Ivor Atkins

Ivor Atkins

Sir Ivor Algernon Atkins (born November 29, 1869 in Llandaff , † November 26, 1953 in Worcester ) was a Welsh organist, choir conductor and composer.

The son of the organist Frederick Pyke Atkins had been his father's assistant at St. John's Church from the age of fifteen and was appointed organist in Stonehaven when he was seventeen. He then became a student of George Robertson Sinclair and was his assistant from 1885 in Truro and from 1889 at Hereford Cathedral. He earned a bachelor's and doctorate degree in music from The Queen's College , Oxford.

In 1893 he became organist at St Laurence Church in Ludlow, in 1897 as the successor to Hugh Blair choirmaster and organist at Worcester Cathedral and thus alongside the organists of Gloucester and Hereford conductor of the Three Choirs Festival . He made his debut as a conductor in early 1898 with a program that included Edward Elgar's My love dwelt in a foreign land . At one of his organ concerts as a cathedral organist, he performed Elgar's organ sonata. Elgar was very taken with it and later consulted with Atkins on the composition of his Enigma Variations , who also played the world premiere of the work.

Atkins was organist at Worchester Cathedral until he was replaced by David Willcocks in 1950, and during that time he directed the Three Choirs Festival several times . I.a. In 1902 he conducted works by Bach and Brahms ' Third Symphony, in 1908 Beethoven's Violin Concerto with Mischa Elman and in 1932 William Walton 's Violin Concerto and Karol Szymanowski's Stabat mater .

He remained on friendly terms with Elgar until his death. He advised him, revised his scores, established his The Dream of Gerontius against opposition from the Church of England at the Three Choirs Festival and played and conducted the world premieres of several of his works such as the Wall of Youth Suite No. 2 (1908). In addition to his extensive work as an organist and conductor, Atkins also developed an edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion and published Gregorio Allegri's Miserere in the well-known version with the high sopranos.

Atkins' compositional work is not very extensive. He composed, among other things, Hymn of Faith (1905), The Virgin's Lullaby (1912), a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for choir and orchestra as well as other church music works, anthems and songs. For his services to music he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor in 1921 . 1935-36 he was President of the Royal College of Organists . Elgar dedicated the third march of Pomp and Circumstance to him .

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• David CF Wright: "Sir Ivor Atkins"
• Ivor Atkins at Bach Cantatas (English)