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November 7th 2006
Nov 7th 2006 will be the 50th anniversary of the Dedication of the School
'Memorial Chapel'. To mark this date the OC Society has commissioned the
foremost church musician of our time, Sir David Willcocks, to write a hymn tune
which will be presented as a gift to the school and which will be called
'Clayesmore'. The letter from the OC Soc and Sir David's reply are at the bottom
of this piece.
November 7th is not a date one would normally associate with an OC visit to the
school, and maybe it could be considered a little 'forward' to ask the HM to
invite us. However if there is support for the idea, we can but ask! Would it be
the sort of occasion when we try to get as many of the past OCs, Headmasters,
Chaplains, and Directors of Music together again? If so, we may need help to
trace some of the people: there must still be many OCs who remember the
occasion, (especially choristers and servers); Headmasters are likely to be the
easiest to find (Peter Burke, Roy McIsaac and Ivor Edwards Stuart are sadly no
longer with us but surely Michael Hawkins, David Beeby, James Seddon, Andrew
Roberts-Wray and Martin Cooke should not present a problem! Norris Scadding and
John Drinkall are no longer with us but we should be able to trace Martin Sowden,
Colin Pritchard, John Milton, Anthony Beauchamp, Anthony Chew, and Michael
Arnold. Reggie Sessions is no longer with us but Ronald Smith, Geoffrey Keating,
Nicholas Zelle, Chris Mahon, Robert FitzGerald, Keith Pigott, Colin Forsyth,
Peter Newsome-Smith and Dr Shirley Bragg should not be too difficult to find. As
the chapel is a memorial to OCs who lost their lives in the two great wars, it
would be appropriate to trace any OCs connected in this way. Maybe we should try
to find out if any members of the school council who took the decision to build
the chapel are still alive. Ruth Dear who, for so long, arranged the chapel
flowers so devotedly, might also be able to attend. With an Abbot, a member of
Synod (who almost certainly was the crucifer at the dedication service), and a
number of Reverends in the OC Society, we should be able to muster a formidable
group!
Any other suggestions should be 'e' mailed to <OCsoc@onetel.com> as soon as
possible so that a firm proposal and an indication of the OC support might be
put to the HM in good time. It is essential that as much notice as possible
should be given to OCs were the Headmaster to approve the idea and invite us. We
might also try to twist his arm to dragoon the Senior and Prep school choirs
into singing. After all it would be the perfect occasion for OCs to hear the
school choirs perform the Willcocks hymn! Of course the whole idea might be
flawed if something else is happening at Iwerne that day, or indeed, if the
school is on half term holiday!
Next year, hopefully there will be an article in the OC Newsletter featuring the
Chapel - memories of the many occasions - the 'highs' and the 'lows', and
photos. Please contribute your stories (hopefully not all too serious) and
photos in good time.
3-ii-05
Dear Sir David,
In 1990, while filling in as acting Director of Music for the year at The
Groton School (near Boston Mass.), I wrote to you and sent you a copy of the
school hymn asking you to write a descant /‘last verse’. Within days you sent us
a masterpiece: you told us you had composed it while flying to the US. You
managed to transform a fairly ordinary hymn tune into a thrilling piece of
music.
Last Saturday, at the Old Clayesmorian Society Committee meeting I proposed we
ask you if you would be willing to write us a hymn tune with a ‘Willcocks’ last
verse which we could present to Clayesmore School in time for the 50th
anniversary of the dedication of the ‘new’ school chapel - Nov 7th 2006. The
idea instantly appealed to all members of the committee and also the school
headmaster who was with us. Fifty years probably “is as nothing” to you but to a
youngish school, it is quite a milestone. We ask to be allowed to call it
‘Clayesmore’ (and I am sure that in the years to come it will more than hold its
own when compared to ‘Repton’).
Would you be willing to consider this? And how much would you charge us?
The Senior (13-18) and Junior schools (5-13) use the chapel which is quite small
and accommodates about 300 boys and girls. Both schools have well established
chapel Choirs. There is a large 3 manual pipe organ (full swell - pedal reeds
(16, 8, 4)- a good Great principal chorus to 3rnk mixture and 8ft Lewis trumpet.
Choir/solo with many of the usual orchestral stops and a very powerful 8ft
Trompette. Much of the organ came from G D Cunningham’s church in Birmingham. It
is Probably a little too powerful for the building but
is good at encouraging the school congregation to sing!
I so hope you will be willing to write something for us.
Best wishes
Yours sincerely
Dear Mr Zelle,
Thank you for your very kind letter which I received last week.
It is very gratifying to know that the arrangement which I made in 1990 for the
last verse of a hymn used at The Groton School (near Boston, Massachusetts) gave
pleasure to those who have sung and/or played it.
I shall be glad to write a hymn-tune for Clayesmore School in time to be of use
to you at your 50th anniversary of the Dedication of the "New" school chapel on
7th November 2006.
You would have my permission to call the new tune CLAYESMORE, if when you
receive it, you feel that it would be useful to you and the school community.
Have you particular words to which the new tune with special arrangement for the
last verse could be used?
I presume that it would be essentially a hymn of praise and thanksgiving.
With kind regards and best wishes
Yours sincerely
David Willcocks.