Chichester Cathedral
Sylvia Bowen, Published January 2002
Based on a Talk by Alan Thurlow, 28.11.01
Members of the Chichester section of the Sussex Family History Group gathered in the cathedral on 28th November to hear a most interesting talk from Alan Thurlow, the cathedral organist and choirmaster, and were most appreciative of the Dean and Chapter giving permission for this.
Mr Thurlow began by reminding his audience that the building was completed around 1133, the see having been moved from Selsey, and said it had not changed substantially since that time. He surprised everyone when he said that, of the English mediæval cathedrals, only York Minster has a wider nave than Chichester: it is the only one with double side aisles and sound travels round well.
A citizen in the 12th century would have been much impressed by the scale of the building, there being nothing to compare with it apart from other cathedrals. There would have been no seating and, except on major dates in the Church’s year, the nave would not have been used, people being expected to attend their parish churches. Mr Thurlow explained that the number of daily services has decreased: pre-Reformation, there would have been the 8 "hours" as well as the Mass, whereas now there are normally three services. The singers would have been the lay vicars and clergy and the music was plainsong (Gregorian chant). Until the Second World War, Matins was always sung as well as Evensong. Nowadays the choirboys rehearse twice daily and have a much bigger repertoire, including 374 anthems. Mr Thurlow explained that, considering150 were contained in a book published for the benefit of the congregation in 1823 when there were twice as many sung services, the boys then would have sung the repertoire four times a year but now an anthem would probably be sung only once.
As music began to develop in the Middle Ages, more parts were sung and the introduction of a fourth (descant) part resulted in boys joining the choir. The records show that by 1232 there were 10 boys in the cathedral choir, and 12 by 1482. It became necessary to educate them: they needed to be able to read, and to do arithmetic in order to “read” the music, and they were taught Latin as that was what they were singing. That was the beginning of the Church’s involvement in education. Mr Thurlow said there were several schools on the Chichester site which had varying degrees of success. It was in 1497 (following an unsatisfactory Ofsted type of inspection!) that the Prebendal School was re-established and it has had an unbroken tradition for 504 years.
As our group moved from the west to the east end of the nave and then into the choir stalls, Mr Thurlow spoke about the Arundel screen, originally erected in the late 15th century to divide the building between the sacred and more secular parts. At that time, it contained chapels on either side and gates in the middle, so one would not have been able to have a view of the length of the cathedral. It is possible that the nave was sometimes used as a market (as happened elsewhere) or for meetings. Another difference from to-day was that some stalls at the western end of the choir faced the high altar.
Details about the first organs used in the cathedral are lacking, though the records include accounts for the repair of bellows, for example. It is thought that the organ was situated on top of the Arundel screen. Interestingly, the internal dimensions of the mediæval Bell Tower, unique in Great Britain, are the square of the width of the nave, so when the screen was removed in 1860 it was possible to re-assemble it within the tower for storage. Mr Thurlow suggested that this measurement was chosen in order to create a tower that was proportionate to the cathedral. The Arundel screen did not return to the cathedral until 1961, as a memorial to Bishop Bell. The empty niches are due to the destruction of statuary when Col. Waller’s troops occupied the cathedral during the Civil War (and also burned the organ!).
The screen’s removal in 1860 was what led to the discovery that the tower was in a dangerous condition. Fortunately, when it became clear that nothing could be done to avert its collapse in 1861, there was time to remove the choirstalls and all the organ pipes to safety. Mr Thurlow described the different stages in the enlargement of the organ and pointed out the earliest pipes, dating from 1678. He told us that when the organ was atop the screen the longest pipes measured 12 feet, while the longest pipes visible in the casing to-day are 16 feet long and there is one within which measures 32 feet. He was asked the size of the smallest and we were somewhat astonished by the answer – about half an inch.
The organ first had pedals in 1806 and by 1829 it was larger than the one in Westminster Abbey (though this is not so now). We were treated to a short recital of music from the different periods, each demonstrating an expansion of the organ. This took us from music by the organist at Dulwich College, Benjamin Cosyn, who died in about 1652, and then a trumpet voluntary by Stanley (1712-1768) involving use of the third keyboard, through to a Mendelssohn Fugue in D Minor using the full organ as rebuilt in 1858/9, and ending with the Toccata from Widor’s 5th. This last used the full 4-keyboard organ of to-day, including the longest pipe. Some members were able to join Mr Thurlow in the organ loft for the recital but he told us that the best place to hear the sound is the south transept, where recordings are made. He also explained that, owing to the collapse of the cathedral tower and spire, the organ had been spared the influence of the Romantic period, when many such instruments were replaced.
The music in parish churches was very different, organs not becoming common until the mid-19th century. Earlier there was usually a parish band and a few singers, often stationed in a gallery. [We were shown a copy of a painting showing the cathedral quire at a time when there was no screen and there were galleries above the choir stalls.] The first hymns were metrical versions of the psalms and Mr Thurlow explained that the speed at which they were sung was dictated by the type of organ available: a slow tempo was all that could be maintained comfortably by someone turning a barrel organ. He produced a metronome and asked us to sing “O God our help in ages past” (one such metrical hymn) at the speed indicated by Vaughan Williams in the 1930s – it was surprisingly, almost painfully, slow by modern standards.
Mr Thurlow also spoke of Thomas Wilkes, the noted composer of church music and organist at Chichester early in the 17th century, being a “colourful” character. This was at a time when behaviour and musical standards had begun to fall. As mentioned in Dr Mary Hobbs’ book on Chichester, Wilkes was charged with disciplinary offences relating to his drinking and bad language, and evidently the Dean was compelled to read one service for lack of music.
We gained a fascinating insight into the cathedral's history, especially with regard to the choir and the organ, and Mr Thurlow was warmly applauded.
Sylvia Bowen
Editor - the engraving below taken in 1840 confirms that at that time the organ was sited above the Arundel Screen (see below)
