Harold Darke
Encyclopedia
Dr Harold Edwin Darke was an English
composer
and organist
.
Darke was born in Highbury
, London
the youngest son of Samuel Darke & Arundel Bourne. While in the RAF he married a violinist, Dora Garland, (the first woman to lead the Queen's Hall Orchestra) at St Michaels, Cornhill on 25 July 1918.
His first organist job was at Emmanuel Church, West Hampstead from 1906 to 1911. He became organist at St Michael's Cornhill in 1916, and stayed there until 1966, leaving only briefly in 1941 to deputise for Boris Ord
as Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge
during World War II
. It is widely accepted that the Cornhill Lunchtime Organ Recitals series begun by Darke in 1916 is the longest-running lunchtime organ concert series in the world; the series has flourished under his successors Richard Popplewell
1966-1979 and the present Organist, Jonathan Rennert, from 1979 to the present. Darke died in Cambridge
, aged 88.
His famous setting of Christina Rossetti
's In the Bleak Midwinter
, giving to his delicate melody a beautiful and lilting organ part, is still often sung at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols
at King's College, Cambridge
, and at similar services around the world.
In the Bleak Midwinter
was voted the greatest Christmas carol of all time in a poll of choral experts and choirmasters, published 2008-12-07.
Most of his other compositions that are still performed are settings of the Anglican
liturgy
, especially his three Communion
Services in E, F, and A minor; and his Magnificat
and Nunc Dimittis
in F.
Darke's work as Conductor of St Michael's Singers was crowned in 1956 on the occasion of the Choir's 40th Anniversary with the first performance of a number of now well-established works composed especially for the occasion - notably "Hierusalem" by George Dyson
and "A Vision of Aeroplanes" by Ralph Vaughan Williams
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
and 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...
.
Darke was born in Highbury
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
, London
London
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...
the youngest son of Samuel Darke & Arundel Bourne. While in the RAF he married a violinist, Dora Garland, (the first woman to lead the Queen's Hall Orchestra) at St Michaels, Cornhill on 25 July 1918.
His first organist job was at Emmanuel Church, West Hampstead from 1906 to 1911. He became organist at St Michael's Cornhill in 1916, and stayed there until 1966, leaving only briefly in 1941 to deputise for Boris Ord
Boris Ord
Boris Ord , born Bernhard Ord, was an English organist, composer and musical director best known as the choir master of King's College, Cambridge....
as Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge
Choir of King's College, Cambridge
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge in 1441, to provide daily singing in his Chapel, which remains the main task of the...
during 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...
. It is widely accepted that the Cornhill Lunchtime Organ Recitals series begun by Darke in 1916 is the longest-running lunchtime organ concert series in the world; the series has flourished under his successors Richard Popplewell
Richard Popplewell
Richard Popplewell LVO is an English organist and composer who served at the Chapel Royal.-Background:He was born in Halifax, Yorkshire on 18 October 1935...
1966-1979 and the present Organist, Jonathan Rennert, from 1979 to the present. Darke died in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, aged 88.
His famous setting of Christina Rossetti
Christina Rossetti
Christina Georgina Rossetti was an English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children's poems...
's In the Bleak Midwinter
In the Bleak Midwinter
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a Christmas carol based on a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti written before 1872 in response to a request from the magazine Scribner's Monthly for a Christmas poem....
, giving to his delicate melody a beautiful and lilting organ part, is still often sung at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols
Nine Lessons and Carols
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas...
at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, and at similar services around the world.
In the Bleak Midwinter
In the Bleak Midwinter
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a Christmas carol based on a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti written before 1872 in response to a request from the magazine Scribner's Monthly for a Christmas poem....
was voted the greatest Christmas carol of all time in a poll of choral experts and choirmasters, published 2008-12-07.
Most of his other compositions that are still performed are settings of the Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
liturgy
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...
, especially his three Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
Services in E, F, and A minor; and his Magnificat
Magnificat
The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
and Nunc Dimittis
Nunc dimittis
The Nunc dimittis is a canticle from a text in the second chapter of Luke named after its first words in Latin, meaning 'Now dismiss...'....
in F.
Darke's work as Conductor of St Michael's Singers was crowned in 1956 on the occasion of the Choir's 40th Anniversary with the first performance of a number of now well-established works composed especially for the occasion - notably "Hierusalem" by George Dyson
George Dyson (composer)
Sir George Dyson KCVO was a well-known English musician and composer. His son is the physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson and among his grandchildren are the science historian George Dyson and Esther Dyson...
and "A Vision of Aeroplanes" by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
.
External links
- Brief biography
- Brief biography
- The Music at St Michael's Cornhill
- Listen to a free recording of Darke's In the bleak midwinter from Coro Nostro, a mixed chamber choir based in Leicester, UK.