Henry Hugh Bancroft (29 February 1904 – 11 September 1988) was a British

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 ...

, choirmaster, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

who was organist of five cathedrals. He was born in

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then develo ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, and studied music with E. P. Guthrie and J. S. Robinson in nearby

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

. He attained the FRCO diploma in 1925. He was then organist of

Old Clee Old Clee is located in the Clee Road ( A46) and Carr Lane area of eastern Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England, and adjoins the neighbouring town of Cleethorpes, to which it has historic links. It is in the Heneage ward of the North East ...

parish church and was supplementing his modest income by playing in the local theatre and by working as a compass adjuster. Seeking better prospects, he left for Canada in 1929 to become organist of St. Matthew's Anglican Church in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. In 1936 while at St. Matthew's, he earned an external

BMus Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or music school, conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consi ...

from

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

. After nine years, he left for the Church of the Ascension in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

, but stayed there only nine months. In 1937, he was back in Winnipeg, at the downtown parish of All Saints, where he developed a men and boys choir of national renown and initiated choral evensongs on the model of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

cathedrals. Also in Winnipeg, he met and married his wife Eldred Curle. From 1946 to 1948 he was organist of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, British Columbia, director of the Vancouver Bach Choir, and an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Music and Drama. He left Vancouver to become master of music at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, but in 1953 returned to All Saints in Winnipeg. On a visit to

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

on his way back from Australia, he experienced the annual Advent Carol service of King's College, and the next year introduced the tradition to Canada at All Saints' Church. He was briefly at Christ Church Cathedral in

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, before moving to All Saints' Cathedral in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1958, where he remained until his retirement in 1980. From 1968 to 1977 he also taught for the Department of Music of the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

in Edmonton. Bancroft was also known as a teacher, and instructed many students who went on to have careers as composers and organists, including Hugh McLean (organist), Barry Anderson, Barbara Pentland, Douglas Bodle, Elwyn Davies and Herbert Sadler. An active composer and arranger, Bancroft was an Associate Composer of the

Canadian Music Centre The Canadian Music Centre was founded in 1959 by a group of Canadian composers who saw a need to create a repository for Canadian music. It now holds Canada's largest collection of Canadian concert music, and works to promote the music of its As ...

and published numerous pieces, including anthems, motets, chorale and organ works. Several works were premiered by major symphony orchestras.

Selected Musical Works

*''Mass of St. Thomas (1974)'', mass(music) *''Good Christians Now Let All Rejoice (1948)'', Carol(music) *'' Intermezzo (1938)'' *''Marching Tune (1938)'' *''Pavan (1958),'' pavane *''

Concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

for Organ and Strings'' (1967)

Honours

* FRCCO (Royal Canadian College of Organists) 1976 * DMus (Cantuar) 1977 * LL D (Alberta) 1980

Recordings

* ''Organ Music From All Saints'' (1970, ST-56722-23)

External links

* Selected Musical Works from Canadian Music Centerbr>

"High Bancroft"
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The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bancroft, H. Hugh 1904 births Cathedral organists English choral conductors British male conductors (music) Classical composers of church music People from Cleethorpes Alumni of Durham University 1988 deaths Fellows of the Royal College of Organists 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers Male classical composers 20th-century organists 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British musicians