David Atkinson RIP

1935-2005

The choir are sad to report the death on 28th August 2005 of their much-loved former Master of the Music, David Atkinson.

 

Here is one of three tributes that were given at his funeral service:

If you walk down into Hitchin from the east, as David Atkinson would have done for the first time in 1985, on rounding the bend sweeping down alongside Windmill Hill, you are struck by the dominant sight of the East end of St Mary’s, a powerful vision with its  battlemented chapel roofs, its high nave window soaring majestically into the skies, contrasting with the softer, warm and elegantly carved chapel windows within its all encompassing breadth, as it faces you head on in this most dramatic of approaches. As if being directed from the distinctive Hertfordshire spike on its tower, and supported by its lop-sided south west turret, the newcomer might sense all modern traffic vanishing powerlessly from before him in Queen Street below, as this huge crusading ship, at anchor in Hitchin, looms ever closer, waiting to lure potential recruits to its ecclesiastical cause.

So was David lured 20 years ago, in pursuit of the position of Master of the Music of this church, and in the succeeding 15 years he would come to make over five thousand return journeys down that hill to St Mary’s, and cannot but have been continually inspired on those descents by those contrasting qualities of majesty, power, domination, softness, warmth, direction and drama reflected not only in the architecture but subsequently within David’s own presentation of the music in this church. 

David Tempest Atkinson’s earlier years in his home town of  Blackpool saw him take up his initial choral director’s position at the local St Thomas’s Church in the town, where he and Jean had met as teenagers, and in due course promotion beckoned when he moved to lead the music at the town’s Parish Church of St John. David and Jean may have remained in Blackpool for many more years, but as a civil servant a move towards  London in those days was recommended in order to allow career progression. With the headline “Blackpool’s loss is London’s gain” David took up his next church position as Director of Music at Christchurch, Bexleyheath, in Kent. This did not stop him from maintaining his affection towards his home town football team, however, and in later years there would be many conversations in his choir vestries concerning the particular weekly performances of the famous team from Bloomfield Road.  

In Bexleyheath, David developed the boy’s choir with much success over the following 17 years. His determination was typified when, one Christmas when heavy snowfall prevented any road transport from his home in Wilmington to Bexleyheath, he donned a pair of army boots early in the morning and set off on a seven mile walk through thick snow, partly along a motorway, in order to reach his church as usual to play for the morning service. Another notable success in his time in Kent was his training of Tim Attree, a treble who succeeded in winning the BBC Choirboy of the Year competition in 1980. This led to a visit to the television studios and a late evening appearance by Tim and David, dressed in full choral robes, on the weekend Russell Harty show, when the whole nation were treated to hearing David’s keyboard skills. 

David’s move to Hitchin in 1985 heralded a wealth of choral highlights. David had the advantage of a civil servant’s organisational capabilities, and maintained meticulous records, including graduated systems for junior choristers’ pay, still in use today, and detailed music lists. One such list records all the evening canticle settings used during his time here, including each performance date, so that he could avoid the risks both of too much repetition of music over a period, or conversely lack of use risking an item falling out of the known repertoire over a 2 to 3 year cycle. 

Some of the other choral highlights, some serious and others amusing , have included:

·         Around and during the early 1990s the choir entered and excelled in local Bedfordshire music Festivals, gaining winning certificates in the process.

·         The choir travelled to sing evensong and other services at high profile locations such as Southwell Minster, Peterborough Cathedral and on more than one occasion Norwich Cathedral, where we have often been welcomed by our former Rector, Archdeacon Clifford Offer. Equally, David would encourage visits to St Mary’s by other choirs, particularly at festival times, such as those of Trinity College Cambridge, and of Ely Cathedral, with whom we were invited to sing jointly for part of their concert. David bore full responsibility for the running of these events, including bearing occasional financial risk. Those trebles whom he considered would benefit from the experience of singing solos he would sometimes select to perform at external recitals when David was performing on the keyboard. David would  encourage the pastoral outreach of  the choir generally through singing in the community, particularly  at Christmas, including sometimes at a local nursing home. The choir’s growing reputation led to additional engagements, including singing at the annual county judiciary service here a few years ago, a service David particularly enjoyed in front of the judges.

·         David’s encouragement of treble participation at wider events led to the development of a large following – on many occasions the largest single contingent from a parish church - at Royal School of Church Music Cathedral Singers events throughout the south. He encouraged many trebles to audition and to attend external summer training courses at Easter, and in summer there have been numerous invitations to boys to sing at prestigious cathedral courses. He was instrumental in  organising assistance in funding for these purposes, without which the numbers able to attend would undoubtedly have been lower. David was invited to take choristers to sing at the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance , invitations which were repeated, for those he had trained, in years after his retirement. He sent trebles to sing at the late Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday celebrations, and to other national events.

·         He painstakingly trained dozens of trebles over thousands of hours in pursuit of their ribbon achievement awards, and in the more senior Dean’s, Bishop’s and ultimately St Nicolas chorister exams, as well as often transporting them to their exam venues. In his later years, the number of candidates in the highest level St Nicolas Award showed a remarkable increase, and the success rate was virtually 100%. The substantial time demands on him seemed closer to those of a full time vocation than a part time job.

·         There were overseas tours to both of Hitchin’s twin towns, Nuits St Georges and Bingen. I know that our longstanding Head Choirman, Edwin Pettitt, who organised these overseas trips through his work on the town–twinning link, is desperately sorry not to be able to be with us today, due to illness. We especially miss him, and send him our love. These overseas trips often provided some of the lighter moments of choral life….such as the appearance of David in the grandeur of one of Heidelberg's stately buildings conducting an impromptu request for a serious Tudor anthem – not in choir robes but – shock - in his famous pair of holiday shorts - much to the amusement of the assembled company who were just never used to seeing David perform like this - this really was the knobbly-kneed choirmaster on holiday!  Likewise David being cajoled by his mischievous trebles into donning a lady’s pink hat during informal photographic sessions around the German city, accompanied by hoots of laughter from the junior choristers ….and who could forget rare sight of David, a picture of total relaxation, in a festival beer tent, barely ten minutes out of Sunday morning service in the Rochus Capelle on top of Bingen, toasting the camera triumphantly with a large pint of German Beer in one hand, about to indulge in a well-earned bratwurst!

·         There followed various recordings of the choir which David was keen to organise, particularly in the action-packed months before his illness and retirement. Much effort went into these recording sessions – and to the CD production. There was considerable pressure on David personally – ably assisted by organ scholar Anthony Smith. Sessions to make up CD sets were held at David’s Wymondley Road home, and sometimes the quality of pictorial materials was found to be lacking – a particularly offending red stone shade of St Mary’s stonework was deemed entirely unacceptable and re-printing was required – but the end result was a triumph. There were two separate recordings on sale in the same year - both in time for Christmas and a welcome boost for the funds, as well as raising the choir’s profile and, as it transpired, providing a permanent tribute to David’s musicianship, along with the grand piano which he and Jean so generously gifted to the church last year.

Whilst special and external events are important, David’s  main priority was of course the proper maintenance of the weekly services at St Mary’s. The treble line was becoming a rare and endangered species across the country, though not so much in St Mary’s, and with David,  St Mary’s always came first. In his duties, David has been very strongly supported by his wife Jean, a friend to all in the choir, who has given choristers and their families the warmest of welcomes whenever we have visited. She has been a real source of practical as well as pastoral support to us. The recent difficult years of David’s illness have challenged Jean immensely, and the choir remains eternally grateful to her for her understanding, tolerance, and continued support of our activities.  

 

David has today made the last of his many descents down the hill to the church which he has served so loyally. What special moments do we have from his time here?

 

It is within the context of church services that the special spirit and atmosphere of David’s tenure shine through.. For some, these might include:

·         His high standard of preparation of his jewels in the crown, his trebles, for services, week in week out, culminating in an often rapidly moving Friday rehearsal schedule preceding a busy Sunday or festival, which would often catch  those lacking  concentration, front or back row alike, unawares, at their peril. 

·        The challenge of the poignant rendition of the soaring Allegri Miserere in this church on Ash Wednesday, performed in certain years when David considered that sufficient trebles had reached the required musical standard.

·         The intrigued look on the faces of the trebles  selected to sing psalms, up in the pitch darkness of the bell chamber, supported only by periodic torchlight, with the back row at the Easter Eve vigil.

·         Perhaps many more will recall the unique sense of expectation as David’s chosen soloist would step forward to perform the Stanford in G Magnificat at the Advent Carol Service, or the first verse of “Once in Royal” on Christmas Eve.

·         You will all have your own memories of a kindly man who always found time to talk to those who expressed an interest in his work and made them feel valued. He was awarded a hugely deserved  RSCM long service award on his retirement as Master of the Music.

David’s reputation has travelled far. In his memory, prayers were said last Sunday morning in Bath Abbey where three of his St Nicolas Choristers, and two current St Mary’s Bishops’ Choristers, were singing in the choir of the  RSCM national summer course. The RSCM’s pastoral co-ordinator has also written in tribute:  “I am sure Tuesday’s service will be a testimony to all David did for the Church and Choir, and that it will be a time for celebrating his outstanding contribution, as well as regretting his passing. I have been aware of David’s sterling work for many years with and through the choristers of Hitchin Parish Church, and I am so glad that he was able to attend your celebrations last year where the love and affection of all towards him was so evident!”

 

As well as his outstanding contribution to the music of this church, it is the love and affection which I feel sure is uppermost in the minds of the choristers here today who had the privilege of being trained by David, who was so gifted in creating the enthusiasm and vocal spark in others, front and back row alike, also passing some of his immense sense of commitment to them. His legacy lives on in the continued choral development of many who now sing in the lower voice parts; for that essential quality David, on the eve of what would have been his 70th birthday tomorrow, will always retain a special place in our hearts.   

 

Ed Kisby 30th August 2005