Sir Thomas Henry Wait Armstrong (15 June 1898 – 26 June 1994) was an English
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 ...
, conductor, composer and educationalist. He was from a musical family and his early career was as a church and cathedral organist. From the 1920s onwards he was a broadcaster for the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
giving talks as well as playing.
While organist and faculty member of
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 ...
Armstrong combined academic work with practical musicianship, as player and conductor. From 1955 to 1968, he was principal of 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 ...
(RAM), London, where he was known for his concern for the well-being of his staff and students and his efforts to strengthen links with overseas music colleges.
Life and career
Early years
Armstrong was born in
Peterborough
Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
, the eldest of three children, and only son, of Amos Ebenezer Armstrong (1878–1950) and his wife Elizabeth Annie West, née Handford (1880–1939). His mother was a former headmistress, and his father was a leading figure in Peterborough's musical life, music master at the
King's School, organist and choirmaster at St Augustine's church, Woodston, and conductor of the local operatic, orchestral, and choral societies.
[Stoker, Richard]
"Armstrong, Sir Thomas Henry Wait (1898–1994)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 13 November 2017 The young Armstrong was a chorister at the
Chapel Royal
A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family.
Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...
,
St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster. Although no longer the principal residence ...
from 1907 to 1910, during which time he sang at the funeral of
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
.
[
In 1912 Armstrong was appointed organist of ]Thorney Abbey
Thorney Abbey, now the Church of St Mary and St Botolph, was a medieval English Benedictine Congregation, English Benedictine monastery at Thorney, Cambridgeshire, Thorney, Cambridgeshire in The Fens of Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Histor ...
, and the following year he was articled to Haydn Keeton
Haydn Keeton (26 October 1847, in Mosborough – 27 May 1921, in Peterborough) was a cathedral organist, who served at Peterborough Cathedral.
Background
Haydn Keeton was born in Mosborough. His father Edwin Keeton was organist at Eckington Pa ...
, organist of Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew, and formerly known as Peterborough Abbey or St Peter's Abbey, is a cathedral in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, in the United Kingdom. The seat of the Church ...
. A fellow apprentice, Malcolm Sargent
Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent (29 April 1895 – 3 October 1967) was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated include ...
, later known as a conductor, became a lifelong friend.[ They liked to trace their musical ancestry back to ]Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
: Keeton had been articled to George Elvey
Sir George Job Elvey (1816–1893) was an English organist and composer.
Life
He was born at Canterbury on 29 March 1816, a son of John Elvey.
For several generations, his family had been connected with the musical life of the cathedral city.
A ...
, who was articled to Thomas Attwood, who was articled to Mozart.[Armstrong, Robert.]
The Works of Thomas Armstrong
, Notes to Chandos CD 9657, pp. 4–7
Early career
In 1915–16, Armstrong was assistant organist in Peterborough for a year before being elected organ scholar of Keble College, Oxford
Keble College () is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University Museum a ...
.[ His studies were interrupted by service in France during the ]First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
; he enlisted with the Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
in 1916, before being commissioned towards the end of the war.[ During his war service he met ]Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
, whom Armstrong later described as "the greatest influence of anybody on my life".["Obituary: Sir Thomas Armstrong", ''The Times'', 28 June 1994, p. 23] Armstrong remained in France for some months after the cessation of hostilities, not returning to England until 1919; he rented a room with a piano in Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river.
A sub-pref ...
to get himself back in practice.[
After the war Armstrong completed his studies, studying music with Hugh Allen and organ under Henry Ley at Christ Church. He graduated with a BA in modern history in 1921 and took his ]BMus
A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...
in 1922.[
After leaving Oxford in 1922 Armstrong briefly took up an appointment at ]Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the c ...
(assistant organist), during which time he worked with Hamilton Harty
Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty (4 December 1879 – 19 February 1941) was an Irish composer, conductor, pianist and organist.
After an early career as a church organist in his native Ireland, Harty moved to London at about age 20, soon becoming a ...
.[Rose, Bernard Rose]
"Armstrong, Sir Thomas"
''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press. Retrieved 13 November 2017 The following year he was appointed organist of St. Peter's Church, Eaton Square, London.[ During this period he studied 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 Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...
and Vaughan Williams.[ In 1926 Armstrong married Hester Draper, daughter of the Rev W H Draper, ]Master of the Temple
The Temple Church, a royal peculiar in the Church of England, is a church in the Inner and Middle Temples located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar for their English headquarters in the Temple precinct. ...
. They were married for 52 years and had two children: Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
(later Baron Armstrong of Ilminster) (1927-2020) and Helen Hilary (b. 1930).[
In 1927 Armstrong made his first broadcast, in an organ recital for the ]BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, playing music ranging from Buxtehude
Buxtehude (; , ), officially the Hanseatic City of Buxtehude (), is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany, belonging to the district of Stade in Lower Saxony. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and attached to the city's S-Ba ...
to 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 ...
and Parry
Parry may refer to:
People
* Parry (surname)
* Parry (given name)
Fictional characters
* Parry, protagonist of the movie ''The Fisher King'', played by Robin Williams
* Parry in the series '' Incarnations of Immortality'' by Piers Anthony
* ...
; his long association with the BBC included many talks on the radio about topics such as British music. In 1928 he completed the three compositions required for the award of a Dmus: ''A Passer-By'' (a rhapsody for baritone, chorus and orchestra), a ''Fantasy Quintet'' for pianoforte and strings, and ''Friends Departed'' (for soprano, chorus and orchestra).[ From 1928 to 1933 he was organist of ]Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The presen ...
, a post he held in tandem with the directorship of music at the University College of the South West.[
]
Oxford and Royal Academy of Music
Armstrong returned to Oxford in 1933 as organist of Christ Church in succession to William Harris who had been appointed to St George's Chapel, Windsor
St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal Peculiar (a church und ...
.
He was also conductor of the Oxford Orchestra and Oxford Bach Choir, and president of the Musical Club and Union. In 1939 the governing body of Christ Church elected him a student (the equivalent of a fellowship
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...
in other colleges), the first organist to receive that honour. His son has written that Amstrong "found the wider academic community deeply congenial, especially the Senior Common Room at Christ Church … For him, Oxford was, and remained, a spiritual home."[ When Allen died, after a road accident in 1946, Armstrong hoped to be appointed to succeed him as professor of music at the university, but the post was given to ]Jack Westrup
Sir Jack Westrup, (26 July 190421 April 1975) was an English musicologist, writer, teacher and occasional conductor and composer.
Biography
Jack Allan Westrup was the second of the three sons of George Westrup, insurance clerk, of Dulwich, and h ...
.["Professor of Music at Oxford", ''The Times'', 19 June 1946, p. 6]
In 1955 Armstrong was appointed principal of the Royal Academy of Music. ''The Times'' later commented on this period:
As well as his concern for the well-being of his students and staff, Armstrong worked to develop links between the RAM and conservatoires of music in other European countries.[
In addition to his RAM duties, Armstrong was prominent in other aspects of British musical life. He was senior adviser to the Delius Trust, chairman of the ]Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...
, a member of the Countess of Munster Trust, a member of the board of directors of the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
, a Governor of the Old Vic
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
*Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
-Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...
Foundation, chairman of the governors of the Central Tutorial School for Young Musicians (founded in 1962), now renamed the Purcell School
The Purcell School for Young Musicians is a specialist private music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK. The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozar ...
, and chairman of the Musicians Benevolent Fund.["Armstrong, Sir Thomas Henry Wait"]
''Who Was Who'', Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 14 Nov 2017
Armstrong was knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1958 and retired in 1968, when he was 70.[ He and his wife moved to the village of Newton Blossomville in Buckinghamshire, close to the ]Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
border. There he formed and conducted a village choir, which won several prizes in music festivals.[ After the death of his wife in 1982, he moved to Olney, a few miles away, sharing a cottage with Rosemary Rapaport, his former colleague from the RAM.][ Robert Armstrong recalled that in Olney, when already ninety years old, Armstrong "was delighted to be sought out, as 'the old man in East Street who plays the organ', to play for Mass at the local Roman Catholic church for six months."][
Armstrong died at his home in Olney at the age of 96.][
]
Compositions
Armstrong was modest about his music, although he composed all his life, despite the other demands on his time. For his ''Who's Who
A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...
'' entry he confined himself to seven words on the subject: " Compositions: various, the larger ones remain unpublished."[ He admitted that he had not lived up to Vaughan Williams's advice that "if you write a little bit of music to the best of your ability on every day of your life you will write one good piece before you die."][ He continued to compose into his nineties: "I still try to write a little music in my antiquated idiom. But I suppose nothing is so antiquated as what was avant-garde five years ago".][
Amrstrong composed 25 ]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, carols
A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling).
...
, services
Service may refer to:
Activities
* Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty
* Civil service, the body of employees of a government
* Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...
and a large number of songs. The ambitious secular works composed for his doctorate remained unperformed until after his death, when they were recorded on a Chandos CD.[ His biographer Richard Stoker writes that Armstrong "belonged to the gentle English tradition of Parry, Vaughan Williams, Howells, and Finzi".][
]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Thomas
1898 births
1994 deaths
20th-century British conductors (music)
20th-century English composers
Academics of the Royal Academy of Music
Alumni of Keble College, Oxford
British cathedral organists
English classical organists
English conductors (music)
British male conductors (music)
Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford
Honorary members of the Royal Philharmonic Society
Knights Bachelor
People educated at The King's School, Peterborough
Musicians from Peterborough
Principals of the Royal Academy of Music
20th-century British organists
20th-century British male musicians
Chairpersons of the Royal Philharmonic Society
British male classical organists
Presidents of the Independent Society of Musicians
Conductors (music) awarded knighthoods
Composers awarded knighthoods