Walter Alcock
Encyclopedia
Sir Walter Galpin Alcock (29 December 186111 September 1947) 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
.
After a brief series of posts (Holy Trinity Sloane Street
and St. Margaret's, Westminster
), in 1893 he was appointed Organ Professor at the Royal College of Music. He was appointed assistant organist of Westminster Abbey in 1896. He was organist of the Chapels Royal from 1902. In 1916 he became organist of Salisbury Cathedral
where he oversaw a strictly faithful restoration of the famous Father Willis organ, even going to such lengths as to refuse to allow parts of the instrument to leave the cathedral in case any unauthorized tonal alteration were made without his knowledge.
He played the organ at Westminster Abbey at the coronations of three monarchs: Edward VII
(1902), George V
(1911) and George VI
(1937).
He was knighted in 1933 for services to music and was a noted teacher, whose published material for organ students is still thought valuable. Among his notable pupils are Edward Bairstow
, Ralph Downes
, and S. Drummond Wolff
.
His hobbies included the construction of a model railway, on which choirboys at Salisbury would be given rides.
in 1922.
Edenbridge, Kent
Edenbridge is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The town's name derives from Old English language "Eadhelmsbrigge" . It is located on the Kent/Surrey border on the upper floodplain of the River Medway and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden...
.
He studied at 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...
under Sir Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
and Sir John Stainer
John Stainer
Sir John Stainer was an English composer and organist whose music, though not generally much performed today , was very popular during his lifetime...
.
After a brief series of posts (Holy Trinity Sloane Street
Holy Trinity Sloane Street
Holy Trinity Sloane Street is a London Anglican parish church, built 1888-90 at the south-eastern side of Sloane Street to a striking Arts & Crafts design by the architect John Dando Sedding at the cost of the 5th Earl Cadogan, in whose London estate it lay...
and St. Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
), in 1893 he was appointed Organ Professor at the Royal College of Music. He was appointed assistant organist of Westminster Abbey in 1896. He was organist of the Chapels Royal from 1902. In 1916 he became organist of Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
where he oversaw a strictly faithful restoration of the famous Father Willis organ, even going to such lengths as to refuse to allow parts of the instrument to leave the cathedral in case any unauthorized tonal alteration were made without his knowledge.
He played the organ at Westminster Abbey at the coronations of three monarchs: Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
(1902), George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
(1911) and George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
(1937).
He was knighted in 1933 for services to music and was a noted teacher, whose published material for organ students is still thought valuable. Among his notable pupils are Edward Bairstow
Edward Bairstow
Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow was born in Huddersfield on 22 August 1874 and died in York on 1 May 1946. He was an English organist and composer in the Anglican church music tradition....
, Ralph Downes
Ralph Downes
Ralph William Downes CBE was an English organist, organ designer, teacher and music director, and was formerly Professor of Organ of the Royal College of Music....
, and S. Drummond Wolff
S. Drummond Wolff
Stanley Drummond Wolff was an English organist, choirmaster, composer, and music educator who was primarily active in North America. His compositional output primarily consists of anthems for choir and works for solo organ. In the 1980s he completed and published four volumes of hymns...
.
His hobbies included the construction of a model railway, on which choirboys at Salisbury would be given rides.
Family
His eldest daughter Naomi Judith married Dingwall Latham BatesonSir Dingwall Latham Bateson
Sir Dingwall "Dingo" Latham Bateson, CBE, MC was a British solicitor and President of the Law Society.-Background:Bateson was the son of judge Sir Alexander Dingwall Bateson and Isabel Mary, the fourth daughter of William Latham QC...
in 1922.