Robert Ashfield (28 July 1911 – 30 December 2006) was an English

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 denomination ...

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 A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

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 ...

Early life and education

Robert James Ashfield was born in 1911 at

Chipstead, Surrey Chipstead is a predominantly commuter village in north-east Surrey, England, that has been a small ecclesiastical parish since the Domesday Survey of 1086. Its rolling landscape meant that Chipstead's development was late and restricted compar ...

. Educated at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

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 ...

(RCM), he inherited his considerable musical talent from his mother, a fine amateur musician. At the RCM he was taught and inspired by Sir

Ernest Bullock Sir Ernest Bullock (1890–1979) was an English organist, composer, and teacher. He was organist of Exeter Cathedral from 1917 to 1928 and of Westminster Abbey from 1928 to 1941. In the latter post he was jointly responsible for the music at the ...

, then organist of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, and became his assistant. Ashfield became a Fellow of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

in 1932, and then served as organist of

St John's, Smith Square St John's Smith Square is a redundant church in the centre of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored as a concert hall. This Grade I listed churc ...

, London, from 1934 until 1941. After being awarded his doctorate by the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1941, he served in the Army during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Southwell

After his war service, he was, in 1946, appointed "magister and rector chori" at

Southwell Minster Southwell Minster () is a minster and cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated miles from Newark-on-Trent and from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and N ...

. Here he was fortunate in receiving the full support of the Provost,

Hugh Heywood Hugh Christopher Lemprière Heywood (5 November 1896 – 8 May 1987) was an Anglican priest and author in the mid 20th century. Heywood was born on 5 November 1896''Who was Who'' 1897-2007, London, A & C Black, 2007 to Lt.-Col. Charles Christop ...

. He began by establishing a regular and disciplined rehearsal routine, and before long the choir was known for its bold and incisive sound. Ashfield also increased the range of choral repertoire performed, and expanded other areas of musical life within the cathedral. He also edited and compiled the "Southwell Psalter", a setting of each of the 150

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

to Anglican chant, which is still used at both Southwell and

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

Rochester

After 10 years at Southwell, he moved to

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of Norman architecture in Rochester, Kent. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church of England and the s ...

in 1956 as organist and master of the choristers. Over the next 21 years he also made his mark on the local community, notably as conductor of the Rochester Choral Society. From 1958 until 1977, he also taught at the RCM. His arrival at Rochester coincided with the opportunity to redesign and completely rebuild the cathedral organ. In consultation with the

organ builder Organ building is the profession of designing, building, restoring and maintaining pipe organs. The Organ builders , organ builder usually receives a commission to design an organ with a particular disposition of Organ stop, stops, Manual (mu ...

s, J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd, Ashfield rejected much of the piecemeal work that had gone before producing, in 1960, an instrument with a traditional feel but well-suited to the needs of the cathedral. He retired from his cathedral post in 1977, but remained in Rochester until his death in December 2006.

Composition

His practical experience of the

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

allowed him to write well for voices. Many of his

anthems 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 short s ...

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 pu ...

, responses,

chants A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...

and other choral works, often written for special occasions, have retained their place in the repertoire. perhaps best known is his setting of

Lionel Johnson Lionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic (although he claimed Irish descent and wrote on Celtic themes). Life Johnson was born in Broadstairs, Kent, England in 1867 and educated at Win ...

's 1895 poem, ''The Fair Chivalry'', commissioned for the Southwell Diocesan Choral Festival of 1949. Following his retirement, his compositional output increased due to the greater amount of time he could commit to it. To an already large set of works was added much

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

, an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

, ''The Bishop's Candlestick'', and many instrumental pieces. Of all the compositions, his own favourite remained a setting of

Robert Bridges Robert Seymour Bridges (23 October 1844 – 21 April 1930) was an English poet who was Poet Laureate from 1913 to 1930. A doctor by training, he achieved literary fame only late in life. His poems reflect a deep Christian faith, and he is ...

's ''Christmas Eve'', commissioned by David Poulter and the Tudor Consort for voices and a chamber ensemble including

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

and

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

Administrative influence

In the late 1960s, relations between

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and musicians in 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 ...

became increasingly strained over the question of fees and salaries. Ashfield represented the Royal College of Organists, working initially in partnership with William Cole, of the

Associated Board The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and Charitable organization, registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams ...

, and Gerald Knight, director of the

Royal School of Church Music The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, tr ...

, he helped to provide a series of recommendations. However, following delays in their acceptance, Ashfield unilaterally produced his own suggested set of fees. Subsequently championed by

The Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for th ...

, the Ashfield Scale, as it became known, stayed in vogue throughout the decade. He was also a member of the council of the Royal College of Organists, Fellow of the

Guild of Church Musicians The Guild of Church Musicians is a charity to help encourage high standards in church music. It offers members examinations, courses, and awards. The guild is a fellowship of those who sincerely desire to offer the best in music to the service of ...

and a special commissioner of the Royal School of Church Music.

References

External links

obituary

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

, 1 February 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashfield, Robert 1911 births 2006 deaths People from Reigate and Banstead (district) English classical organists British male organists Cathedral organists Alumni of the Royal College of Music Alumni of the University of London People educated at Tonbridge School Classical composers of church music Fellows of the Royal College of Organists Musicians from Kent English male classical composers 20th-century organists English classical composers 20th-century British composers 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British musicians Male classical organists