Ralph Downes facts for kids

Ralph William Downes (1904–1993) was a very important English organist, a person who plays the organ. He was also a talented organ designer, a teacher, and a music director. He taught the organ at the famous Royal College of Music.

Early Life and Studies

Ralph Downes was born in Derby, England. He started his music journey at the Royal College of Music in London. He studied there from 1922 to 1923. He learned from great teachers like Walter Alcock and Henry Ley.

After his studies, he worked as an assistant organist at Southwark Cathedral from 1923 to 1925. Then, he went to Keble College, Oxford to continue his education. He was also an Organ Scholar there, which means he played the organ for the college.

Time in America

From 1928 to 1935, Ralph Downes moved to America. He became the music director and organist at Princeton University. While he was in America, he met people who changed his ideas about music. He was influenced by an organ builder named G. Donald Harrison. He also learned a lot from the harpsichord player Ralph Kirkpatrick. These people helped him discover more about Baroque music, which is a style of music from the 1600s and 1700s.

Return to London

When Ralph Downes came back to London, he became the organist at the London Oratory. He held this job for a very long time, from 1936 to 1977. He was known for his concerts and radio broadcasts. He played music in a "historical performance style." This meant he tried to play the music the way it would have sounded when it was first written. This was quite unusual at the time!

He was also one of the first people in Britain to perform organ pieces by modern composers. These included Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, and Arnold Schoenberg. The famous composer Benjamin Britten admired him so much that he invited Ralph Downes to play at every Aldeburgh Festival during Britten's lifetime.

Designing Organs

In 1948, Ralph Downes was asked to design the organ for the new Royal Festival Hall in London. When the organ was finished in 1954, some people didn't like it at first. However, it turned out to be very important. It started a new way of thinking about organ design in Britain.

Before this, many organs were very large and had a huge, powerful sound. Ralph Downes wanted a simpler, clearer sound. He preferred organs that sounded more like those from the Baroque era. His design for the Royal Festival Hall organ helped lead to "modern" British organs. He also helped rebuild organs in famous places like St Albans Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral.

Teaching and Influence

Ralph Downes was a Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music from 1954 to 1975. He was considered one of the best organ teachers of his time. Many of his students became famous organists themselves. Some of his well-known students include Dame Gillian Weir, Thomas Trotter, and John Scott. He also taught Trevor Pinnock.

It was Ralph Downes who encouraged Gillian Weir to enter the important St Albans International Organ Festival. She ended up winning first prize there!

Recordings and Legacy

You can still listen to recordings of Ralph Downes playing the organ today. Some of his recordings were made with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. He also recorded the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach, which was highly praised. Many of his recordings were made on the Royal Festival Hall organ. He also recorded at the London Oratory, where he designed the Grand Organ.

Ralph Downes wrote a book about his ideas on organ design called Baroque Tricks in 1983.

He received an award called the CBE in 1969. In 1970, he was made a Papal Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great. He passed away in 1993. At his funeral, the organ was silent, as he had requested. Instead, there was Gregorian chant, which is a type of ancient church music he loved.

His son, Kerry Downes, became a well-known historian who studied buildings and architecture.