T. Tertius Noble
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Thomas Tertius Noble (May 5, 1867 – May 4, 1953) was an English-born
organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
and composer, who lived in the United States for the latter part of his career. He served as organist and choirmaster at a number of churches including
Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...
and
York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...
in England and St Thomas Episcopal Church in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He is chiefly remembered for his music for the Anglican church.


Early life and education

Noble was born on 5 May 1867 in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
, England, to Thomas Noble (a silversmith) and Sarah Jefferson.Trinity College, "Trinity College Bulletin, May 1953" (1953), ''Trinity College Bulletins and Catalogues (1824-present)''
Vol. L, New Series No. 4. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
The name 'Tertius' derives from Noble being the third Thomas in his family. In his youth, Noble was introduced to the
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...
by James Pyne, organist at
Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...
, and from 1880 he was tutored in the organ at
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...
.
Frederick Ouseley Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley, 2nd Baronet (12 August 18256 April 1889) was an English composer, organist, musicologist and priest. Biography Frederick Ouseley was born in London, the son of Sir Gore Ouseley, and manifested an extraordinary ...
declined to accept Noble as a student at his music school, citing that "the market was over-stocked." He sent his first composition, ''Theme and Variations'', to Rheinberger and
Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...
; their feedback was mixed. At the age of 15 he was appointed organist at All Saints' Church, Colchester, where he was also educated by the rector. He won a scholarship to attend 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 ...
, where he was tutored by
Walter Parratt Sir Walter Parratt (10 February 184127 March 1924) was an English organist and composer. He served as Master of the Queen's Music, and later as Master of the King's Music, from 1893 to 1924. Biography Born in Huddersfield, son of a parish org ...
,
Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...
and
Frederick Bridge Sir John Frederick Bridge (5 December 1844 – 18 March 1924) was an English organist, composer, teacher and writer. From a musical family, Bridge became a church organist before he was 20, and he achieved his ambition to become a cathedral ...
, and made other close connections with
George Grove Sir George Grove (13 August 182028 May 1900) was an English engineer and writer on music, known as the founding editor of ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians''. Grove was trained as a civil engineer, and successful in that profession ...
and
John Stainer Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of ''The Crucifixion (Stainer), The Crucifixion'', still heard at Passiontide in some Angli ...
.


Career

After graduating from the Royal College of Music in 1889, Noble was appointed a member of staff there, teaching the organ. He also took the position of organist at the Church of St John the Evangelist, Wilton Road, in London. In 1890, Stanford recommended him to fill the vacancy as his assistant organist at
Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge Trinity College Chapel is the chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Part of a complex of Grade I listed buildings at Trinity, it dates from the mid 16th century. It is an Anglican church in ...
. Noble was dissatisfied with the quality of singing and Stanford's bad temper, leaving Trinity in 1892 to serve as organist and choirmaster at
Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...
. From 1898 to 1913 Noble served as organist at
York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...
. While there, he established the York Symphony Orchestra and composed pieces for them. He was also conductor of the York Musical Society and in 1910 revived the York Festival. In January 1913 Noble moved to America after accepting the post of organist and choirmaster of St Thomas Episcopal Church in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, traversing on the Carmania. He was responsible for establishing a choral tradition at St Thomas's along
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
cathedral lines. He also oversaw the installation of a new organ at the church and founded the
Saint Thomas Choir School Saint Thomas Choir School is an all-boys boarding school located in Manhattan, New York, dedicated to the education and training of approximately 30 choirboys from ages 8 to 14. It is one of three all-boarding, all-boys choral schools in the wor ...
for boys in 1919. This was Noble's final position, which he held for 35 years. In 1932 Noble became the first person outside the British Isles to be awarded the
Lambeth degree A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 as successor of the papal legate in England. The degrees conferred most commonly are DD (Doctor of Div ...
of
Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (DMus, DM, MusD or occasionally MusDoc) is a doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions, musical performances, and/or scholarly publications on music. In some institutions, the award is a ...
by the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
. He was an examiner and member of the national council of the
American Guild of Organists The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is an international organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the US, headquartered in New York City with its administrative offices in the Interchurch Center. Founded as a professional educa ...
and also served as president of the National Association of Organists. He was a member of the Hymn Society of America, and served as its president for multiple terms. Noble composed orchestral and chamber music, including an orchestral ''Introduction and Passacaglia'' performed at
The Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...
on 17 August 1945, where it was conducted by a former pupil,
Basil Cameron Basil Cameron CBE (18 August 1884 – 26 June 1975) was an English conductor. Early career He was born Basil George Cameron HindenbergW.L. Jacob, "Hindenburg v. Cameron" (Letter to the Editor) (1991). ''The Musical Times'', 132 (1782), p. ...
. But he is now remembered for his music for the Anglican church, particularly his Evening services in A major, B minor and A minor, and his
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
s ''Go to dark Gethsemane'', ''Souls of the Righteous'', and ''Grieve not the Holy Spirit''. His tunes were used for seven hymns in ''The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, 1940''. His tune ''Ora labora'' for the hymn ''Come, labour on'' is well known in the United States, as is his edition of Handel's ''Messiah'', published by
G. Schirmer G. Schirmer, Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. The oldest active music publisher in the United States, Schirmer publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-know ...
in 1912. For
Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (January 8, 1792 – August 11, 1872) was an American music director and banker who was a leading figure in 19th-century American church music. Lowell composed over 1,600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His best-know ...
's sesquicentennial celebrations, he wrote an organ prelude based on Mason's ''Watchman''.


Personal life

In 1897 Noble married Meriel Maude Stubbs (daughter of
Charles Stubbs Charles William Stubbs DD (3 September 18454 May 1912) was an English clergyman. He was born in Liverpool and educated at the Liverpool Collegiate Institution and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. As a clergyman he held several incumbencies ...
,
Dean of Ely The position of Dean of Ely Cathedral, in East Anglia, England, in the Diocese of Ely was created in 1541 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The first Dean of Ely had been the last Benedictine prior of Ely. List of deans Early moder ...
), with whom he had a son, Philip Raymond Noble (1903–1979). English jazz composer and actor
Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 3 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United S ...
(1903–1978) was his nephew.


Death

Noble died on 4 May 1953, the day before his 86th birthday, in
Rockport, Massachusetts Rockport is a seaside New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,992 in 2020 United States census, 2020. Rockport is located approximately northeast of Boston, at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. ...
, and he was buried at Beech Grove Cemetery there. The
hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...
"Rockport" composed by Noble was named after the city of his death.


References


Citations


Further reading

* * (McConnell was a student of Noble and was his assistant during Noble's last years at St. Thomas.)


External links

* * * *
York Musical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, T. Tertius 1867 births 1953 deaths Alumni of the Royal College of Music American male organists British cathedral organists English classical organists English composers Organists of Ely Cathedral British male classical organists