Henry Walford Davies
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Walford Davies KCVO
OBE
(6 September 1869 – 11 March 1941) was a British
composer
, who held the title Master of the King's Musick from 1934 until 1941.
on the Wales-England border, seventh of nine children of John Whitridge Davies and Susan, née Gregory, and the youngest of four surviving sons. His middle name Walford was his maternal grandmother's maiden name; he later dropped his first name Henry, becoming generally known as Walford Davies. John Whitridge Davies was a leading figure in the local musical scene, playing the flute and the cello, and leading the choir at the Congregational church, Christ Church, where his brother was organist. He brought up his children to make music together. Performances of oratorios by Handel
and others by Henry Leslie
's Oswestry choral society were reviewed warmly in the London Musical Times.
Walford's brothers Charlie and Harold
were, successively, organists at Christ Church succeeding their uncle, Charlie from the age of eleven. Charlie died young after emigrating to Australia
. Harold also emigrated to Australia, where he took the first musical doctorate from an Australian university and ultimately achieved considerable fame as Professor of Music at Adelaide University and Principal of the Elder Conservatorium
. Tom, the eldest, followed a family tradition by entering the ministry.
Walford Davies grew up, like his siblings, playing any instrument he could lay his hands on, often in an informal band with his brothers, cousins and friends, but it was as a singer that he was first noticed and entered, against misgivings from his Nonconformist family, for a choristership at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. In this he was successful, and from the age of twelve he was singing fourteen services a week as well as attending school. Here he came under the influence of Walter Parratt
, a leader in the late Victorian organ renaissance, and Randall Davidson, as Dean of Windsor.
Davies studied under, and was assistant to, Parratt for five years before entering the Royal College of Music
in 1890 where he studied under Hubert Parry
and Charles Villiers Stanford
.
and another Leopold Stokowski
. During this time he held a number of organist posts in London including St Anne's Church, Soho (1890-1891), Christ Church, Hampstead
(1891-1898), culminating in his appointment in 1898 as organist of the Temple Church
, where Stokowski was also his assistant. Davies continued there until 1917. In that year he was appointed the first director of music to the newly created Royal Air Force
, which led to him writing the march, "RAF March Past", still played by many marching band
s today.
In 1919, Walford Davies was made professor of music
at Aberystwyth
. He subsequently did much to promote Welsh music, becoming chairman of the Welsh National Council of Music. From 1927 he was organist
at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. One of his assistant organists was Malcolm Boyle
.
In 1924, Davies became Professor of Music
at Gresham College
, London: a part-time position giving public lectures.
From the 1920s, he also made a series of records of lectures, which led to his being employed by the BBC
. He made radio
broadcasts on classical music under the title Music and the Ordinary Listener. These lasted from 1926 until the outbreak of World War II
in 1939, and Davies became a well-known and popular radio personality. His book The Pursuit of Music (1935) has a similar non-specialist tone.
Walford Davies was knight
ed in 1922. Following the death of Sir Edward Elgar
in 1934, he was appointed Master of the King's Music. He died in 1941 in Bristol
and is buried in the grounds of Bristol Cathedral
.
Sir Henry Walford Davies, born, Oswestry, Shropshire, 6 Sep 1869; trained in choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor, and was was pupil assistant to Walter Parratt; entered Royal College of Music under a composition scholarship, 1890; studied with Charles Parry and Charles Stanford; became teacher of counterpoint, RCM, 1895-1918; organist at St George's Kensington, St Anne's, Soho, and Christ Church, Hampstead; organist and choirmaster at the Temple Church, 1898-1919; conductor of the Bach Choir, 1903-1907; appointed director of music to the Royal Air Force, 1918; professor of music, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1919-1926; chairman of the Welsh National Council of Music; knighted, 1922; appointed Gresham Professor of Music in the University of London, 1926; made his first radio broadcast to schools, 1924; his popular radio series 'Music and the Ordinary Listener' commenced, 1926; records for His Master's Voice Melody Lectures (HMV C 1063 to 1701) and Twelve Talks on Melody (HMV C 1759 to 1767); organist, St George's Chapel, Windsor, 1927-1932; music advisor at the BBC, 1927-1939; appointed Master of the King's Musick, 1934; died, Wrington, Somerset, 11 Mar 1941.
Everyman, other works for orchestra, choir and soloists, and a large number of services
and anthem
s. He also wrote a setting of the Christmas carol
"O Little Town of Bethlehem
", a well-known choral arrangement of "The Holly and the Ivy
" and the Solemn Melody, which can be heard on YouTube in a performance by Julian Lloyd Webber (cello) with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Publications: Rhythm in Church (London, 1913); The Pursuit of Music (London, 1935); Welshmen in London, 1897.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(6 September 1869 – 11 March 1941) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
, who held the title Master of the King's Musick from 1934 until 1941.
Early life and education
Henry Walford Davies was born in OswestryOswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
on the Wales-England border, seventh of nine children of John Whitridge Davies and Susan, née Gregory, and the youngest of four surviving sons. His middle name Walford was his maternal grandmother's maiden name; he later dropped his first name Henry, becoming generally known as Walford Davies. John Whitridge Davies was a leading figure in the local musical scene, playing the flute and the cello, and leading the choir at the Congregational church, Christ Church, where his brother was organist. He brought up his children to make music together. Performances of oratorios by Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
and others by Henry Leslie
Henry David Leslie
Henry David Leslie was an English composer and conductor. Leslie was a leader in supporting amateur choral musicians in Britain, founding prize-winning amateur choral societies. He was also a supporter of musical higher education, helping to found national music schools.-Biography:Leslie was...
's Oswestry choral society were reviewed warmly in the London Musical Times.
Walford's brothers Charlie and Harold
Edward Harold Davies
Edward Harold Davies was professor of music at Adelaide University, Principal of the Elder Conservatorium, and brother of Sir Walford Davies....
were, successively, organists at Christ Church succeeding their uncle, Charlie from the age of eleven. Charlie died young after emigrating to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Harold also emigrated to Australia, where he took the first musical doctorate from an Australian university and ultimately achieved considerable fame as Professor of Music at Adelaide University and Principal of the Elder Conservatorium
Elder Conservatorium
The Elder Conservatorium of Music is Australia's senior academy of music and one of the country's most distinguished institutions for comprehensive education, professional training, and research in music...
. Tom, the eldest, followed a family tradition by entering the ministry.
Walford Davies grew up, like his siblings, playing any instrument he could lay his hands on, often in an informal band with his brothers, cousins and friends, but it was as a singer that he was first noticed and entered, against misgivings from his Nonconformist family, for a choristership at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. In this he was successful, and from the age of twelve he was singing fourteen services a week as well as attending school. Here he came under the influence of Walter Parratt
Walter Parratt
Sir Walter Parratt KCVO was an English organist and composer.-Biography:Born in Huddersfield, son of a parish organist, Parratt began to play the pipe organ from an early age, and held posts as an organist while still a child...
, a leader in the late Victorian organ renaissance, and Randall Davidson, as Dean of Windsor.
Davies studied under, and was assistant to, Parratt for five years before entering the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in 1890 where he studied under Hubert Parry
Hubert Parry
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet was an English composer, teacher and historian of music.Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is best known for the choral song "Jerusalem", the coronation anthem "I was glad" and the hymn tune "Repton", which sets the words...
and Charles Villiers Stanford
Charles Villiers Stanford
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :...
.
Career
Davies remained at the College as a teacher of counterpoint from 1895, one of his pupils being Rutland BoughtonRutland Boughton
Rutland Boughton was an English composer who became well known in the early 20th century as a composer of opera and choral music....
and another Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born, naturalised American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski...
. During this time he held a number of organist posts in London including St Anne's Church, Soho (1890-1891), Christ Church, Hampstead
Christ Church, Hampstead
Christ Church Hampstead is a Church of England church in Hampstead, London. It is the original church of Hampstead and the Heath.-History:The present church was erected between 1850 and 1852 to designs by the architect Samuel Daukes in the Early English Gothic style. In 1860 a timber gallery was...
(1891-1898), culminating in his appointment in 1898 as organist of the Temple Church
Temple Church
The Temple Church is a late-12th-century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court both use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church...
, where Stokowski was also his assistant. Davies continued there until 1917. In that year he was appointed the first director of music to the newly created Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, which led to him writing the march, "RAF March Past", still played by many marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s today.
In 1919, Walford Davies was made professor of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
at Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
. He subsequently did much to promote Welsh music, becoming chairman of the Welsh National Council of Music. From 1927 he was organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. One of his assistant organists was Malcolm Boyle
Malcolm Boyle
Malcolm Boyle was a British organist and composer. He was born in Windsor, England, and as a boy served as a chorister at Eton College. He became an organ pupil of Sir Walter Parratt of St. George's Chapel, Windsor. After taking his BMus at Queen's College, Oxford, he became Assistant organist to...
.
In 1924, Davies became Professor of Music
Gresham Professor of Music
The Professor of Music at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596 / 7, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to eight and in addition the college now has visiting professors.The Professor...
at Gresham College
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
, London: a part-time position giving public lectures.
From the 1920s, he also made a series of records of lectures, which led to his being employed by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He made radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts on classical music under the title Music and the Ordinary Listener. These lasted from 1926 until the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, and Davies became a well-known and popular radio personality. His book The Pursuit of Music (1935) has a similar non-specialist tone.
Walford Davies was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1922. Following the death of Sir Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
in 1934, he was appointed Master of the King's Music. He died in 1941 in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and is buried in the grounds of Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
.
Sir Henry Walford Davies, born, Oswestry, Shropshire, 6 Sep 1869; trained in choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor, and was was pupil assistant to Walter Parratt; entered Royal College of Music under a composition scholarship, 1890; studied with Charles Parry and Charles Stanford; became teacher of counterpoint, RCM, 1895-1918; organist at St George's Kensington, St Anne's, Soho, and Christ Church, Hampstead; organist and choirmaster at the Temple Church, 1898-1919; conductor of the Bach Choir, 1903-1907; appointed director of music to the Royal Air Force, 1918; professor of music, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1919-1926; chairman of the Welsh National Council of Music; knighted, 1922; appointed Gresham Professor of Music in the University of London, 1926; made his first radio broadcast to schools, 1924; his popular radio series 'Music and the Ordinary Listener' commenced, 1926; records for His Master's Voice Melody Lectures (HMV C 1063 to 1701) and Twelve Talks on Melody (HMV C 1759 to 1767); organist, St George's Chapel, Windsor, 1927-1932; music advisor at the BBC, 1927-1939; appointed Master of the King's Musick, 1934; died, Wrington, Somerset, 11 Mar 1941.
Works
Most of Davies' compositions were religious in flavour, and include the oratorioOratorio
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...
Everyman, other works for orchestra, choir and soloists, and a large number of services
Service (music)
In Anglican church music, a service is a musical setting of certain parts of the liturgy, generally for choir with or without organ accompaniment.-Morning Prayer:*Venite *Te Deum or Benedicite...
and anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
s. He also wrote a setting of the Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
"O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Little Town of Bethlehem
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks , an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his...
", a well-known choral arrangement of "The Holly and the Ivy
The Holly and the Ivy
"The Holly and the Ivy" is an English traditional Christmas carol. The carol contains intermingled Christian and Pagan imagery, with holly and ivy representing Pagan fertility symbols. Holly and ivy have been the mainstay of Christmas decoration for church use since at least the fifteenth and...
" and the Solemn Melody, which can be heard on YouTube in a performance by Julian Lloyd Webber (cello) with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
- Symphony in D, 1894
- Overture in D minor, 1897
- Cantata "Three Jovial Huntsmen," 1902
- Oratorio "Everyman," 1904
- Solemn Melody for Cello, Organ and Orchestra, 1908?
- Symphony in G, 1911
- Cantata "Song of St Francis," 1912
- Royal Air Force March Past (original version), 1918
- Anthem "Let us Now Praise Famous Men"
Publications: Rhythm in Church (London, 1913); The Pursuit of Music (London, 1935); Welshmen in London, 1897.
Papers
Papers of Sir Henry Walford Davies, 1890-1969, including correspondence on his music and career (correspondents include Dean Albert Baillie, Robert Bridges, Henry Colles, Sir George Grove, August Jaeger, Charles Parry, Sir Walter Parratt, Sir Charles Stanford), 1891-1937; engagement diaries, 1890-1941; notebooks, c1917-1931; music note and sketch books, c1891-1927; manuscript music of arrangements compiled as a student at the Royal College of Music, 1890s; lists of published musical works; copyright and royalty correspondence, 1895-1954; correspondence relating to publications and proposed publications, including 'New Fellowship Song Book', 'Music and Worship', First steps in music and A four years' course in music, 1930-1934; manuscript music for a proposed song book for schools, 1938-1939; typescripts, correspondence relating to 'The Psalter newly printed', 1933, the BBC hymn book, 1938-1939, and the Army hymn book, 1940; letters and papers relating to the School of Church Music and the College of St Nicolas, 1933-1936; manuscript notes and printed programmes of lectures by Davies, 1909-1938, including Royal Institution lectures 'Music in relation to other arts' (1910) and 'To untrained listeners' (1915), and Gresham music lectures, 1924-1938; typescripts of Davies' BBC radio broadcasts to schools on music with printed scholars' manuals, 1924-1938; typescripts of Davies' BBC radio broadcasts `Music and the ordinary listener', 1926-1939; associated correspondence and printed material relating to BBC radio broadcasts, 1924-1941; typescripts and notes for 'Keyboard talks', 1933-1935; manuscript music, notes and typescripts of Davies BBC radio broadcasts 'Melodies of Christendom' and Empire Day talks, 1934-1939; private correspondence relating to his work for radio, 1933-1937; letters from BBC listeners, 1936-1937; letters to Lady Davies on Davies death, 1941; biographical material on Davies compiled for Walford Davies: a Biography by H C Colles (London, 1942), including published material on Davies, 1919-1943; papers relating to commemoration of centenary of Davies' birth, 1969.Sources
- Colles, H. C. Walford Davies, 1942
- New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1980, rep 1994