Repertoire revivals – Theophania Cecil

Great importance is attached to the fact that both Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams played regularly on the Thaxted Lincoln organ, and this was one of the selling points for its recent restoration.   All very worthy of course, but the organ’s significance for me is that it was originally the instrument of Theophania Cecil, in the early 19th century, when it was installed at St John’s Chapel, Bedford Row, in London.

It was Christopher Kent who first drew my attention to Theophania Cecil – he thought I would be interested in another Lady Organist, and he mentioned a set of voluntaries by her that he once found in a pile of music heading for the bin.   Enquiries revealed these existed in the Royal College of Organists library – not only that, but the RCO were planning to digitise her Twelve Voluntaries for Organ, from 1810, and make them available on their website, as part of a new project to make the library’s contents more available.

The voluntaries are classical in style, and Cecil makes full use of pedals and the available stops.  Very appropriately, Anne Page played Cecil’s Voluntary 12 as part of the dedication recital on the restored Thaxted organ a few days ago.  Some of the chromatic complexities of this piece certainly tested the Sixth Comma Meantone tuning* – interesting, as this was suggested by restorers Goetze & Gwynn as the original temperament of the organ in Cecil’s day.

RCO members can download the full set of Cecil Voluntaries here, free of charge.  (Non-RCO members can download Voluntary 1.)  Both non-members and members can also download an excellent preface to Theophania Cecil and the Voluntaries, summarising her life, in as much as we know it.   Cecil is revealed as being not pleased with the Lincoln organ, or its maker – but this seems to be because she didn’t get a backhander out of the purchase money.  For shame, Theophania! – but perhaps this little custom was fairly standard practice at the time.

*also known as Silberman