Famous tunes which have link with our county
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GAMBIER Parry Gardens, the housing estate that leads off Gloucester’s Tewkesbury Road, was built in 1979.
Prior to then the ground was occupied by a gaunt, three storey, red brick building that was originally the Free Hospital for Children, founded in 1867 by Thomas Gambier Parry.
T G Parry bought Highnam Court in 1838 when he was 22 years old. Today we would call him an interior designer and he was responsible for the decorative work in many churches and cathedrals that were altered (not always for the best) in Victorian times. He built Highnam church in memory of his first wife.
His son Hubert Parry took control of the estate when he was 40 in 1888. This talented musician became director of the Royal College of Music and is probably best known for composing the tune to the hymn “Jerusalem”.
Hubert Parry died in 1918, but his family continued to live at Highnam. During the 1920s the young Evelyn Waugh was a frequent visitor at the Court, as he had taken a shine to Hubert Parry’s daughter Gwen.
A Gloucester-born musician composed one of the best known tunes in the world, although his name and the original name of the tune are all but forgotten.
John Stafford Smith played the organ, wrote music and published early English musical works. One of his best known compositions was a slow, dirgelike piece called “Anacreon in heaven”.
Now the action moves to America, the American War of Independence to be precise. In 1812 an American lawyer named Francis Scott Key was sent to the British to negotiate the release of a prisoner.
Through the night, Key watched as the Royal Navy bombarded Baltimore harbour. Next morning he was so moved to see Baltimore, battered, but defiant, that he wrote a long poem in commemoration of the event.
The verse was published under the name of “Defence of Fort Henry” and no more was heard of it for a while. Then an unknown person who’d travelled from England to America had the idea of fitting the words of Key’s poem to the tune of John Stafford Smith’s “Anacreon in heaven”.
The tune was perked up a bit, Key’s words were edited and the result was a sensation that swept the country, soon called by everyone “The Star Spangled Banner”. In 1936 the USA adopted the tune as its national anthem. Incidentally, poor old John Stafford Smith died when a grape pip stuck in his throat.
Gloucester Cathedral organist Alfred Herbert Brewer came from humble origins. His father was landlord of the Vauxhall Inn in Oxford Street and Brewer was enrolled at the National School in London Road. When his musical talents were soon recognised, the boy transferred to Kings School and joined the cathedral choir.
After a period as organist at St Catherine’s church, which then stood in Priory Road, Brewer was appointed organist and choirmaster of the Cathedral, a position he held until his death in September 1928.
In 1922 Brewer became High Sheriff of the city and three years later was knighted in recognition of his services to music. His numerous compositions included a cantata titled “Emmaus”, which his friend Edward Elgar scored when Brewer declared he was too busy. This manuscript was lost for decades, but eventually came to light in the basement of Gloucester’s Brunswick Road library.
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