} Stephen Bicknell (20 December 1957 – 18 August 2007) was a leading British

organ builder Organ building is the profession of designing, building, restoring and maintaining pipe organs. The organ builder usually receives a commission to design an organ with a particular disposition of stops, manuals, and actions, creates a desig ...

and writer about the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

Early and family life

Bicknell was born in Chelsea. His maternal grandfather was an architect and amateur

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist, and his mother, Sally, was an amateur

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. She married historian and former BBC executive

Leonard Miall Rowland Leonard Miall (6 November 1914 – 24 February 2005) was a British broadcaster and administrator at the BBC for 35 years, from 1939 to 1974. In retirement, he became a research historian, studying the history of broadcasting. Early ...

in 1975. His father was Nigel Bicknell DSO, from whom he inherited his eye for design. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

, and read Arts General at St. Chad's College,

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

.Obituary, ''The Guardian'', 29 October 2007
/ref>

Career

Bicknell's career in pipe organ building started with N.P. Mander Ltd. in east London in 1979. He worked with the company's founder,

Noel Mander Noel Percy Mander Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE, FSA (19 May 1912 – 18 September 2005) was a British organ builder and founder of the firm N.P Mander later known as Mander Organs Limited. A native of Crouch, Se ...

, and his son, John Mander. One of his projects was the rebuilding of the organ in the chapel at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private, Day school, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' ...

. He left Mander Ltd. in 1987 to work for J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd in Brandon in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, where he worked on projects for

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

, a one-manual

chamber organ Carol Williams performing at the West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. In music, the organ is a keyboard instrument of one or mo ...

for the quire at

Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle Cathedral, formally the , is a Listed building, Grade I listed Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is a ...

, and the parish church in

Kesgrave Kesgrave is a town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. The town is close to both Ipswich and Woodbridge. Kesgrave forms part of the wider Ipswich Built-up area. History The area was recorded as ''Gressgrava'' in ...

, near

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

. He returned to N.P. Mander Ltd. as head designer in 1990, working on rebuilding the organ in the chapel at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

, on two organs for

Chelmsford Cathedral Chelmsford Cathedral, formally titled the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Chelmsford, Essex, England, dedicated to Mary (mother of Jesus), St Mary the Virgi ...

, and a four-manual mechanical-action organ Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan. He was directly involved with the design and construction of some of the most significant recent new instruments to be built in Britain. In 1993, he left full-time organ building to pursue a varied freelance career.

Organs associated with Bicknell

In 1986, he collaborated with his architect brother

Julian Bicknell Julian Bicknell (MA Dip Arch RIBA FRSA AWG) is a British architect. Early life Julian Bicknell was born in Cambridge on 23 February 1945, while his father Wing Commander Nigel Bicknell DSO DFC was in hospital at RAF Wroughton after a serious c ...

on the casework of the organ at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. In 1989, Bicknell surveyed the organ in the ballroom of

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

, expressing his horror at the state of the organ. The outside appearance was fine, but the woodwork and pipes were "broken, dented and collapsing". The organ was eventually overhauled and restored in 2002. He was particularly associated with the 1993 Mander organ in

Gray's Inn Chapel The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

, where he led the team of builders, and the two 1994 Mander organs installed in

, which he designed.

Publications and associations

His interests in organ history were expressed in his membership of the

British Institute of Organ Studies The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

(BIOS) since soon after its conception in 1976. He served BIOS as a Council Member, as its Membership Secretary, and as editor of the quarterly BIOS Reporter (1986–1992). He contributed essays to the annual BIOS Journal and to other publications, and read papers at conferences in Britain, France, Germany and the USA. He also lectured on organ history at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

.Obituary, ''The Times'', 20 September 2007
/ref> In 1996,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

published his 400-page ''The History of the English Organ'', a work which has received wide critical acclaim. It is regarded as the leading work on the topic. He was awarded the Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize by the

American Musical Instrument Society The American Musical Instrument Society (AMIS) was formed in 1971 "to promote study of the history, design, and use of musical instruments in all cultures and from all periods" (the branch of musicology known as organology). Based in the United Sta ...

for the best book in English on musical instruments published in the two-year period 1996–97. He gave a lecture in 2001 on the restored organ at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

, writing ''A Concert-Goer's Guide to the Organ'' for visitors. He also contributed to the

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the History of music, ...

and to the '' Cambridge Companion to the Organ''.

Later career

In 2005 Bicknell took a permanent post as an administrator with the

Association of Accounting Technicians The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is a UK-headquartered, global professional body for accounting technicians and bookkeepers, as well as a major provider of finance and accounting qualifications in the UK. In 2023, AAT confirme ...

in London. Outside work, he enjoyed gardening at the house in

London Fields London Fields is a park in Hackney, London, although the name also refers to the immediate area in Hackney surrounding it and London Fields station. It is common land adjoining the Hackney Central area of the London Borough of Hackney. The p ...

, Hackney that he shared with Jon Vanner, his partner of 11 years with whom he had entered a

civil partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

in 2006. Obituary, ''The Independent'', 19 September 2007

Death

Bicknell was found dead at his house in London at the age of 49. He had been diagnosed as

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of th ...

in 1992, and had also suffered from depression. He is survived by his civil partner, Jon Vanner, as well as his three brothers.

References

External links

Stephen Bicknell Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bicknell, Stephen 1957 births 2007 deaths 20th-century British classical musicians 20th-century British LGBTQ people 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British organists 20th-century English musicians 21st-century British LGBTQ people AIDS-related deaths in England Alumni of St Chad's College, Durham British classical organists British male classical organists British pipe organ builders English gay musicians LGBTQ classical musicians People educated at Winchester College People from Chelsea, London