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Remembering Music at
Ickornshaw and a Dear Friend - Alice
Smith
Howard Benson -
December 2007
Remembering
Music at
Ickornshaw and a
Dear Friend
In April a very
dear pal of mine
passed away. I
have known Alice
Smith for almost
fifty years. She
was a very
talented lady:
kind, witty,
sincere in every
way and a true
believer in God
and the
hereafter. She
told me many
times that she
was looking
forward to
seeing Clifford
and her Mum and
Dad again.
We spoke each
week, if not in
person then on
long telephone
calls. (My wife
said that we
could “talk for
England.”) At
the conclusion
of each
conversation we
used to say
“it’s lovely to
talk to someone
who remembers”.
Alice’s passion
was for music,
as you know. She
and her sister,
Mamie, were
instrumental in
the revival of
the Oratorio in
the late
fifties, sixties
and seventies.
She produced
Hadyn’s
‘Creation’ in
1959 after a
request from
Nurse Alice
Smith. The
majority of the
choir did not
know the work
and after a few
rehearsals a
number of Church
Trustees, who
were painting
the church at
the time, were
heard to say,
“They’ll never
make it.” Of
course they made
it and went on
to produce
‘Messiah’,
‘Hymn of
Praise’,
‘Samson’,
‘Judas’ and of
course Alice’s
favourite,
‘Elijah’. Choir
anniversary was
the time for
these
performances –
the third Sunday
in May.
At the 1969
performance of
‘Elijah’, John
Lawrenson
(Friday Night is
Music Night) was
engaged to sing
the lead. Alice
said that his
fee was £200 but
in her
indomitable
style she
negotiated a
reasonable fee
(‘as we are only
a very poor
Chapel in
Yorkshire –
unaware of
Saddlers Wells
fees’) of £50.
Notices were
published,
adverts were
inserted and all
seats in the
church were
taken. (Alice
recalled that
‘even the free
sittings were
full and some of
the congregation
were sitting on
the steps in the
gallery’.)
Lawrenson
enjoyed a hearty
tea provided by
Ella and Holmes
Gott at Nan
House – a treat
indeed!
The organ at
Ickornshaw had
been replaced in
1908. Laycock
and Banister had
designed a
tubular
pneumatic
(toccata action)
pipe organ which
was blown by a
water turbine.
The instrument
was magnificent.
My Great Uncle
Watson Dawson
(married my
Grandma’s sister
Helena) was
invited to play
the organ in
1910, a post he
occupied until
1955. Helena was
an excellent
Contralto and
sat on Watson’s
right hand at
all times. (She
could
occasionally be
a little
ferocious –
lovely but
beware!!)
Alice said that
although she was
the conductor
Helena would
occasionally
take matters
into her own
hands where
Watson was
concerned,
sometimes
saying, “You
will have to do
it again!!” Do
it again he
did!! He was a
lovely person.
He had qualified
as an Associate
of the Royal
College of Music
and had a
Licentiate with
the London
College of
Music. He
retired as a
designer from
Hartley’s Mill
and became a
confectioner
producing
home-made bread,
pastries and
cakes – Alice
recalled that
‘his currant
teacakes were
beautiful”. In
the evenings he
taught the
piano. He was
very nervous at
‘big dos’ Alice
recalled.
She used to
listen to him
practise after
services and
choir
rehearsals. In
1946 he was
practising a new
toccata and
Alice said it
was really
lovely but he
was too nervous
to play the
piece on ‘Feast
Sunday’ and the
item was dropped
– what a shame
!!
Alice asked me
to track down
the organ from
Ickornshaw and
see if we could
hear it for one
last time. Using
the Internet I
located the
instrument in
the Catholic
Church of St
Vincent de Paul
in Hull. My son
and I met Father
White and we
arranged a visit
for a number of
Ickornshaw
stalwarts. Grace
Smith came with
us and gave us a
lovely recital.
The event was
recorded and is
still available
on compact disc.
I introduced
Alice to the
Internet and
many times she
came to our
house to ‘surf
the net’. She
enjoyed visiting
the old
photographs on
Cowling Web so
much that I
encouraged her
to install our
old computer in
Fold Lane but
she decided that
she was not
young enough!!
Alice would have
been fine.
Alice asked me
to find John
Rawnsley – a
baritone of some
repute. John had
sung the 1975
Christmas
‘Messiah’ at
Ickornshaw and
was engaged to
sing the lead in
‘Elijah’ in the
following May,
which of course
was part of the
Centenary
celebrations.
John, John’s
father and his
uncle visited
her in February
and said that he
would be unable
to sing as he
had an audition
at Glynebourne.
Alice was
devastated but
agreed that he
couldn’t turn
down such an
opportunity. (I
think that year
three principals
had to be
replaced.) John
Rawnsley’s web
site was very
informative and
within a day or
two John had
rung Alice and
they spoke of
past times and
friends for two
hours. John had
been brought up
in the East
Lancashire
Circuit and, of
course Alice
being involved
with the Colne
Music Festival,
they both knew
parents,
relations,
friends and
associates. John
agreed to sing
at an Autumn
Concert at St
Andrew’s to help
repair the roof
and Alice
managed to fill
the church
almost to
capacity – a
congregation
rarely seen at
St Andrew’s
before.
Incidentally
John was singing
‘Il Pagliacci’
in Hanoi only
three days
earlier.
John and his
wife Nuala
stayed with us
briefly in
February and of
course Alice
came for dinner.
John and Nuala
gave Imogen
Cummings (who
sang so
beautifully with
Edna at the
Harvest this
year) a Master
Class that day
and an evening
of merriment was
enjoyed by all.
On leaving the
following
morning John
took me to one
side and said,
“Don’t let the
next time I come
up here be for
Alice’s
funeral.”
John’s last
visit to us was
to pay tribute
to Alice at the
service of
thanksgiving
following her
funeral by
singing her
favourite ‘Lord
God of Abraham’
from ‘Elijah’.
Howard Benson |
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