E. H. Turpin in St Bride's, Fleet Street
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PROF DR EDMUND H TURPIN (1835-1907)
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Frank Taylor at the Cathedral Organ
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EDWARD FRANCIS TAYLOR (1881-1963)
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Before coming to Nottingham, Bishop Dunn had been Secretary to Cardinal Vaughan at Westminster and brought with him the ideals of liturgical and musical culture which were then being established by Sir Richard Terry, the Master of Music there, and so the theatrical music of the time was replaced by dignified and reverent chant. The restoration of plainsong (Gregorian chant) was reflected in the Cathedral liturgy. The Cathedral mixed choir of the time resigned 'en bloc' and a group of young boys was gathered by Father Henry Hunt (later a Canon of the Cathedral Chapter and Administrator, 1926-1930), an assistant priest of the Cathedral at that time, to sing the liturgical chants so much desired by Pope St Pius X (who was Pope 1903-1914) and Bishop Dunn. Many of Father Hunt's boys became choir men in later years. The boys' choir eventually faded away after the departure of Canon Hunt in 1930 to St Hugh's Lincoln, and the few remaining men continued to support the liturgy as best they could, even throughout the war years of 1939-1945. Throughout all these years and beyond, Frank Taylor, the Cathedral's third official organist appointed in 1905, provided devoted service until his death in 1963.
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The long-established tradition of Gregorian chant from the time of Bishop Dunn was continued throughout the 1940s, 50s and into the 1960s with Frank Taylor as Cathedral organist. Peter Smedley was appointed Director of Music and Cathedral organist in 1964 after Frank Taylor's death in 1963 and maintained this long-established tradition of Gregorian chant, adding to it especially the work of the polyphonic schools.
The Sunday 11.15am Mass with virtually all the singing in Latin testified to his determination to maintain the traditions of the Church in this respect. Earlier in 1955 a boys' choir had been reformed by Peter Smedley in preparation for the reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council. Many of these boys were draw from the nearby St Mary's School (since demolished) associated with the Convent of Mercy and the neighbouring St Joseph's Preparatory School. This choir remained a going concern for many years until it became increasingly difficult to obtain choristers from the schools committed to two practices a week and a service each week of the year. This boys' choir did however repay with some benefits; a number of of these 'old boys' became men of the choir until 1979, when it was decided to reform the Cathedral choir and an appeal was made for both men and women to form a mixed choir. 
Gregorian plainsong being sung by the Boys' Choir and Schola Cantorum in the Crypt of Nottingham Cathedral by Peter Smedley (The Tablet, 6 August 1960)
Reflections on Peter Smedley:
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In the nineteen sixties and early seventies Peter Smedley was much involved in the then flourishing Pueri Cantores movement. He had built up an excellent Boy’s Choir in Nottingham Cathedral. His work was much influenced by the ideas of that fine conductor and harpsichordist George Malcolm, a visionary who was also the Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral who revolutionised the accepted ideas of boy’s vocal training. George questioned the then prevalent and ubiquitous ‘Anglican Hoot’ saying that one could only hear and understand the boy’s natural voice if one listened to them at play. George Malcolm’s ideas are now generally accepted and Peter Smedley was in the forefront of this change. I heard his choir on a number of occasions and his achievement was impressive.
Peter was much involved in the development of the Pueri Cantores Summer Schools. These took place in Westminster Cathedral’s Choir School during August. They were residential (over thirty boys taking part), lasted for two weeks and had a great influence on boy’s choirs within the English Catholic Church. Unfortunately they were only allowed to happen on two occasions. However, they were much enjoyed by both students and staff. Under the direction of that great and sensitive priest, Wilfred Purney, they gave participants a sense of the standards to which liturgical choirs should aspire. Great music was sung. Including William Byrd’s Five Part Mass with the Cathedral’s professional Lay Clerks, individual lessons in vocal production were given and the participants sang at the Cathedral’s Services to the delight of the worshippers. (It is interesting to recall that one of the participants was Sir Nicholas Kenyon who eventually became Director of the BBC Proms.) Peter Smedley was a great influence on the Summer Schools and his wise advice always invaluable. Peter was a delightful man, unfailingly courteous, always considerate and invariably helpful. He gave me continual encouragement in my own work and I have the happiest memories of my all too brief association with him. Requiescat in Pace. by Colin Mawby, K.S.G. (2012) Peter Smedley, former Director of Music at St Barnabas’s Cathedral Nottingham, died on 18 October 2012. When he retired ten years ago he came to the end of an association with the Cathedral of some fifty-seven years: he had begun as pupil-assistant in 1945 and became assistant organist in 1958. The director of music at that time was Frank Taylor: he had been appointed in 1905 (in the days of the original Gray and Davidson organ before the arrival of the Norman and Beard instrument which survives, altered, today) and as a student had once had tea with Grieg. Long before that one of the organists at the cathedral had been Edmund Hart Turpin, a founder of the Royal College of Organists whose name is perpetuated in the Turpin prize, one of the most prestigious awards given by the RCO.
After a short time as assistant at Westminster Cathedral, Peter Smedley succeeded Frank Taylor as director of music in 1964. He brought to the post a deep knowledge of plainsong which he had studied with Henry Washington of Brompton Oratory, Dom Jean-Hébert Desroquettes of Quarr Abbey and Dom Jean Clair at Solesmes. At the time of “the changes”, the only cathedrals to maintain the regular use of Gregorian chant in the liturgy were Westminster, Liverpool Met and Nottingham. This remained the case at Nottingham throughout Peter’s “reign”, that is to say throughout a period of constant liturgical change and despite an over-zealous interpretation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy in the nineteen-seventies which resulted in the dismissal of the men’s choir (founded initially to enact the Motu Proprio of Pope Pius X which re-established the use of plainsong) and which caused much bitterness and anguish. However Peter’s calm determination and diplomacy ensured that plainsong never disappeared from the Cathedral during that distressing time. The presence of more sympathetic clergy since then has created a climate where Latin is a living liturgy, where music is welcome (as witness the regular organ and choral recitals) and where a great tradition, maintained and developed, has been handed on to Peter’s successor Neil Page. by Ian Wells (2012) 
The Cathedral Choir in 1997 with Monsignor David Forde and Bishop James McGuiness
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Following the retirement of Peter Smedley in 2003, Neil Page was appointed organist and Director of Music supported by Graeme Vernon as deputy organist. Through the introduction of choral scholarships awarded to students in full-time University education in Nottingham, the choir was re-structured. While the tradition of Gregorian chant has been maintained and developed, the repertoire has been enlarged to include such composers as Britten, Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams and Tavener.
A Cathedral Youth Choir was also established in 2003 as a result of the initiative and enthusiasm of Sarah Smith (now Taylor) who at the time was in her final year at the University of Nottingham and one of the Cathedral's first choral scholars. |
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NEIL PAGE BA (Dunelm) FTCL LRAM ARCO
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When Neil Page retired in 2014, he was succeeded by his Assistant Director of Music, and Composer-in-Residence, Alex Patterson as Director of Music and Robert Gower as Organist.
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