Lambeth Music History. An Introduction. Part 2. Church & Music And Friendly & Charitable Societies

Church and Music

Lambeth Palace has played an important role in the fostering of religious music in the country, and has a collection of early music manuscripts. Churches were important venues for music playing: choirs, organ music, and church bells and their ringers. 

The Palace awards Doctorates in Music. One example is John Henry George Jay (1770-1849), the composer of Sweet Jessie of Allendale, a Ballad in 1820. 

Born in 1821 in Belmont (now Brunswick) House at Vauxhall Cross Rev. Henry Williams Baker became ed­it­or-in-chief from 1860 to 1877 of the Anglican Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern. His hymns included The King of Love my Shepherd is and Lord Thy Word abideth. His Admiral father had taken part in the British attempt to crush the black revolution in Santo Domingo in 1807 which created the independent black republic of Haiti.

Lambeth Conference

The Lambeth Conference meeting of Bishops has had musical activities alongside its political and theological discussions.

1948: Life Burnt for Jesus  by Dr. Nirode K. Biswas, bishop of Assam

1998: Crowning Glory by Veronica Bennetts, wife of Bishop Colin Bennetts of Coventry with Bishops' wives singing in chorus, performing mime and dancing

1998: Life Burnt for Jesus sung by Rumalshah in Bengalese without accompaniment. Iris Heinze de Axt, wife of Bishop Humberto Axt of Argentina, led the bishops’ wives in the closing song "Santo, Santo, Santo" (Holy, Holy, Holy) which was sung in English and Spanish

1998: Lambeth Praise Conference song book

The controversies in the Anglican Church in the early 2000s became subject to websites and blogs run by vicars. One wrote Rowan – The Song written to the tune of the Police’s Roxanne comments on the way in which the then Archbishop Rowan Williams was choosy about who he invited to the Palace.

The Palace is used for musical events open to the public. A tapestry of medieval music exploring the search for love, comfort and spiritual fulfilment The Pursuit of Pleasure was performed in April 2006 in its Crypt. 

Local Church Events 

Apart from the music played in the churches and chapels of the different Christian denominations, there were also events organised by local clergy which involved music. 

At the end of 1866 two tea events were put on for some of the hundreds of navvies who had been working on the Clapham parish sewers. About 100 took part at the first at St James' School in Park Rd. Apart from food, music, hymns and a religious message, an announcement was made that 150 of the navies would be provided with Christmas dinners. A number of clergy took part, including Rev. Carrow, Minister of St. James' Episcopal Church in Kennington who spoke on the theme of "the rich and poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all." The second event involving about 300 navvies and their wives was organised by Clapham's Congregationalists and Baptists. Apart from tea, and music, there were addresses and readings. The Congregationalist Rev. J. G.Rogers of Clapham spoke about the claims of labour. 

Later in either March or early April 1867 Rogers organised two events. The first was for about 70 omnibus and cab men, accompanied by their wives at the lecture room in Grafton Square, followed the next evening by one for policemen and postmen. A substantial meal was provided. Rogers spoke followed by readings and singing. 

Vaughan Williams and Other Organists  

Several churches had important musicians as organists. While Ralph Vaughan Williams was organist at St Barnabas Church for a short time from 1897, he composed his first major work, the String Quartet in C minor. It was not performed again until January 1904 and then not again until March 2002.  

Walter William Hedgock was organist at St Agnes Church in Kennington 1879-1904. He also worked at Crystal Palace 1894 to 1903. He died in a Streatham nursing home in 1932. William Henry Kearns, a violinist, organist, conductor and composer was organist at Verulam Episcopal Chapel Lambeth. He died at Prince’s Place, now Cleaver Square, Kennington. Both are buried at West Norwood.

Friendly & Charitable Societies

A wide range of music activity was part of the collective, social and fundraising life of friendly, charity and specialist societies. 

The South Western Railway purchased Belmont, now Brunswick, House for an Institute meeting place for many of the wide range of friendly societies and social and cultural organisations established for and by railway workers. Many incorporated music into their activities. Some examples from the 1880s were:

The Queens Rd branch of the London District of the London and South-Western Temperance Society held an entertainment on 8 July 1885, with choral and solo singing, entitled 'A Service of Song', chaired by Mr Cook of Waterloo

Other social events among railway men at the time (1889) included: a LSWR Railway Guards dinner (January) (13), a Temperance Society gathering (February), the LSWR Music and Dramatic Club (February), the LSWR Club (April) and the LSWR Servants Orphanage events (April and June).

Friendly Societies were an important means by which working people could collectively support each other and their families in times of trouble such as unemployment, sickness and death. Many trade unions started as friendly societies. Many friendly societies were based on workplaces and met in nearby pubs. Many of the members would also have lived in surrounding neighbourhoods as there was often a close association between workplace and residence. Some members would live in the wider area including living across the River Thames. Societies also moved meeting place from time to time. Music was an important aspect of their social activities.