Ralph Downes
Encyclopedia
Ralph William Downes CBE
(16 August 1904–24 December 1993) was an English
organist, organ
designer, teacher and music director, and was formerly Professor of Organ of the Royal College of Music
.
Downes was born in Derby
and studied at the Royal College of Music from 1922 to 1923 under Walter Alcock
, Henry Ley
, and Edgar Cook.
He was then assistant organist at Southwark Cathedral
from 1923 until 1925, before moving to Keble College, Oxford
(where he was also Organ Scholar
to continue his education (1925 to 1928). He was then musical director and organist of the new chapel at Princeton University
between 1928 and 1935, before returning to London.
During his time in America, Downes was influenced by the organ builder Donald Harrison
and the harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick
, and other baroque music performers. These influences persisted on his return to London, where he was appointed as organist of the London Oratory
(a post he would hold from 1936 to 1977). His recitals and broadcasts were known for their use of historical performance styles, which was uncommon at the time. He gave first performances of pieces by composers such as Darius Milhaud
, Paul Hindemith
and Arnold Schoenberg
. He was the only instrumentalist that Benjamin Britten
invited to perform at every Aldeburgh Festival
in Britten's lifetime.
In 1948, he was commissioned to design the organ for the Royal Festival Hall
. When the organ was first unveiled in 1954, it caused some controversy, but it proved to be the beginning of what is now perceived as the classical reform movement in organ design, leaving behind the vast edifices of Victorian civic organs in favour of a simpler and more cohesive sound, more characteristic of the Baroque era. Although the final result was still not wholly to his taste, lacking in some tonal colours, it clearly pointed the way to the modern British organs such as those built by Mander
. Downes helped execute the rebuilding of many famous organs, including St Albans Cathedral
(in 1963) and Gloucester Cathedral
(in 1971).
He was Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music from 1954 to 1975 and was regarded as the leading organ teacher of his day. His influence on students such as Dame Gillian Weir
, Thomas Trotter
and Roucher du Toit is a matter of record. He also taught Trevor Pinnock
. It was Downes who urged Weir to compete in the prestigious St Albans International Organ Festival
at St Albans
, where she took first prize. Downes visited the Festival numerous times.
Recordings of Downes at the organ are still available, notably those with Benjamin Britten
and Peter Pears
. He recorded Bach
's organ music to acclaim. Many of his most important recordings were made on the Royal Festival Hall organ; however he also recorded at the London Oratory, where he designed the Grand Organ built by JW Walker. He wrote about his organ design philosophy in Baroque Tricks (Positif, Oxford, 1983).
He was appointed CBE in 1969. and died in London in 1993. The organ was silent at his funeral, at his request, to make way for Gregorian chant
of which he had grown fond following his conversion to Catholicism.
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...
(16 August 1904–24 December 1993) was an English
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...
organist, organ
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...
designer, teacher and music director, and was formerly Professor of Organ of 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...
.
Downes was born in Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
and studied at the Royal College of Music from 1922 to 1923 under Walter Alcock
Walter Alcock
Sir Walter Galpin Alcock was an English organist and composer born at Edenbridge, Kent.He studied at the Royal College of Music under Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir John Stainer....
, Henry Ley
Henry Ley
Henry George Ley MA DMus FRCO FRCM HonRAM was an English organist, composer and music teacher.Dr Ley was born in Chagford in Devon on 30 December 1887...
, and Edgar Cook.
He was then assistant organist at Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....
from 1923 until 1925, before moving to Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
(where he was also Organ Scholar
Organ scholar
An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at an institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience....
to continue his education (1925 to 1928). He was then musical director and organist of the new chapel at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
between 1928 and 1935, before returning to London.
During his time in America, Downes was influenced by the organ builder Donald Harrison
Donald Harrison
Donald Harrison, Jr. is an American jazz saxophonist from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Biography:Harrison studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Berklee College of Music. He played with Roy Haynes, Jack McDuff, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Terence Blanchard and Don Pullen in the...
and the harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick
Ralph Kirkpatrick
Ralph Kirkpatrick was an American musician, musicologist and harpsichordist. He is most famous for his chronological catalog of Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas.-Life and work:...
, and other baroque music performers. These influences persisted on his return to London, where he was appointed as organist of the London Oratory
London Oratory
The London Oratory is a Catholic oratory, a community of lay-brothers, and the name given to the London Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri...
(a post he would hold from 1936 to 1977). His recitals and broadcasts were known for their use of historical performance styles, which was uncommon at the time. He gave first performances of pieces by composers such as Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
, Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
and Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
. He was the only instrumentalist that Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
invited to perform at every Aldeburgh Festival
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
in Britten's lifetime.
In 1948, he was commissioned to design the organ for the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
. When the organ was first unveiled in 1954, it caused some controversy, but it proved to be the beginning of what is now perceived as the classical reform movement in organ design, leaving behind the vast edifices of Victorian civic organs in favour of a simpler and more cohesive sound, more characteristic of the Baroque era. Although the final result was still not wholly to his taste, lacking in some tonal colours, it clearly pointed the way to the modern British organs such as those built by Mander
Mander Organs
Mander Organs is an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the world of organ building, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with their refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall's Father Willis organ....
. Downes helped execute the rebuilding of many famous organs, including St Albans Cathedral
St Albans Cathedral
St Albans Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral church at St Albans, England. At , its nave is the longest of any cathedral in England...
(in 1963) and Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
(in 1971).
He was Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music from 1954 to 1975 and was regarded as the leading organ teacher of his day. His influence on students such as Dame Gillian Weir
Gillian Weir
Dame Gillian Constance Weir DBE is a New Zealand organist.-Biography:Gillian Weir was a co-winner of the Auckland Star Piano Competition at 19, playing Mozart. A year later she won a scholarship of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London...
, Thomas Trotter
Thomas Trotter
Thomas Trotter is a British concert organist. He is Birmingham City Organist and organist of St. Margaret's, Westminster and visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music, London....
and Roucher du Toit is a matter of record. He also taught Trevor Pinnock
Trevor Pinnock
Trevor David Pinnock CBE is an English conductor, harpsichordist, and occasional organist and pianist.He is best known for his association with the period-performance orchestra The English Concert which he helped found and directed from the keyboard for over 30 years in baroque and early classical...
. It was Downes who urged Weir to compete in the prestigious St Albans International Organ Festival
St Albans International Organ Festival
The International Organ Festival is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in St Albans, England since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme...
at St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, where she took first prize. Downes visited the Festival numerous times.
Recordings of Downes at the organ are still available, notably those with Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
and Peter Pears
Peter Pears
Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears CBE was an English tenor who was knighted in 1978. His career was closely associated with the composer Edward Benjamin Britten....
. He recorded Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's organ music to acclaim. Many of his most important recordings were made on the Royal Festival Hall organ; however he also recorded at the London Oratory, where he designed the Grand Organ built by JW Walker. He wrote about his organ design philosophy in Baroque Tricks (Positif, Oxford, 1983).
He was appointed CBE in 1969. and died in London in 1993. The organ was silent at his funeral, at his request, to make way for Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
of which he had grown fond following his conversion to Catholicism.