A Short History of Music at St John the Evangelist, Islington

St John’s church has a long and glorious musical tradition. It began in 1850, in the days of the Rector Canon Oakley (translator of the famous hymn ‘O come, all ye faithful’), when monthly choral and orchestral concerts were given, featuring famous artists such as Vincent and Clara Novello. The church’s large choir was disbanded at the outbreak of the Second World War, but revived in 1955 by Edward de Rivera, the Director of Music, who could boast that a different Mass setting would be heard each week over a three-year cycle. Many new works received their first performance here and composers included John McCabe and Malcolm Williamson. In more recent years the church organ has featured many times on radio broadcasts, and was once heard every Sunday in the theme music of BBC’s Songs of Praise.

St John’s unique and much celebrated organ was built by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd in 1963. The contribution of Walker's to the Organ Reform Movement, or ‘continental’ sound, can be said to have begun in 1952, when Ralph Downes had a new organ built at the London Oratory and designed the tonal scheme for the famous Royal Festival Hall organ built by Harrison & Harrison. Almost all ‘un-nicked’ pipes in the voicing process were used alongside French-style reeds that have a full-throttled brassy tone. A great deal of experimentation was involved, but the end-effect was original, exciting and musical. This ‘neo-classical’ formula, or rather ‘new classical’ style, fashionable in the mid-twentieth century, particularly in France and America, aimed at an ideal fusion of French reed and classical flue pipes.

Walker’s produced a plethora of instruments in the 1960s that reflected this new ethos. Although not all of the new materials used in the building process proved long-lasting, the drive and vision of the Ruislip firm was laudable. Their large output included organs at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Blackburn Cathedral, St Peter’s Clerkenwell, The London Oratory and St John the Evangelist. They were voiced by the epoch-making Dennis Thurlow. Others involved were Michael Broom, Michael Butler, Keith Bance and Arthur Jones.

During the 1960s St John’s Walker organ was frequently used by the BBC and other recording companies, and a ‘BBC broadcast’ light, can still be found on the organ console. Recordings and broadcasts were given by (to name a few): Simon Preston, Nicolas Kynaston, Flor Peeters, Jane Parker-Smith, Dame Gillian Weir, Sir Nicholas Jackson, Alan Harverson, Graham Steed, Douglas Mews, Philip Moore, Ludwig Ultman, Carmel Dohoghe, George Malcolm, Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, Jeremy Filsell, The Vasari Singers, The London Oratory Choir, John McGreal, Adrian Gunning, Joanna Paul, Martin Stacey, William Fox, James Orford and Jennifer Bate.

Vatican II (1962-5) blew the winds of change through the musical tradition of the church. St John’s choir was disbanded and later in the 1970s a 'folk group’ was formed. Suddenly it was decided to sell the organ to pay for outstanding debts from its initial installation. It was felt that an organ was no longer required! The Royal Academy of Music in Marylebone Road very nearly bought it for Duke’s Hall. Thankfully, pressure from various organ bodies that understood its importance helped save the day, and we now have it here to enjoy each week.

In the early 1980s the late Sir Malcolm Williamson, Master of the Queen’s Music, was organist at St John’s, and the church Choral Society performed at many central London venues and elsewhere. Now a small amateur choir sings at the 11am Mass on Sundays. And, thanks to the generosity of the parish and its priest, there has been a professional choir singing for the Holy Week Triduum, Christmas Midnight Mass and other special services, when music plays such an important role in the liturgy. This is directed by Adrian Gunning GTCL FTCL LTCL PGCE, appointed as organist in 1986 with responsibilities for weddings and funerals, playing for the 11am Mass on Sundays and other important ceremonies. He has also revived the organ concert series, which began in the early 1960s and now runs every month from April to September, and overseen the gradual restoration of the Walker organ.

In 2005-6 Keith Bance Organ Builders, who have looked after the instrument for nearly twenty five years, gave it a comprehensive renovation. The return of the restored organ was marked on Saturday 24th June 2006 with a concert given by arguably the greatest recitalist in this country, Dame Gillian Weir. We were honoured to have her give this important performance to a full church.

In 2007 the instrument was awarded a BIOS (British Institute of Organ Studies) certificate of historic significance “in recognition of it being an important instrument by J W Walker in 1963 in a changing phase of British organ building and associated with eminent organists of the time”. In 2011 a generous donation enabled us to proceed with updating the electrical wiring and stop mechanisms in the console where the organ is played from its three keyboards, pedals and 46 stops. In 2013 the instrument celebrated its 50th anniversary with a series of celebrity concerts. The first of these was given by Douglas Mews, son of Douglas Mews (1918-1993) who inaugurated the organ back in 1963.

The initial cost of the St John’s Walker organ was £15,000. To replace it now with a similar-sized instrument would require over three-quarters of a million pounds. So yes, a sound investment! It will hopefully continue to give good service for many years to come.

Adrian Gunning, Organist at St John’s