The Composer Herbert Howells - 1892 to 1983

Herbert Howells was born in Lydney in 1892. Lydney is a small town in Gloucester, close to the River Severn. He was one of eight children born to Oliver and Elizabeth Howells. He came from a modest background, his father being a builder and painter/decorator, who also played the organ in a local Baptist church.

Howells showed a musical talent from an early age and he would deputise for his father at the Baptist church. In 1903, at the age of 11, he moved to the local Church of England parish church St Mary’s, as a chorister and an unofficial deputy organist.

Howells then started to take music lessons from Herbert Brewer at Gloucester Cathedral. In 1909 he became his articled pupil, alongside Ivor Novello and Ivor Gurney, who were also pupils of Brewer at the time.
In 1912 he won a scholarship to study composition at the Royal College of Music with Charles Stanford, Charles Wood and others. He later taught at the RCM for nearly 60 years.

The photograph to the left, kindly provided by the the Herbert Howells Society, shows him proudly wearing a ring that he inherited from Stanford.

Howells went on to develop his musical career after graduation from the RCM until in 1935, his son Michael, aged 9 died from Polio. This tragedy deeply affected Howells for the remainder of his life.
In 1936, a year later, Howells began work on what was to become widely regarded as his masterpiece 'Hymnus Paradisi'. This was completed in 1938 and was dedicated to the memory of his son Michael. The piece was not performed until 1950, 12 years later, at the Three Choirs Festival, in Gloucester Cathedral. It was conducted by Howells himself.

Howells was appointed CBE in 1953 and awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 1963.
Howells died in 1983 and his ashes are interred at Westminster Abbey, in the north choir aisle. After the death of his daughter Ursula in 2005, and in accordance with her wishes, the Herbert Howells Trust was set up. It is administered by St John's College Cambridge, where Howells was Acting Organist between 1941 and 1945.

The Trust, works in association with the Herbert Howells Society, and amongst other activities, provides support for the musical education of the choristers at the college. This contributes to a strong musical heritage in the wider community.

Howells composed church music all of his life, and has written many anthems and many settings for Matins and Evensong. Sanderstead Singers have sung a selection of these anthems and settings as a cathedral visiting choir.

They sang the Coll. Reg. setting for Evensong at Lincoln Cathedral in 2005 and his anthem ‘Like as the hart’ at Peterbrough Cathedral in 2016.

The following is an excerpt of Howells' 'Maginicat (Coll.Reg.)' which was sung at Lincoln Cathedral in August 2005. The Conductor was Fred Irvine and the Organist was Dan Soper. The recording is a Dartworth recording.

The following is an excerpt of Howells' 'Nunc Dimittis (Coll. Reg.)' which was sung at Lincoln Cathedral in August 2005. The Conductor was Fred Irvine and the Organist was Dan Soper. The recording is a Dartworth recording.

The following is an excerpt of Howells' 'Like as the hart' which was sung at Peterborough Cathedral in August 2016. The Conductor was Fred Irvine and the Organist was Dan Soper. The recording is a Dartworth recording.



Acknowledgement – Information about Herbert Howells has been taken from the Herbert Howells Trust Archive.

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