Edward Allan Wicks (6 June 1923,

Harden, West Yorkshire Harden is a civil parish and village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, west of Bingley. It had a population of 1,615 in the 2001 census, but by 2011 this had risen to 1,900. History Roman Excava ...

− 4 February 2010) was an English cathedral organist, who served in Canterbury Cathedral for nearly 30 years. He was an early champion of the music of Olivier Messiaen,

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Musi ...

and

Kenneth Leighton Kenneth Leighton (2 October 1929 – 24 August 1988) was a British composer and pianist. His compositions include church and choral music, pieces for piano, organ, cello, oboe and other instruments, chamber music, concertos, ...

. He also directed the specially-commissioned music for the 1951 revival of the

York Mystery Plays The York Mystery Plays, more properly the York Corpus Christi Plays, are a Middle English cycle of 48 mystery plays or pageants covering sacred history from the creation to the Last Judgment. They were traditionally presented on the feast day ...

, regarded as the greatest event in the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

celebrations.

Career

The son of a parson, Wicks began his musical studies as a pianist at an early age, but did not think that he would be good enough to become professional. He was educated at St John's School, Leatherhead and at the age of 14 he was advised to convert to the organ. He took his degree at Christ Church, Oxford, where he was also organ scholar at the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, assistant to Thomas Armstrong. Completing his studies after serving in the

14th Punjab Regiment The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regi ...

, gaining an MA and an FRCO, he then took up post at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

in 1947, as sub-organist to Francis Jackson. He described his time at York as being much easier than modern cathedral organists: "In those days it was easier to manage on one's own, because we never used to conduct, except a cappella pieces, we never conducted like cathedral organists now who hardly ever play the organ, they're down there wagging a finger, waving their arms about." Whilst based in York, he was on the music staff at St Peter's School and Chorus Master of Leeds Philharmonic Society. For the 1951 revival of the

he was director of the music, composed by his friend James Brown. The plays captured the hearts of the British public, and have been performed regularly ever since.Harris, Richard
York Mystery Plays musician and York Minster organist Allan Wicks has died
York Press, 11 February 2010. In 1954, Wicks left York to take the job of organist and choirmaster of Manchester Cathedral. There he inspired Maxwell Davies by his directing the choir in performances of

John IV of Portugal John IV ( pt, João, ; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), nicknamed John the Restorer ( pt, João, o Restaurador), was the King of Portugal whose reign, lasting from 1640 until his death, began the Portuguese restoration of independence from H ...

and

John Dunstaple John Dunstaple (or Dunstable, – 24 December 1453) was an English composer whose music helped inaugurate the transition from the medieval to the Renaissance periods. The central proponent of the ''Contenance angloise'' style (), Dunstaple was ...

. Wicks also championed Maxwell Davies's ''Fantasia on O Magnum Mysterium'', as well as

Malcolm Williamson Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson, (21 November 19312 March 2003) was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death. Biography Williamson was born in Sydney in 1931; his father was an A ...

's six-movement Symphony. He also organised a Cantata Choir and a small orchestra for Tuesday evening concerts of larger-scale works, including Igor Stravinsky's ''Canticum Sacrum'' and Messiaen's ''Messe de la Pentecôte''. In 1961 he was appointed organist and master of the choristers of Canterbury Cathedral, where he served for 27 years, under three

Archbishops In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

, retiring after being appointed

C.B.E. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1988. Whilst at Canterbury, he also was honoured with the Lambeth MusDoc in 1974 and an honorary DMus from the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

in 1985. Wicks died in 2010, and was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their two daughters.

Organist posts

*1941–1946: Organ Scholar,

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual r ...

(interrupted by wartime service in the

) *1947–1954: Sub Organist,

*1954–1961: Organist at Manchester Cathedral. *1961–1988: Organist at Canterbury Cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wicks, Allan Cathedral organists 1923 births 2010 deaths Duke of Wellington's Regiment officers British Indian Army officers British Army personnel of World War II Indian Army personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English classical organists British male organists Holders of a Lambeth degree Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford People educated at St John's School, Leatherhead 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century British male musicians Male classical organists