Dr Douglas Gerard Arthur Fox (born

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

, July 1893 - died

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, September 1978) was an English pianist, organist and music teacher. Fox was born into a musical family; his father played violin and cello, his mother the piano. His mother may have been a distant relative of

Thomas Ravenscroft Thomas Ravenscroft ( – 1635) was an English musician, theorist and editor, notable as a composer of rounds and catches, and especially for compiling collections of British folk music. Little is known of Ravenscroft's early life. He prob ...

. In 1902 the family moved to Bristol. An outstanding organist from a young age, Fox attended

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , head ...

and the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

where he received tuition from

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 ...

. From 1912 to 1915 he studied music at

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to th ...

, where he was organ scholar. Joining the military during World War I, on 27 August 1917 he was badly injured, and his right arm was amputated from the elbow. His career as a performing musician was over, and his tutors Hubert Parry and Stanford attempted to help their pupil re-adjust. Stanford recommended a career as a conductor and teacher. As a tribute to him, his friend Hugh Allen at New College played an Evensong with only with his left hand and pedals. In 1918 or 1919

Frank Bridge Frank Bridge (26 February 187910 January 1941) was an English composer, violist and conductor. Life Bridge was born in Brighton, the ninth child of William Henry Bridge (1845-1928), a violin teacher and variety theatre conductor, formerly a m ...

sent him ''Three improvisations'' for the left hand for him to practice. He became the musical director of

Bradfield College Bradfield College, formally St Andrew's College, Bradfield, is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils aged 11–18, located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. It is note ...

(1918-1930).''The Organ'' - Issues 271-282. 1990, p.156 In 1922 he became conductor of the Newbury Symphony Orchestra. From 1931 to 1957 he was Head of Music at Clifton College (where one of his pupils was

John Sykes John James Sykes (born 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums. Following a stint in ...

and Organist of Great St. Mary's, Cambridge from 1957 to 1963. In 1958 he was awarded the OBE. He died in September 1978.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Douglas English choral conductors British male conductors (music) Alumni of Keble College, Oxford 1893 births 1978 deaths People educated at Clifton College English classical organists British male organists Alumni of the Royal College of Music British Army personnel of World War I 20th-century English musicians 19th-century English musicians Classical pianists who played with one arm 20th-century organists 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century British male musicians 19th-century British male musicians Male classical organists Presidents of the Independent Society of Musicians