Frost Magazine was deeply impressed with the Thirsk Coronation Concert, held at St Mary’s, and I, as editor, simply had to grab Matthew Atherton, the organist who not only played the organ, but collected together and rehearsed the moving, and totally excellent choir and found the time to compose the anthem: Oh Lord, grant the King a long life.

You probably feel that grab is too strong a word? Wrong –  I grabbed and refused to release this modest musician until he had told me more about his career.

Matthew started learning the piano at about the age of 4.5yrs: ‘My mother tells me as soon as I could stand upright as a baby I was trying to play anything with a flat surface – she recalls me even trying to play the house plant with its large green leaf.’

So, moving on from the joys of leaf playing, why the organ? Matthew as a young boy heard them in church. In particular,  St. Mary’s Church at Wath near Ripon, Ripon Cathedral, and Christ Church in Pennington, Lancashire. Ooops, hang on, Lancashire? But apparently the organ was built in Yorkshire so no disloyalty then.

‘The latter I think is the first ever church organ I saw and heard aged about 5 when taken to church with my father’s mother and sister.’ The passion was ignited, reaching a crescendo (is this too much, I ask myself?) after hearing Ripon Cathedral’s triumphant organ being played full pelt by Ronald Perrin when he  was a couple of years older.  Matthew was then allowed to try the village organ in Wath which is still intact and a fine instrument. Sadly for Matthew, when he pulled out all the stops, it didn’t sound a bit like the music in Ripon Cathedral. Ah, a bit like life’s rich pattern.

To the rescue came a succession of piano teachers, in particular Mrs Helen Blythe and Mrs Bronwen Brindly from the Ripon area. Lessons always ran over the allotted time slot, such was the teachers’ enthusiasm and committment, and even more so when exams appeared on the horizon.  Matthew remains in touch with both his mentors. 

The organ teachers it appears were a more formidable breed, mainly because Matthew was so in awe of cathedral organists. ‘I was not a sporty child (nor, it must be said, am I as an adult) and I revered cathedral organists like youngsters revere footballers or other sports personalities, so you can imagine how I felt. I was enormously privileged to have had the tutors I have had and particularly wish to acknowledge Mr Ian Little, Head of Music at Ampleforth College – I did not go to school at Ampleforth, but had lessons privately with Ian thanks to a recommendation by a family friend. Ian was a tremendous teacher and fantastic choirmaster.’ 

Matthew told me that he thought Ian Little was the youngest cathedral organist in the UK in the 1980s when he was appointed organist and choirmaster of Coventry Cathedral. Ian instilled in Matthew the need to aspire to play with refinement and elegance. ‘We did a lot of work on technique and pedal playing following the practices of the famous Italian organist Fernando Germani. I was also very privileged to have been allowed to have lessons with Canon Dr. James Lancelot, the organist and master of the choristers of Durham Cathedral. James had, and still has, a very prestigious reputation.’  Matthew recalled his first  lesson with him when – having played the Finalé from Louis Vierne’s 1st Organ Symphonie on the Durham cathedral organ –  Dr Lancelot added, after the encouraging part of the conversation, ‘“98% of the listeners would probably have not noticed the misreading in the middle part of bar x, however, do always remember the 2% that will.” It is a lesson Matthew still applies to his playing and teaching.

This brought our conversation back to the Coronation Concert where the decision was taken that the choir should perform without the orchestra in order to give the players a break. But perform what? Matthew came across text from the Book of Common Prayer used at Charles 11 Coronation in 1661. Oh Lord, grant the King a long life, that his years may endure throughout all generations. Unable to find quite the right setting in the works of early composers, he toddled off to the piano and composed his own, which was to some extent inspired by the wonderful VOCES8.

The choir thought it a stunning anthem and they set about rehearsing under Matthew’s leadership. 10 weeks later they were concert ready, 100% honed to perfection, none of this 98% for our gang, thank you very much.  But then they wouldn’t entertain anything other than perfection, would they, with the composer at the helm.

So it happened that the choir sang the Anthem in St Mary’s Church, Thirsk, during the Coronation Concert, conducted by the composer Matthew Atherton. I  swear the roof lifted, and around me tears ran. It was profoundly beautiful, as was the whole of the concert.

Eventually I released my hold on Matthew, and dusted him down, but only after he had promised to let me know when other concerts were to take place.

Facebook: Matthew Atherton, Organist & Pianist

Instagram: matthew_atherton_music