St Matthew's Church, Northampton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Matthew's Church |
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St Matthew's Church, Northampton
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Matthew |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Peterborough |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Matthew's Church in Northampton, England, is a special church that belongs to the Church of England. It's part of the Peterborough Diocese.
This church is a very important historical building. It's listed as a Grade II* building, which means it's a particularly important building of more than special interest. It was built between 1891 and 1894. The church was made to remember a person named Pickering Phipps, who was a brewer and a Member of Parliament (MP). The architect who designed the church was Matthew Holding.
The first vicar (leader of the church) was Canon John Rowden Hussey. He was in charge from when the church opened in 1893 until 1937. His son, Walter Hussey, became the vicar after him, from 1937 to 1955. Walter Hussey was very interested in art and music. He helped the church celebrate its 50th birthday in a big way. He asked famous artists and musicians to create new works for the church.
For example, he asked Benjamin Britten to write a special song called Rejoice in the Lamb. The BBC Symphony Orchestra even performed there! A famous organ player, George Thalben-Ball, gave a concert. Walter Hussey also asked Henry Moore to create a sculpture called "Madonna and Child."
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Art and Music at St Matthew's
Because the first projects were so successful, Walter Hussey kept asking for new art and music. Other famous musicians who created works for the church include Edmund Rubbra, Lennox Berkeley, and Gerald Finzi. Poets like W. H. Auden and Norman Nicholson also wrote poems for the church. Famous singers, like Kirsten Flagstad, gave concerts there too.
Inside the church, you can see some amazing artworks. In the north part of the church, there's Henry Moore's stone sculpture, "Madonna and Child," made in 1944. In the south part, there's a painting of the Crucifixion by Graham Sutherland from 1946. The beautiful artwork in the Lady Chapel (a special part of the church) was made by C. E. Buckeridge. More recently, in 2009, a bronze statue of St Matthew by Ian Rank-Broadley was added.
A painting of St Matthew's Church from 1956, made by John Piper, is kept at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.
Church Services
St Matthew's Church follows the traditions of the Church of England, but it also has some practices that are similar to Catholic churches. On Sundays, there are two special services called Eucharistic services. One of these is the Parish Mass at 10:15 AM. On important feast days, this service includes a choir.
The church also has a Choral Evensong service twice a month. This service includes singing by the choir. After this service on the third Sunday of each month, there is a special blessing called Benediction. St Matthew's Church has had a daily Eucharist service every day since it opened in 1893. They also have Morning and Evening Prayer services every day of the year.
Music at St Matthew's
For many years, St Matthew's had a choir made up only of men. This changed in the early 2000s. Now, the choir includes both girls and boys aged 8 to 18, along with adult singers. They sing at two services every Sunday. Another group, The St Matthew's Singers, helps the main choir. They are local amateur singers who sing at special mid-week services. The church's music program is led by a Director of Music, a Parish Organist, and an Organ Scholar.
The choir has gone on a tour every year since 2012. They have visited places like St Davids, Portsmouth, Carlisle, Exeter, Chester, Ely, and even Germany. The choir has also released two music CDs. One CD, released in 2013, features music for Advent and Christmas. The other, from 2014, includes new songs written especially for the choir.
St Matthew's is also a popular place for concerts in Northampton. It is the home of the Northampton Bach Choir, which started in 1935. The church also works with other music groups, like the Northampton Music and Performing Arts Trust and the Northampton Philharmonic Choir. The church has a very large organ, built in 1895, with four keyboards and pedals. Regular organ concerts are held there.
Famous Organists
Many people who were Directors of Music at St Matthew's have gone on to hold important music jobs in other famous churches. These include King's College, Cambridge, Wells Cathedral, Norwich Cathedral, Blackburn Cathedral, Llandaff Cathedral, York Minster, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City.
Here is a list of some of the organists who have worked at St Matthew's:
- Charles John King 1895 – 1934
- Philip Pfaff 1930 – 1934
- Denys Pouncey 1934 – 1936
- Alec Wyton 1946 – 1950
- Robert Henry Joyce 1950 – 1958
- John Bertalot 1958 – 1964
- Michael Nicholas 1964 – 1971
- Stephen Cleobury 1971 – 1974
- Timothy Day 1974 – 1976
- David Ponsford 1976 – 1979
- Derek Gillard 1979 – 1985
- Andrew Shenton 1986 – 91
- Andrew King 1991 – 1998
- Ian Frank Clarke 1998 – 2001
- John Malcolm Tyler 2001 – 2004 (Music Coordinator)
- Jonathan Starmer (Acting Director of Music) January – September 2005
- Sebastian Thomson 2005 – 2009
- Ben Horden 2009 – 2010
- Jonathan Starmer & Ben Drouet (Acting Directors of Music) September – December 2010
- Stephen Moore 2010 – 2016
- Simon Toyne (Acting Director of Music) September – December 2016
- Justin Miller 2017 – 2022
New Music Created for the Church
Many new pieces of music have been specially written for St Matthew's Church. This is called a "commission" when an artist is asked to create a new work. Here are some of the musical pieces commissioned by the church:
- 1943 – Benjamin Britten – Rejoice in the Lamb
- 1943 – Michael Tippett – Fanfare No 1 for 10 Brass Instruments
- 1944 – Edmund Rubbra – The Revival
- 1945 – Lennox Berkeley – Festival Anthem
- 1946 – Gerald Finzi – Lo, the full, final sacrifice
- 1946 – Benjamin Britten – Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria
- 1948 – Christopher Headington – Festival Anthem: Supreme Bliss
- 1949 – John Rose – Festival Hymn
- 1950 – Malcolm Arnold – Laudate Dominum
- 1954 – James Butt – Bless the Lord
- 1956 – David Barlow – Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord
- 1958 – George Dyson – Hail universal Lord
- 1959 – Elizabeth Poston – Festal Te Deum
- 1960 – Peter Dickinson – Justus Quidem Tu Es, Domine
- 1962 – Brian Judge – Ambrosian Prayer
- 1964 – Christopher Le Fleming – Communion Service in D
- 1965 – Kenneth Leighton – Let all the world in every corner sing
- 1966 – John McCabe – A Hymne to God the Father
- 1967 – Richard Rodney Bennett – Five Christmas Carols
- 1968 – Gordon Crosse – The Covenant of the Rainbow
- 1968 – Herbert Howells – One thing have I desired of the Lord
- 1968 – Robert Walker – Fanfare
- 1973 – William Mathias – Missa Brevis
- 1977 – Sebastian Forbes – Quam Dilecta
- 1983 – Philip Moore – At the round earth's imagined corners
- 1986 – Herbert Sumsion – The spacious firmament on high
- 1987 – Geoffrey Burgon – The song of the creatures
- 1988 – John Tavener – The Call
- 1988 – Simon Lole – Carol for Advent
- 1989 – Richard Shephard – St Matthew's Mass
- 1989 – Alan Ridout – Toccata
- 1989 – Ivan Moody – Canticle of Simeoon
- 1990 – Paul Edwards – God that madest heaven and earth
- 1990 – Trevor Hold – Verses from St Matthew
- 1991 – Alec Wyton – A Prayer for Church Musicians and Artists
- 1993 – Diana Burrell – Heil'ger Geist in's Himmels Throne
- 2008 – David Briggs – Toccata for St Matthew's Day
- 2009 – David Bednall – The Walter Hussey Centenary Mass (with motet, Aspire to God, my soul)
- 2012 – Paul Mealor – How beautiful on the mountains
- 2013 – David Halls – Mass of the Altar of Life (with motet, This is the Day)
- 2014 – Philip Stopford – O how glorious is the Kingdom
- 2016 – Simon Johnson – Behold, the tabernacle of God
- 2016 – David Maw – Allein nach dir, Herr (part of the Orgelbüchlein Project)
- 2017 – James Davy – Introit for a Feast Day
- 2017 – James Whitbourn – Beatus vir
- 2018 – Grayston Ives – All people that on earth do dwell
- 2020 – Robert Walker – A Little Organ Mass of the Angels
See also
- List of churches in Northampton
