A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Sons of the Clergy

by William Henry Husk

SONS OF THE CLERGY, The Corporation of the. This venerable institution, which has founded in 1655 by sons of clergymen, has for its objects the assisting necessitous clergymen, pensioning and assisting their widows and aged single daughters, and educating, apprenticing, and providing outfits for their children. To aid in procuring funds for these purposes it holds an annual festival (at no fixed date), consisting of a choral service with a sermon, followed by a dinner. The first sermon was preached in the year of foundation at St. Paul's Cathedral by the Rev. George Hall, D.D., Minister of St. Botolph's, Aldersgate Street. That similar meetings took place in following years is most probable, but there are no means of proving it, owing to the unfortunate destruction of the early records of the institution by fire, in 1838. We find, however, that in 1674 and 1675 sermons were preached at St. Michael's, Cornhill; that from 1676 to 1696 they were delivered at Bow Church, Cheapside; and that from 1697 down to the present year (1883) they have been invariably given at St. Paul's Cathedral. The association was incorporated by charter of Charles II. in 1678. It was in 1698, according to the records, that 'music' (i.e. orchestral accompaniment to the service and anthems) was first introduced at the festivals. The compositions then performed were Purcell's Te Deum and Jubilate in D, composed for the celebration on St. Cecilia's day, 1694, and these were annually repeated until 1713, when Handel's Te Deum and Jubilate, composed on the Peace of Utrecht, were given, from which time the two compositions were alternately performed until 1743, when both were laid aside in favour of the Te Deum composed by Handel to celebrate the victory at Dettingen, which continued to be annually performed (with the exception of one or two years when Purcell's Te Deum was revived) until 1843, after which its performance was discontinued in consequence of the services of the instrumental band being dispensed with in deference to the wishes of the Bishop of London (Blomfield). Handel's overture to the oratorio 'Esther' was almost invariably played as a prelude to the service from near the time of its production in 1720 until 1843. Dr. W. Hayes was at one time conductor of the festivals, and added instrumental parts to the Old Hundredth Psalm tune for their use. Dr. Boyce also was for many years their conductor, and composed for them his two anthems, 'Lord, Thou hast been our refuge,' and 'Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy,' besides adding accompaniments to Purcell's Te Deum and Jubilate, and expanding several movements in them. After 1843 the services were for some fifteen or sixteen years accompanied by the organ only, the choir being, as before, very largely augmented. Since about 1860 orchestral accompaniment has again been called into requisition; Evensong has taken the place of Matins; and modern compositions by various living composers, often written expressly for the festival, have been introduced. Handel's immortal 'Hallelujah,' from Messiah, however, still retains its place. The dinners are held in the hall of the Merchant Taylors' Company. The Corporation bestowed upon the objects of its bounty in 1881 the large sum of £24,749, distributed among 1513 recipients.

[ W. H. H. ]