Boris Ord (born Bernhard Ord), (9 July 1897 – 30 December 1961) 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 ...

and

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 ...

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

(1929-1957). During

World War II 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 ...

he served in the

Royal Air Force 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 ...

. He is best known for his choral setting of '' Adam lay ybounden'', his only published composition.

Early life and education

Bernhard Ord was born at

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Do ...

, the youngest son of Clement Ord, a lecturer at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, and Johanna Anthes. Having a German mother, Ord's given name was Bernhardt, but he was later universally known by his

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

, Boris. Ord was educated at

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 ...

, Bristol – as was his successor,

Sir David Willcocks Sir David Valentine Willcocks, (30 December 1919 – 17 September 2015) was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambrid ...

– and

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th century ...

, where he was the John Stewart of Rannoch scholar in Sacred Music. Ord graduated from Clifton in 1914 aged 17, and he went to study at 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 ...

on an organ scholarship as a pupil of Walter Parratt. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and Ord went to serve as a pilot in the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

. After the war, he returned to the Royal College to continue his musical studies. In 1920, Ord won an organ scholarship at

. During his time there, he was very active in the musical life of the university and founded the Cambridge University Madrigal Society, in recognition of which he was awarded a Cambridge

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ship in 1923.

Career

Ord spent a year working at the Cologne Opera in 1928, before returning to Cambridge as a conductor. In 1936, Ord became director of the

Cambridge University Musical Society The Cambridge University Musical Society (CUMS) is a federation of the university's main orchestral and choral ensembles, which cumulatively put on a substantial concert season during the university term. Background Music has a long history at Cam ...

. In 1929, Boris Ord took the position of Organist of

, a role which placed him in charge of the chapel choir. He was assisted by an organ scholar, a role held from 1939 by

David Willcocks Sir David Valentine Willcocks, (30 December 1919 – 17 September 2015) was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge ...

. During his tenure at King's, Ord began to introduce more 16th-century music into the choral repertoire, replacing much of the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

music favoured by his predecessor,

Arthur Henry Mann Dr. Arthur Henry Mann (16 May 1850 – 19 November 1929), known affectionately as "Daddy Mann", was an English organist, choirmaster, teacher and composer who served as Director of Music at King's College Chapel, Cambridge, for more than 50 ...

. Ord became well acquainted with the Dean of the college, Rev Eric Milner-White, who originally devised the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1918. When the Nine Lessons was first televised in 1954 by

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

, the choir was conducted by Ord. After the outbreak of

, both Ord and Willcocks left King's to join the armed forces. Ord served in an administrative role in the

, now being considered too old to fly. The composer

Harold Darke Harold Edwin Darke (29 October 1888 – 28 November 1976) was an English composer and organist. He is particularly known for his choral compositions, which are an established part of the respertoire of Anglican church music. Darke had a fifty-y ...

deputised for Ord during that period. In the mid 1950s, Ord began to suffer from

disseminated sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

, and it was decided to split Ord's role into two new positions. Ord took on the new title of "Director of Music", while Willcocks was appointed to the role of Organist. Ord retired in 1957, and Willcocks took over his role under the title "Organist and Director of Music", a title which has since been held by all his successors.

Personal life

Ord was widely known within the music profession to be homosexual, and he never married.

Death

Ord died on 30 December 1961, aged 64, and was cremated on 5 January 1962 at Cambridge Crematorium. His ashes were interred in King's College Chapel.

Composition

Ord is known for his only published piece of music, a choral

setting Setting may refer to: * A location (geography) where something is set * Set construction in theatrical scenery * Setting (narrative), the place and time in a work of narrative, especially fiction * Setting up to fail a manipulative technique to eng ...

of a medieval text, '' Adam lay ybounden'', written in 1957. Ord's carol is frequently performed at the popular annual service

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve. The story of the fall of humanity, the ...

at King's, sometimes alternating with the other settings by

Peter Warlock Philip Arnold Heseltine (30 October 189417 December 1930), known by the pseudonym Peter Warlock, was a British composer and music critic. The Warlock name, which reflects Heseltine's interest in occultism, occult practices, was used for all his ...

and Philip Ledger.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ord, Boris 1897 births 1961 deaths People educated at Clifton College Fellows of King's College, Cambridge English classical organists English choral conductors British male organists Royal Air Force officers Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century English musicians 20th-century organists 20th-century British male musicians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Male classical organists