St Matthew's Church Northampton
Encyclopedia
Background
The church has long history of commissioning new works of art and musical compositions. Works of art include the sculpture, Madonna and Child by Henry MooreHenry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
(1944) and the painting Crucifixion by Graham Sutherland
Graham Sutherland
Graham Vivien Sutherland OM was an English artist.-Early life:He was born in Streatham, attending Homefield Preparatory School, Sutton. He was then educated at Epsom College, Surrey before going up to Goldsmiths, University of London...
(1946). The many choral works include Rejoice in the Lamb
Rejoice in the Lamb
Rejoice in the Lamb is a festival cantata for four soloists, SATB choir, and organ composed by Benjamin Britten in 1943 and based on the poem Jubilate Agno by Christopher Smart . The poem, written while Smart was in an insane asylum, is a highly idiosyncratic and ecstatic praise and worship of God...
(1943) by 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 Lo, the full, final sacrifice
Lo, the full, final sacrifice
Lo, the full, final sacrifice is a festival anthem for SATB choir and organ, composed by Gerald Finzi in 1946. The work was commissioned by the Revd Walter Hussey for the 53rd anniversary of the consecration of St Matthew's Church, Northampton. Finzi orchestrated the piece for its performance at...
(1946) by Gerald Finzi
Gerald Finzi
Gerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres...
.
More recently in 1992 The Risen Christ was installed, This was fashioned by local artist Malcolm Pollard from laminated layers of Jelutong wood and in 2009 the renowned sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley
Ian Rank-Broadley
Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS is a British sculptor who has produced many acclaimed works, among which are several designs for British coinage....
was commissioned to produce a life size, and controversially traditional, statue of St Matthew in memory of Canon John Morton parish priest between 1975 - 1996 who left a legacy for this purpose.
It stands near the centre of the town on the Kettering Road. It was designed by local architect Matthew Holding and built by local brewer Pickering Phipps as a memorial to his father in 1893.
Liturgy
St Matthew's follows an Anglican service with Catholic traits. The church celebrates two Eucharist services on a Sunday including a sung (congregational) mass, as well as singing occasional choral evensong. The sung mass is 'pro populo' on the unusual Nave Altar (commonly known as "the butcher's block") and the Lectern has recently been moved from the Chancel step to the High Altar to make way for a traditional statue of St Matthew. The church maintains a daily Eucharist service and has done since its founding in 1893. The Daily Offices of Morning & Evening Prayer are also said publicly every day of the year.Music
St Matthew's Choir originally began under the directorship of John Eads . The traditional choir of boys and men ceased to sing in the late 1990s and since that time a mixed choir of children and adult women and men has been formed. The Sunday Mass is sung congregationally, and to that end a congregational Mass Setting was commissioned in 2009 from David Bednall 'The Walter Hussey Centenary Mass' to celebrate 100 years since the birth of Walter HusseyWalter Hussey
Walter Hussey was an Anglican clergyman who had a great fondness for the arts, commissioning a number of musical compositions and visual art for the church as well as amassing his own collection....
parish priest between 1937 - 1955 who commissioned the Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
'Madonna & Child' and the Graham Sutherland
Graham Sutherland
Graham Vivien Sutherland OM was an English artist.-Early life:He was born in Streatham, attending Homefield Preparatory School, Sutton. He was then educated at Epsom College, Surrey before going up to Goldsmiths, University of London...
'Crucifixion' and who left a legacy for this purpose.
Organ
The church also has a cathedral-sized organ by J. W. Walker & Sons LtdJ. W. Walker & Sons Ltd
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain, and instruments built by Walker are found in...
; a specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
List of organists
- Charles J. King 1895 - 1930 - ????
- Philip Pfaff 1930 - 1934
- Denys PounceyDenys PounceyDenys Pouncey was an English cathedral organist, who served in Wells Cathedral-Background:Denys Duncan Rivers Pouncey was born on 23 December 1906 and was educated at Marlborough College and Queen's College, Cambridge....
1934 - 1936 - Alec Wyton 1946 - 1950
- Robert Henry Joyce 1950 - 1958
- John BertalotJohn BertalotJohn Bertalot is an English organist, who served at Blackburn Cathedral.-Background:John Bertalot was born in Maidstone, Kent on 15 September 1931....
1958 - 1964 - Michael NicholasMichael NicholasMichael Bernard Nicholas FRCO is a British organist, conductor and composer, who was organist and master of choristers at Norwich Cathedral from 1971 to 1994 before becoming Chief Executive of the Royal College of Organists.-Life:...
1964 - 1971 - Stephen CleoburyStephen CleoburyStephen Cleobury CBE is an English organist and conductor. He was organ scholar at St John's College, Cambridge and sub-organist of Westminster Abbey before becoming Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral in 1979...
1971 - 1974 - Andrew Shenton 1986-91
- Andrew King 1991 - 1998
- Ian Frank Clarke 1998 - 2001
- John Malcolm Tyler 2001 - 2004
- Jonathan Starmer - Acting Director of Music till September 2005
- Swithun Sebastian Thomson 2005 - 2009
- Ben Horden 2009 - 2010
Position vacant until January 2011
- Stephen Moore 2011 -