Basil Charles Allchin (16 April 1878 – 1957) was an English organist, teacher and music examiner. Born at 47 Broad Street in Oxford (now demolished), he was the son of William Thomas Howell Allchin (1843 – 1883), who was organist at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

and conductor of the Oxford Choral Society for 16 years until his early death, aged 39.St Sepulchre's, burials
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Career

Basil Allchin attended

Christ's Hospital School Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

in London and went on to study at Oxford as a non-collegiate student, where he was awarded Bachelor of Arts in 1898.Obituary, ''The Times'', 25 March 1957, p. 14 From 1902 he studied music at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

with Walter Parratt (organ), Herbert Sharpe (piano) and

Walford Davies Sir Henry Walford Davies (6 September 1869 – 11 March 1941) was an English composer, organist, and educator who held the title Master of the King's Music from 1934 until 1941. He served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War, du ...

and

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

(composition). He became Assistant Organist at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

under Basil Harwood, and from 1905 for 20 years was the organist at

Hertford College Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

. By the 1920s he was teaching music at

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

, and from 1929 until the mid-1930s was Director of Music,

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College (CLC) is a private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding and day school for girls aged 11 or older in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school was established in 1853 to provide "a sound academic edu ...

. Between 1920 and 1947 he also taught at the Royal College of Music, where he was Registrar from 1935 to 1939, appointed by Hugh Allen. Allchin was also an Examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music, and (with

Ernest Read Ernest Read CBE (22 February 1879 – 9 October 1965) was an English conductor, organist, and music educator. He had a profound impact on the development of music education within England during the first half of the 20th century, and publishe ...

) the author of ''A Book of Aural Tests'' (1936). Among his many pupils were Barbara Cass-Beggs, conductor and organist Guy Harrison (1894-1986), Robert Still and

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

. Allchin married his wife Mary Robinson in 1907. Their addresses in Oxford included 18

Turl Street Turl Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England. Location The street is located in the city centre, linking Broad Street at the north and High Street at the south. It intersects with Brasenose Lane to the east, and Market St ...

(early 1930s) and The Thatched Cottage,

North Hinksey North Hinksey is a village in the civil parish of Botley and North Hinksey, in the Vale of White Horse district, in Oxfordshire, England, on the west side of the Thames flood plain immediately opposite the city of Oxford. The civil parish incl ...

(from 1935). Mary died there in January 1946,'Deaths', in ''The Daily Telegraph'', 1 February 1946, p. 6 and Allchin married again in 1947 to Margaret Joyce Davis. He died in Wells,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

at the age of 78, survived by his twin sister Gwladys Marguerite Allchin (1878-1972).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allchin, Basil Charles 1878 births 1957 deaths English organists British male organists Alumni of the Royal College of Music