Music Group

Friends of the Music

Holy Trinity Handbell Ringers

Director of Music

The Organ

Visiting Choirs

Holy Trinity Choir

For centuries choristers have enriched the worship of the Parish Church. At the close of the fifteenth century, four boys assisted in singing Divine Service at Holy Trinity. Today a choir of 36 (16 children and 20 adults) is dedicated to maintaining the enviable and unique choral tradition of the Church of England. The Choir sings for the two regular services each Sunday. In addition there are special services at the usual festivals and for civic occasions including Shakespeare Sunday.

The choir's own webpage can be found here here.

The current monthly music list can be viewed here.

The Choir is the responsibility of the Director of Music who provides tuition in general musicianship as well as teaching the repertoire. Practices are held on Fridays and immediately before each service. New members are always welcomed and encouraged! Please read on...

Children

Boys and girls aged 7 and over are welcome to enter the choir after taking some simple tests. No previous knowledge of singing is necessary, although an ability to read well is helpful.

Some of the benefits of being a Chorister are:

Adults

Adults are always sought to join the adult choir following an informal audition. An ability to read music and some experience of singing would be an advantage. Holy Trinity Choir is a friendly group of singers meeting regularly socially as well as musically. If you would like to find out more about the work of the Choir with a view to joining, please contact the Director of Music.

Music Group

The Music Group provides some of the music at the 10.30am service on the first Sunday of the month. They meet at 9.20 to set up, in order to start rehearsing at 9.30 on that day. Instrumentalists of any age and young singers are always welcome to join! For more information, please contact Nik Rothwell, either by email here or through the Parish office.

Friends of the Music

"Friends of the Music of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon" was founded in July 1983 with the constitutional aim "to provide support and encouragement for those responsible for the maintenance of the Church Music". Similar organisations exist in most English Cathedrals and Churches where a choral tradition is upheld. Membership is open to all those interested in the aim and includes members of the Choir, parents of choristers, the clergy and individuals who wish to register their interest in the music of Holy Trinity Church. Central to the aim is the continued existence of the Church Choir, which consists of a group of skilled and committed men, women and choristers belonging to an establishment which dates from the 15th century. The Friends of the Music are active in numerous ways broadly grouped as follows:-

• The regular needs of the Choir. Care of robes, music library, refreshments, transport, recruitment and support for the function and welfare of the Choir.
• The social fellowship of the Choir, Organisation and funds for social events and outings to maintain interest and enthusiasm for the Choir.
• Links between the Choir, the congregation and the community. An interchange for ideas and a liaison to foster public awareness of the music at Holy Trinity Church,
• Promotion of music at Holy Trinity Church. Support to enable the Choir and its music to reach beyond the parish.

The Friends of the Music is run by a committee of eight elected annually. For further membership details, contact the Secretary of Friends of the Music via the Parish office.

Holy Trinity Handbell Ringers

The group has been in existence for at least 20 years. At the start, we used an old set of English bells. 15 years ago, we upgraded to an excellent set of Malmark (American) bells, now valued at #5000, through much fund raising by the members of the group and the donation by the church of the trade-in value of the old bells. We aim to meet on Thursday afternoons at 3.00 in the Church Hall. However,we need a minimum of 6 people to ring any tune and we need more members! The only requirement is for each member to be able to read music from a normal score. Any new recruits are encouraged to contact Gordon Green via the Parish office.

Director of Music

Andrew Jones was born in Orpington, Kent in 1977. He was a chorister at The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy in London and studied piano, 'cello and organ at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama. From 1993-1995 Andrew was Organist and Choirmaster at St George's RAF Chapel, Biggin Hill. From 1995-1998, Andrew was Organ Scholar at Jesus College, Oxford where he read music. He was also Organist of Worcester College. After leaving University, Andrew was Chapel Organist at Edge Grove School, Organist and Choirmaster at St Mary's Parish Church, Hemel Hempstead and latterly Organist of Wesleys Chapel, London. After a spell based in Vienna, Austria, he was appointed Director of Music at Holy Trinity Church in February. He also directs his own chamber choir, the Praetorius Choir.

The Organ

The use of an organ at Holy Trinity Church can be traced back to before the Reformation, When Richard Sharpe was 'pulsator organorum'. He was paid a yearly stipend of #6, granted by the king on the dissolution of the college. There is no further mention of an organ until Thomas Swarbrick built a new instrument in 1731 at a cost of #50. In 1815, the loft, on which the organ stood at the east end of the nave was enlarged to hold the charity girls as singers. At the same time it was repaired by William Allen of London.

The Swarbrick organ survived until 1841 when it was taken down in part.exchange for a new instrument built by William Hill, to a design by F. Marshall of Leamington. This organ was significant for it was one of the first organs in the country to have C-compasses and an independent Pedal division. It stood on a gallery at the west end of the nave, the size of the instrument almost obscuring the west window from view. In 1855 John Nicholson moved the organ to the north transept: this at the vicar's own expense!

Sometime before the Shakespeare tercentenary in 1864, a third manual was added by the Stratford organ-builder, Thomas Hewins. After Hewins' death in 1872 John Nicholson reported that the organ was in poor condition. Seven years later Nicholson fitted new manuals and pedals. He also regulated and repaired the action. During the 1880's the church was extensively restored and the organ moved. In 1889, a new decorated Gothic case designed by the church architects Bodley and Garner, was placed above the tower crossing in the nave. Thomas Hill placed the Great Organ and part of the Pedal Organ in this case. The rest of the instrument was disposed behind a screen at the eastern end of the south aisle. Unfortunately, the early form of electric action used proved so unreliable that it was replaced by the makers in 1898 with their patent tubular pneumatic action. At the same time alterations were made to the specification and the Great and Swell were exchanged, An increase in the volume of sound was made by opening up a new arch between the south aisle and the transept. In 1906, a case for this section was provided to a design by Tapper who had succeeded Bodley as church architect.

In 1937 a Grand Open Diapason was added to the Great Organ, a gift from a member of the congregation. Utilising some of the case pipes this rank was placed in the gallery and connected by electric action powered by batteries. The organ received no further attention until 1963 when Hill, Norman & Beard provided a new console and converted the action to electro-pneumatic. Some minor tonal alterations were also made at this time. However the work was not far reaching enough to prevent a general decline in the playing quality of the instrument.

The new organ by Nicholson & Co. Ltd., of Malvern reuses existing Hill pipework with some additions. It restores the intention of 1887 to place the Great, Swell and Pedal Organs together in the nave case from where they present a cohesive musical sound. A secondary organ providing for choir and service accompaniment, and containing much of the pipework suitable for the interpretation of the Romantic repertoire, is placed at ground level. The organ was dedicated at Evensong on 27th January 1991, by the Bishop of Coventry, the Rt. Rev. Simon Barrington.Ward.

SPECIFICATION OF THE ORGAN

HILL 1841 1889 and 1898
Rebuilt Nicholson 1991