Thanks to the Musical Festival, the Southern Orchestral Concert Society, Petersfield Orchestra and the Operatic Society, musical performance over the last century in the area has been well documented. And few areas can have such a rich tradition. But what of the art of composition? The recent death of Michael Hurd, often insultingly referred to as a local composer when he was internationally known, has prompted a few investigations. Documentary evidence takes us right back to Elizabethan times, when two important composers were born within a few years and a few miles of each other. The elder was Thomas Weelkes, who was baptised at Elsted on 25 October 1576. He became Organist at Winchester College at the age of twenty-two and moved to Chichester Cathedral in 1602, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Whereas many of his great contemporaries, Byrd and Morley for example, were members of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, provincial life seems to have suited Weelkes, for in between composing wonderful madrigals and anthems, he was given to bouts of heavy drinking, and was eventually dismissed from his post for being a common drunkard and a notorious swearer and blasphemer. He was, however, reinstated, but seems not to have reformed. He would surely have approved of the men’s chorus at the 1934 Festival lustily singing Come Sirrah Jack ho!

Richard Deering was a far more restrained character, born at Liss in 1580. As a young man he travelled widely, and found work in Venice, where he converted to Catholicism, and in Brussels, before returning to England as organist to the Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria. Most of his music was set to Latin texts, so never sung outside Henrietta’s chapel, though his Quem vidistis pastores? features today in many cathedral music lists at Christmas.

The following two centuries produced only two composers that I can find who were born in Hampshire. Charles Dibdin, composer of Tom Bowling, was born in Southampton in 1745 and from the next century the much maligned Sir John Goss was born at Fareham in 1800. He was organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral for many years, and is still remembered for his immortal hymn Praise my Soul the King of Heaven and the carol See Amid the Winter Snow.

The twentieth century was rather more productive. In 1902 Arthur Ponsonby MP bought Shulbrede Priory. Dorothea, his wife, was the daughter of Sir Hubert Parry, who was a frequent guest, composing Shulbrede Tunes for piano during one of his visits. Peter Warlock, too, was a regular visitor to the area towards the end of this life, frequently spending the summer at Dene Cottage in West Harting. It is said that his final song, The Fox, was inspired by a fox’s head behind the bar of The Fox at Bramdean, where he also used to stay at the home of the poet Bruce Blunt.

Many notable composers have been connected with the Petersfield Musical Festival from its earliest days, beginning with Sir Arthur Somervel and Ralph Vaughan Williams, who were present in various capacities during the first twenty years. Gustav Holst, too, was an adjudicator in 1920, 6the year of the first performance of The Planets. Herbert Howells appeared many times between 1928 and 1951 and Armstrong Gibbs, whose famous song Five Eyes was sung by every school choir, was another regular. In 1933 Sir Walford Davies, soon to become Master of the King’s Music, was one of the adjudicators. His Solemn Melody, with its poignant cello solo, was for ever on the radio in my youth. Several cathedral organists, all composers in their specialist field, also appeared: Charles Brewer, Herbert Sumsion, Douglas Guest, Bernard Rose, Lionel Dakers and Alwyn Surplice. And the composer of Faire is the Heaven, Sir William Harris, organist of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, retired to live at Liss.

One name which crops up again and again is Sir George Dyson.. He was born in Halifax in 1883 and after studying in Italy and Germany taught in a succession of public schools, including Winchester College. From 1937 until 1952 he was Director of the Royal College of Music. His part songs were regular competition pieces from 1927 onwards, and in 1956 the Festival commissioned Agincourt from him to celebrate its half century. The composer himself conducted. Towards the end of the century his music fell somewhat out of fashion, but not before Richard Seal had conducted Hierusalem in 1977. Thankfully, for such a prolific choral composer, there seems to be a swing back to favour at present, and I understand that Agincourt is to be revived here next year.

From 1939 until the end of his life Gerald Finzi lived overlooking the Downs at Ashmansworth, in the far north of the county, and it was here that he wrote some of his finest music. Michael Hurd’s connection with the Festival, and with music in Petersfield generally, has been well documented. It began as an adjudicator in 1966, and by the time of his death last year he had held just about every office available, whilst at the same time having a busy career as a composer, author and broadcaster.

But what of the present generation? A familiar name is Geoffrey Burgon, composer of the music for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Brideshead Revisited, who was born at Hambledon in 1941. Neil Gardner, from Hawkley, saw his Partita performed at the Festival in 2003, Ian Schofield’s Sing Alleluia was commissioned for the 100th Festival and Jonathan Willcocks, one of the country’s leading choral composers, is well known here. Peter Thompson is active as a teacher and conductor of PASSO, whilst Martin Read, head of music at Alton College, was chosen as Hampshire’s Millennium composer. I’m sure there are more, so good luck to all of them!


Tom Muckley, February 2007

This article was originally published by the Petersfield Post

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