Edmund Thomas Chipp
Encyclopedia
Edmund Thomas Chipp was an English
organist
and composer
. His compositions were principally church
organ music and oratorio
s.
on Christmas Day, December 25, 1823. He was the eldest son of musician (Thomas) Paul Chipp(1793–1870) harpist, principal drummer of his day and chorister of the Chapel Royal
, Whitehall. He was educated in the Chapel Royal as a chorister, and later became a member of William IV
's and then Queen Victoria
's private band. He was a Chorister of the Chapel Royal under William Hawes
from the age of seven until he was 17. On 28 June 1838 Chipp sang at the coronation
of Queen Victoria
.
Chipp studied the organ under George Cooper
(organist at St Pauls Cathedral and St. James's Palace
d.1838), and violin. He became a Member of the Society of British Musicians in 1842 and of the Royal Society of Musicians
in 1848. He was violinist in Her Majesty's Private Band from 1844, and a violinist in the Philharmonic and other orchestras.
In 1859 he obtained a music degree at Cambridge University and became Doctor of Music
in 1861, the first to obtain this degree under the professorship of William Sterndale Bennett
.
He died whilst on convalescent holiday in Nice, France on December 17, 1886. On Christmas Eve 1886 he was buried in Highgate Cemetery
, North London, in the Chipp family plot.
were published by Coventry and Hollier in July 1845. Chipp gave probably the first public performance of any of the sonatas just a few months later at Walker's organ factory in April 1846. In 1847 Chipp played the third sonata to Mendelssohn on the organ at the Hanover Square Rooms
. This testimonial was received (the original draft was retrieved by Sir George Grove
whilst researching Mendelssohn's life in Europe):
On 13 December 1848 Chipp performed all six of the Mendelssohn sonatas from memory, at a recital at the William Hill organ factory, a feat mentioned in several of his obituaries. Between 1850 and 1855 Chipp went on to collate and transcribe the full scores of all Mendelssohn's unpublished works in his own leisure time whilst he was Her Majesty's Private Band at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle
.
"Mr Chipp's skill as an organist was by no means confined to his church duties; he was often called upon to display the resources of new organs. On these occasions he frequently performed the whole of his programme from memory."
Chipp compositions were included in the 2007 Historic Organ Sound Archive Project [HOSA] and National Pipe Organ Register.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
organist
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. His compositions were principally church
Church music
Church music may be defined as music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclestiacal liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. This article covers music in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For sacred music outside this...
organ music and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s.
Life and career
Chipp was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on Christmas Day, December 25, 1823. He was the eldest son of musician (Thomas) Paul Chipp(1793–1870) harpist, principal drummer of his day and chorister of the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
, Whitehall. He was educated in the Chapel Royal as a chorister, and later became a member of William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
's and then Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's private band. He was a Chorister of the Chapel Royal under William Hawes
William Hawes
William Hawes , English musician, was born in London, and was for eight years a chorister of the Chapel Royal, where he studied music chiefly under Dr Ayrton....
from the age of seven until he was 17. On 28 June 1838 Chipp sang at the coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
Chipp studied the organ under George Cooper
George Cooper (organist)
George Cooper was an English organist and music educator. Born in Lambeth, Cooper was the son of organist George Cooper, Sr. He succeeded his father as assistant organist at St Paul's Cathedral in 1838; having already substituted for his father periodically since 1831...
(organist at St Pauls Cathedral and St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
d.1838), and violin. He became a Member of the Society of British Musicians in 1842 and of the Royal Society of Musicians
Royal Society of Musicians
The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the "Fund for Decay'd Musicians" by a declaration of trust signed by 228 musicians, including Edward Purcell ,...
in 1848. He was violinist in Her Majesty's Private Band from 1844, and a violinist in the Philharmonic and other orchestras.
In 1859 he obtained a music degree at Cambridge University and became Doctor of Music
Doctor of Music
The Doctor of Music degree , like other doctorates, is an academic degree of the highest level. The D.Mus. is intended for musicians and composers who wish to combine the highest attainments in their area of specialization with doctoral-level academic study in music...
in 1861, the first to obtain this degree under the professorship of William Sterndale Bennett
William Sterndale Bennett
Sir William Sterndale Bennett was an English composer. He ranks as the most distinguished English composer of the Romantic school-Biography:...
.
He died whilst on convalescent holiday in Nice, France on December 17, 1886. On Christmas Eve 1886 he was buried in Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....
, North London, in the Chipp family plot.
As organist
During his career, Chipp's appointments included:- Organist at the Italian Opera HouseHer Majesty's TheatreHer Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
circa 1843-45. - St. John’s Chapel, Downside Hill, HampsteadHampsteadHampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London 1846-46 - St. Olave’s, SouthwarkSouthwarkSouthwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, London 1847 succeeding "The Father of Church Music" Dr. Henry John GauntlettHenry GauntlettHenry John Gauntlett was an English organist and songwriter known in British music circles for his authorship of a large number of hymns and other pieces for the organ....
(1805–1876). Gauntlett had designed a new grand organ for St Olaves, which was built between 1844 and 1846. Shortly after the installation was completed in March 1846, Chipp was formally invited to take up the position of organist. Chipp resigned in 1852 upon being appointed organist at St Mary-at-HillSt Mary-at-HillSt. Mary-at-Hill is a Church of England church on Lovat Lane, a cobbled street off Eastcheap in the ward of Billingsgate, London, England. Rebuilt many times, St Mary-at-Hill was originally founded in the 12th Century, where it was first known as "St. Mary de Hull" or " St...
. - Ely CathedralEly CathedralEly Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
,1867 Chief Organist and Magister Chorustarum, held until his death in 1886.
Chipp and the Mendelssohn organ sonatas
Mendelssohn's Six Grand Sonatas for the Organ, Op. 65Organ Sonatas, Op. 65 (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's six Organ Sonatas, Op. 65, were published in 1845. Mendelssohn's biographer Eric Werner has written of them, 'next to Bach's works, Mendelssohn's Organ Sonatas belong to the required repertory of all organists'.-Background:...
were published by Coventry and Hollier in July 1845. Chipp gave probably the first public performance of any of the sonatas just a few months later at Walker's organ factory in April 1846. In 1847 Chipp played the third sonata to Mendelssohn on the organ at the Hanover Square Rooms
Hanover Square Rooms
The Hanover Square Rooms or the Queen's Concert Rooms were assembly rooms established, principally for musical performances, on the corner of Hanover Square, London, by Sir John Gallini in partnership with Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedrich Abel in 1774. For exactly one century this was the...
. This testimonial was received (the original draft was retrieved by Sir George Grove
George Grove
Sir George Grove, CB was an English writer on music, known as the founding editor of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians....
whilst researching Mendelssohn's life in Europe):
I have heard Mr. Edmund Chipp perform on the organ and the manner in which he played one of the most difficult of my Organ Sonatas has given me a very high opinion of his talents and his skill as a musician and as a performer.
-London, 7th Mai, 1847. FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY
On 13 December 1848 Chipp performed all six of the Mendelssohn sonatas from memory, at a recital at the William Hill organ factory, a feat mentioned in several of his obituaries. Between 1850 and 1855 Chipp went on to collate and transcribe the full scores of all Mendelssohn's unpublished works in his own leisure time whilst he was Her Majesty's Private Band at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
.
Obituary
The Musical Times of February 1, 1887 stated:"In our last issue it was our painful duty to record the loss which the musical world sustained by the death of Dr E.T. Chipp." followed by his biography over two pages. Extracts of interest include a reference to his work in demonstrating organs:"Mr Chipp's skill as an organist was by no means confined to his church duties; he was often called upon to display the resources of new organs. On these occasions he frequently performed the whole of his programme from memory."
For Organ
- Andante Varied
- Austrian Hymn
- Four Pieces 1: “O Sanctissima” with two variations and finale; 2: Andante con moto; 3: Intermezzo; 4: Fugue in A minor
- God Preserve the Emperor, written for The Birmingham Festival, 1849
- Twenty-four Sketches (Op. 11) (1: Andante Religioso; 2: In Memoriam M.F.G.C; 3: Con moto; 4: Adagio ma non troppo; 5: Con moto molto tranquillo; 6: Andante tranquillo; 7: Andante e molto Sostenuto; 8: Con moto ma non troppo presto; 9: Con moto molto tranquillo; 10: Canzonet; 11: Lento; 12: Pastorale; 13: In Memoriam F.M.B.; 14: Larghetto; 15: Moderato e Tranquillo; 16: Andante con Moto; 17: Moderato e Sostenuto; 18: Andante ma non troppo; 19: In Memoriam M.F.G.C.; 20: Grazioso; 21: Andante Maestoso e con energetico; 22: Moderato e legato; 23: Andante e Sostenuto; 24: Ave Maria)
- Variations on “God Preserve the Emperor” (Op. 2)
- Variations on “The Harmonious Blacksmith” (Op. 1)
Choral
- Job
- Naomi
Chipp compositions were included in the 2007 Historic Organ Sound Archive Project [HOSA] and National Pipe Organ Register.
Sources
- Edwards, F.G. (1895) Mendelssohn's Organ sonatas, Proceedings of the Musical Association, 21st session, 1894-5, pp. 1–16. London.