Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson (9 February 1875 – 30 May 1947) was an English choir director, organist and composer, now chiefly remembered as the founder of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and the compiler of ''The Parish Psalter''.

Life

Nicholson was born in London to Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Baronet, and his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Nicholson ( Keightley). His elder brother was architect Sir Charles Nicholson; his younger brother was the stained-glass artist

Archibald Keightley Nicholson Archibald Keightley Nicholson (1871–1937) was an English 20th century ecclesiastical stained-glass maker. His father was Charles Nicholson and his two brothers, Charles and Sydney, were a church architect and church musician, respectively. Du ...

.Godfrey, W. H
Nicholson, Charles Archibald, second baronet
'' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, 23 September 2004, retrieved 10 May 2020. He was educated at

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 ...

and the Royal College of Music. At this last-named institution, he studied the organ. He then served as organist at Barnet Parish Church (1897–1903), Carlisle Cathedral (1904), Lower Chapel, Eton College (1904–1908),

Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother ...

(1908–1919), and Westminster Abbey (1919–1928). Along with maintaining his organist posts, he edited the '' Hymns Ancient and Modern'' supplement that was published in 1916; he did not live to see the 1950 revised edition. Something momentous would have to occur to persuade most away from playing the organ at the prestigious Westminster Abbey, but such was the case with Nicholson who was so concerned at the sad state of choral music in the parish churches throughout the country that in 1927 he founded the School of English Church Music (now the RSCM), in the hope of rectifying the problem. The School's members initially met at

St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Holy Sepulchre London, formerly and in some official uses Saint Sepulchre-without-Newgate, is the largest Anglican parish church in the City of London. It stands on the north side of Holborn Viaduct across a crossroads from the Old Bailey, and ...

. One of Nicholson's most successful compositions for parish choirs was his ''Communion Service in G'', which was widely sung, especially in Anglo-Catholic churches, until recent times. He was warden of St Nicholas College, Chislehurst (1928–1939). In addition to having edited ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'', still the standard

hymn book A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chri ...

in many

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

churches today, Nicholson wrote several hymn tunes. Of these, the most famous are ''Crucifer'' for the popular processional hymn ''

Lift High the Cross "Lift High the Cross" is a 19th century English Christian hymn. It was written in 1887 by George Kitchin and revised in 1916 by Michael R. Newbolt. History Kitchin wrote "Lift High the Cross" in 1887, while he was the Church of England Dean of ...

'' and ''Totteridge''. In 1928 he received the Lambeth DMus, and a decade later he was knighted for his services to Church music. He died at

Ashford, Kent Ashford is a town in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about southeast of central London and northwest of Folkestone by road. In the ...

at the age of 72, and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Works

Books on Church Music

* ''Church Music'' (1920) London: Faith Press * ''Boy's Choirs'' (1922) Glasgow * ''Church Music A Practical Handbook'' (1927) London: Faith Press * ''In Quires and Places where they sing'' (1932) London: Bell * ''Peter: Adventures of a chorister 1137-1937'' (1944) London: SPCK (fiction) * ''Practical Methods of Choir Training'' (1947) London: SPCK (now RSCM) * ''The Elements of Extemporisation'' (n.d.) Croydon: RSCM

Anthems

* An Ode on the Birth of our Saviour * Cleanse us, O Lord * God be in my head * Let us with a gladsome mind * Love divine, all loves excelling * My song is love unknown * Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee (boys' voices)

Cantata

* The Saviour of the World

Canticles

* Evening Service in D-flat major * Evening Service on Parisian Tones * Communion Service in G major * Jubilate in F major (boys' voices)

Hymn tunes

* AIRLIE * BOW BRICKHILL * CHISLEHURST * CRUCIFER * FENITON * HOSANNA IN EXCELSIS * LYTLINGTON * TOTTERIDGE * TRAFALGAR

Opera

* The Boy Bishop: an Opera for Boys (1926)

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Sydney 1875 births 1947 deaths English classical organists British male organists Cathedral organists English classical composers People from Ashford, Kent People educated at Rugby School Alumni of New College, Oxford Alumni of the Royal College of Music Classical composers of church music Knights Bachelor Composers awarded knighthoods Musicians awarded knighthoods Burials at Westminster Abbey Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey Members of the Royal Victorian Order Musicians from Kent Younger sons of baronets English male classical composers Male classical organists