Canon Sydney Alfred MacEwan (19 October 190825 September 1991) was a Scottish
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
, who sang traditional Scottish and Irish songs. His name has also been recorded as Alfred Sydney Marley MacEwan.
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Early life
Father Sydney MacEwan was born and brought up in the
Springburn
Springburn ( gd, Allt an Fhuairainn) is an inner-city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, made up of generally working-class households.
Springburn developed from a rural hamlet at the beginning of the 19th century. Its ind ...
area of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
by his mother after his parents separated. Sydney was the younger of two brothers. His mother was Irish, from the
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
area,
County Armagh
County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...
, and his father was born in
Partick
Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and ...
. The family were poor but Sydney's mother managed to pay for music lessons for both her sons and both won bursaries to good schools. Sydney attended
St Aloysius' College in Garnethill from 1919 to 1924, before transferring to
Hillhead
Hillhead ( sco, Hullheid, gd, Ceann a' Chnuic) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park and to the south of the River Kelvin, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road forming th ...
Academy. He also commenced his singing career.
In 1938 MacEwan retired from concert work, and during World War II was an ambulance driver and an
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
.
He was ordained in 1944.
Catholic priesthood
At the age of 18, MacEwan entered training to become a Jesuit priest at
Manresa House in
Roehampton
Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...
, London. He chose to study at
Glasgow University
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
instead. He completed a Master of Arts degree at the university.
Throughout his life MacEwan had retained a love of the Catholic Church and, despite his earlier experience with the Jesuits, chose to abandon his fame and success as a tenor, to enter the
Bearsden
Bearsden () is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow. Approximately from Glasgow city centre, Glasgow City Centre, the town is effectively a suburb, and its housing development coincided with t ...
Seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
in Glasgow before going to
Pontifical Scots College in Rome, to follow his vocation to become a priest. He was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
in
St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew or Glasgow Metropolitan Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow. The cathedral, whic ...
in 1944 and celebrated his first Mass at
St Aloysius' Church.
Combining priesthood and music, he undertook tours of North America and Australia, where those concerts helping to provide funding for the building of
St Columba's Cathedral in
Oban
Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...
. He helped with funds to renovate the Church of St Margaret's in
Lochgilphead
Lochgilphead (; gd, Ceann Loch Gilb ) is a town and former burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom, with a population of around 2,300 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute. The village lies at the end of Loch Gi ...
, in Argyll, where he was parish priest for 17 years.
In the Scottish summer of 1947, MacEwan arranged for Australian and New Zealand food parcels which he distributed around the parish:
:If these good people could see the poor wee bairns enjoying the contents of the parcels, they would be well rewarded for their great kindness. "It is so heartening to feel that the poor old Mother is being helped in her distress by her young and vigorous children. They have been superb in their charity. God love them all.
When asked in 1948 the clergyman and singer said:
:Of the two, I think I prefer a concert audience to a congregation. People listen to me more attentively in a concert than in a church.
However it was quite clear his performances were to fund and secondary to his religious duties, where after ordination he decreed all concert earnings went to charities. MacEwan also rejected the title of a 'singing priest'.
After Lochgilphead, he moved to St Andrew's Church in
Rothesay
Rothesay ( ; gd, Baile Bhòid ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay, which offers an onward rail ...
. A stained glass window in the church in
Lochgilphead
Lochgilphead (; gd, Ceann Loch Gilb ) is a town and former burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom, with a population of around 2,300 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute. The village lies at the end of Loch Gi ...
is dedicated to the MacEwan family. His parishioners became accustomed to his concert tours, and enjoyed his return each time.
[Columbia (Australia) music record 330S 1073, c. 1950, cover notes.]
Singing career
While at university, his vocal talents were noticed and he began a singing career on the advice of Sir
Compton Mackenzie
Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, (17 January 1883 – 30 November 1972) was a Scottish writer of fiction, biography, histories and a memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish independence, Scottish nation ...
and Irish tenor
John McCormack. At this time he came to the attention of the Scottish region of the
British Broadcasting Company
The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. (BBC) was a short-lived British commercial broadcasting company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom. Licensed by the British Genera ...
, and became heavily involved in many broadcasts, specifically the ''Children's Hour'' programme.
He began recording for
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
in 1934 while still attending the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
in London and being tutored by
Plunket Greene.
He toured in 1936, playing to audiences in Canada, the United States of America, New Zealand, and Australia,
and the tour was repeated in 1938.
Still performing as a priest, MacEwan nonetheless continued to record and tour. Further trips to North America and Australia took place until as late as 1956. At one time he indicated a liking for the style of American crooner
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
.
Australian tours
MacEwan's 1936 tour of Australia went as far north as
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
.
Commencing the 1948 tour in April, MacEwan attended Saint Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. Before Cardinal
Francis Spellman
Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary ...
, Archbishop of New York, he celebrated a mass for peace, singing the liturgy there. Arriving in Australia by
flying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
, he took the mail train firstly to Melbourne as part of the Centenary of the Catholic Church celebrations.
Normally his musical public performances were limited towards charitable causes. The tour was with the
Australian Broadcasting Commission
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...
, with six public performances and eighteen studio recitals in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, and Melbourne. He travelled as far as the town of
Bowen, Queensland
Bowen is a coastal town and locality in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Bowen had a population of 10,377 people.
The locality contains two other towns:
* Heronvale ()
* Merinda ().
The Abbot Point coal s ...
, to see North Queensland and to 'have a surf before the winter set in', delivering a benediction to a large congregation there.
MacEwan's June to October 1951 Australian tour included concerts in Western Australia. Arriving by sea on the ''
SS Oransay'' in mid-June, he struck down with influenza and was unable to perform in that State and also at Adelaide.
It was considered he would be unable to fulfil any singing obligations for the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. The money of 'thousands of pounds' raised was going to build the memorial chapel at the
Oban Catholic Cathedral, 'be dedicated to the Scottish and Australian soldiers who fell in the Second World War'. At the time his Melbourne attendance with the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
was also the highest paid fee for a visiting singer.
Later years
He was featured on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' programme in October 1962 and his autobiography, ''On the High C's'', was published in 1973.
MacEwan died in September 1991, aged 82. His funeral was held in St Andrew's Cathedral, the church where he was ordained. He was survived by a brother.
In Ireland on the first day of May each year, the popular hymn ‘'Bring flowers of the rarest'', also known as ‘'Queen of the May'', sung by MacEwan is played over the radio.
.
It includes:
* ''Songs of Scotland and Ireland'', sung by Father Sydney MacEwan with orchestra conducted by Philip Green. The Columbia record (330S 1073) was recorded in Australia circ 1950. The rear cover note was written by Mervyn Douglas. Side 1 songs were Scotland the brave, My ain folk, Bonnie Mary of Argylle, The road to the Isles, and Loch Lomond. Side 2 songs were The star of County Down, Mother Machree, Killarney in the Spring, The youth of the heart, and Rose of Killarney.
In 1956-57 Columbia released his LP "Christmas Carols" (CL 924). Neither the organist nor the choir who accompany him are identified in the liner notes. The album includes a rendition of Michael Head's "The Three Mummers" (a modern carol recently recorded by
and Bengt Forsberg).
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''; accessed 10 August 2014.
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