N&DOA: A Centenary History 1921 - 2021

Friday, 17 September 2021

N&DOA: A Centenary History

Northampton & District Organists’ Association was founded in September 1921

To coincide with the event, NDOA has produced a centenary booklet prepared by our Past President, Richard Tapp

Northampton & District Organists’ Association - A Centenary History

The booklet draws on the Association’s original documents and records, and on the research carried out in preparing A Centenary History. This is a unique opportunity to read about the founders of the Association, NDOA’s activities over the century, its response to innovations from the gramophone to Zoom - as well as the challenges and tribulations involved over the years!

The story of NDOA’s history over the last 100 years is fascinating, and something which will interest members, friends and anyone with an eye for the musical and social history of the town and district.

NDOA is fortunate to have a virtually complete set of papers, including minutes, newsletters, programmes and press cuttings, and this short history draws on those sources and on personal recollections to illustrate the development of the association from its foundation in 1921 to the present day.

The history is in the form of a special edition of the Association’s Newsletter and is for general sale.

Copies of A Centenary History may be purchased at £5 each, plus £2 to cover postage and packing.

If you would like to purchase a copy please pay the relevant amount using the donate button on the Join the Association page , and email Helen Murphy, our Hon. Secretary on helen.e.murphy@outlook.com telling her you have done this, and giving your name and address to which the copies should be sent.

If you have any other queries, please contact Richard Tapp, author and Past President on editor@northamptonorganists.org.uk.

Three Pieces for Organ by Howard Snell

Saturday, 25 September 2021

Three Pieces for Organ - Howard Snell. We are thrilled that the Northamptonshire composer, Howard Snell, has written Three Pieces for Organ, dedicated to NDOA on our centenary.

Howard Snell was born in Wollaston, Northants. He is one of the best-known figures in brass music worldwide. By mid-career he decided to focus on conducting and writing.

The three pieces are:

A Song for John Clare, the 19th-century Northamptonshire Poet;

A Lament, an arrangement of a movement from an orchestral suite by Georg Telemann, and

A Salute to Sir Malcolm, written expressly for the Association’s commission and dedicated to the memory of Sir Malcolm Arnold, one of Northamptonshire’s premier musical personalities.

The first page of each piece is displayed below by kind permission of the composer.

Copies of Three Pieces for Organ may be purchased at £8 each, plus £2 to cover postage and packing.

The Three Pieces represent a delightful, accessible resource for members and friends both to celebrate the Centenary and to use regularly as an addition to repertoire.

Centenary Organ Book

Monday, 23 September 2024

NDOA Centenary Organ Book.

The Centenary Organ Book consists of a variety of suitable organ compositions by members and well-known local composers which was originally planned as a hard-copy book for the NDOA Centenary in 2021. It will instead be an online publication and was officially ‘launched’ at the Members' Recital on 26 October 2024.

All 6 pieces were played at that event.

CENTENARY ORGAN BOOK = NOTES ON THE COMPOSERS

William Alwyn CBE (1905-1985) was born William Alwyn Smith in Northampton. At the age of 15 he entered the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was for a time a flautist with the London Symphony Orchestra. Alwyn was professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1926 to 1955. He helped found the Composers' Guild of Great Britain, and was its chairman for three years. His compositions include symphonies, operas, concertos and string quartets. He wrote over 70 film scores, including Desert Victory and The Crimson Pirate. The arrangement of the March from Desert Victory is by John Gibbons FRSA, a well-known British musician who is also a conductor of opera.

Colin Ashworth BA, BSc, FRCO, FLCM is an organist who lives in Northamptonshire and has been extensively involved in church music for most of his life, acting as organist at many churches in the county, and holding the post of Director of Music at Maidwell School until his retirement. His FanD-FarE won the senior section of the NDOA Centenary Compoisition Competition in 2021.

Michael Chamberlain is a student member of NDOA, currently studying at St Andrews University in Scotland. His composition Flourish for an Occasion won the junior section of the NDOA Centenary Composition Competition in 2021.

Trevor Hold (1939-2004) was born in Northampton, and read music at the University of Nottingham. With his family he lived at Wadenhoe for more than 30 years and became widely-known in the world of East Midlands’ music. He wrote several song cycles based on his own poetry, including one using words of John Clare, the local poet.

Robert Tucker FGMS lives in Higham Ferrers and plays the organ at several churches, including Kimbolton Parish Church. He has written a number of works for choir and organ, as well as this NDOA Centenary March, dedicated in 2021 to Richard Tapp, the then-President of the NDOA.

John Wilson MA (Oxon) is a retired colonial legislative drafter living in Kettering. He has played piano and organ for churches and other events in many parts of the world during his career. His Centenary Fanfare makes use of the letters NDOA, the Birthday Song, and the tune of the Old Hundredth hymn.

The NDOA has obtained permission for publication and performance of all the pieces. Downloading and printing of a piece therefore includes permission for performance.

To download the pieces right click on each page in turn and select 'Save image as...'