 10 Great

3.Violons Celestes II 898Metal (12 from 2)

Solo to Great

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4.Viola 461Metal

Choir to Great

5.Concert Flute 861Metal (Stp'd Bass)

6.

Zauherfl()IC 461Stp'd Metal

Swell Organ

7.Larigot 111\61Metal

Enclosed, 3 Slider Boards, 3 Off Note Chests.

8.Contra Tibia 16)Stp'd Metal

Pipes

9.Tibia Clausa 8)

I.

Contra Gamba 1661Metal 10.Octavc Tihia 4)Unit X5 pipes

2.

Licblich Bourdon 1661Stp'd Wd. II.Tihia Twelfth '22/1)(12 from Pedal 7)

3.

Open Diapason 861Metal 12.Ocarina 2)

4.

Geigen Principal 861Metal 13.Krumhorn 1661Metal

5.

Rohr Flute 861Stp'd Wd. & Metal 14.Orchestral OhOl.: X61Metal

6.

Salicional 861Metal 15.Orchestral Clarinet 861Metal

7.

Viol d'Orchestre 861Metal 16.Xylophone (Reiterating) 437Notes

8.

Violes Celestes II 898Metal (12 from 6) 17.Glockcnspiel 437Notes

9.

Wald Flute 461Wood 18.Orchestral Bells (Rei!.) (on Glock.) 437NOles

10.

Octave Geigen 461Metal 19.Chimes (Tubular Bells) 425Notes

11.

Fifteenth 261Metal

12.

Nineteenth 111361Metal

\3.

Flageolet I61Metal

14.

Sesquialtera (12.17) II122Metal

15.

Mixture (15.19.22) 11l183Metal Unenclosed

\6.

DoubleTrumpet 1661Metal 20.Contra Tuba (from 21) 1612Metal

17.

Bassoon 166\Metal 21.Tuha 861l\.1ctal Harm. Trehles

18.

Trumpet 861Metal Harm. Tn::bles 22.Bombardc 861Metal

19.

Horn 861Metal Harm. Trehles 23.Tromba (from GL 20) 8

20.

Oboe 861Metal 24.Orchestral Trumpet 861Metaillarm. Trehles

21.

Musette 861Metal f!25.Contra Posaune (from Gt. 21) 16

22.

Vox Humana 861Metal 26.Octave Tromba (from Gt. 20) 412Metal

23.

Clarion 461Metal 27.Tuba Clarion (from 21) 412Metal

Tremulant

Trefllulant

Tremula1l1 to Reed Smmdboard

..

Sub Octave

Sub Octave

Unison OffUrlisorl Off

Octave

Octave

Great to Solo

Solo to Swell

Solo Sustainer

Rrc,() "1£

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Accessories

Twelve double-touch tlmlnb pistons to Choil"lPositif ()rgans with second touch oplion.Ten double-Iouch thumb pistons to Great Organ second touch Pedal, all independently senabk.

Ten double-touch thumb pistons to Swell Organ with second louch option.Eight singie-touch thumb pistons to Solo Organ.Ten toe pistons to Pedal Organ.Eight general pistons operating stops and couplers of all departmcnts.

Ten double-touch toe pistons to Great Organ.Eight double-touch toe pistons to Swell Organ.Toe piston for Solo Sustainer.Four Thumb pistons to Pedal couplers (coupling only that manual).

Reversible thumb piswns to: Reversible toe piswns to:Great to Pedal Great to PedalSwell to Pedal Swell to GreatSwell 10 Great Tutti with Indicator

Solo to Pedal Double Open Woo<.I32Swell to Choir Contra Trombone 32Solo to Great

Double Open Wood 32Contra Trombone 32

Generals to Swcll T~ Pistons (switched in drawer)

Great and Pedal Combinations Coupled (switched in drawer)Three Balanced Expression Pedals with indicators, and nine switches to alter the division to be controlled.(Switches in drawer).Seuer piston for piston adjustment, with locking key for each memory.

Save and Store Pistons for copying capture system memories.General Cancel pistonRocking Tablet for "Pedal Silent"Rocking Tablet for "Doubles Off'General Crescendo pedal affecting stops of Ihe whole organ in sequence from PP to FF in 60 stages, with indicator

and 4 settings, each position independently settable.Two safety cut-out switches for blowing apparatus. (IOhp, 5hp)Two switches controlling Solo Tremulants. (In Drawer)Two switches for control of Choir/Swell double touch pistons. (In Drawer)Capture system Card reader ("CapKard")

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Graham Barber

Since his solo debut at the Royal Festival flail in 1979, Graham Barber has maintained a position asone of Britain's leading concert organists. Born in London, he studied at the University of East Angliaand at the Royal Northern College of Music. His first commercial recording was made at the R.N.e.M. in1975, when the Sunday Times described him as "a technically brilliant, musically mature organist". Hehas made many subsequent recordings both in English cathedrals (Norwich, Coventry, Truro andSalisbury) and in German cathedrals and churches (Altenberg, Ingolstadt, OsnabrOck, Limburg andVillingen). I Ie has played in most major concert venues in Britain as well as many in Europe and the FarEast. He was recently described in TlzeGrallloplzollemagazine as "one of the organ world's finest recording

artists". He has made a series of recordings of German Baroque organ music for ASV, has contributednine recordings so far to Priory's Great European Organs series and often broadcasts for B.Re. Radio 3.

lie lives in Leeds where he is Head of the Department of Music at the University. He is also Senior Tutorin Organ Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, a member of the Council of the Royal Collegeof Organists and is Organist at St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley, where he directs the Armley SchulzeOrgan Restoration Appeal.

Priory Records are most grateful to the Percy Whitlock Trust for their generoussupport for this recording.

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