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Music
at St Botolph's
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St.
Botolph's has a mixed voice choir of thirty singers, two thirds of
which are boys and girls. There is also an adult choir (The St. Botolph's
Singers) with twenty five members. The two choirs share the responsibility
of leading the worship at our weekly Sung Eucharist and Choral Evensong
as well as at weddings and occasional civic and county services.
The church is affiliated to the Royal School
of Church Music and choir members are encouraged to work towards
the RSCM training schemes, especially the Dean's and Bishop's Awards.
Training sessions take place each week in addition to practices
and a choir club which is organised for the boys and girls.
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| Our
Music Team |
Eric
Wayman - Director of Music
After studying at the Trinity College of Music
with Harry Gabb (organ) and Charles Proctor (composing and conducting),
Eric left as a Graduate and Fellow, and spent twenty nine years as
Director of Music at Spalding Grammar School. As conductor of the
school's prestigious Concert Band he led ten continental tours. He
directed the music for many of the school's acclaimed Dramatic Society
productions and as well as writing music for the annual revues he
composed four musicals in collaboration with colleague John Charlesworth.
He has conducted several choirs and music societies in the Spalding
and Peterborough area and was for many years an Assistant Organist
at Peterborough Cathedral. In addition to his work at St. Botolph's,
he conducts his own chamber choir, Cantemus and is Chairman of the
Royal School of Church Music, Lincoln Area. |
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David
Shepherd - Organist
David first received organ tuition at school
in Stockport, before continuing lessons at College in Chichester with
Dr. John Birch. At the end of this four year period he had gained
diplomas in both organ teaching and performance.
He graduated from Sussex University in 1969 with an honours degree
in Religious Studies and Education, and taught for a number of years
in the South of England. For 21 years he was Sales Manager for the
Allen Organ Company in the U.K. His interest in pipe-organs is broad
- he has played the theatre organ for many years and has been a regular
broadcaster on Radio 2's 'The Organist Entertains' since its inception. |
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David Wright- Organist
David was a chorister at Lichfield Cathedral from where he moved
on to King Edward's School, Birmingham to continue his education.
While there he studied piano with Leonard Rayner and organ with
Philip Cranmer, winning the Organ Scholarship to Exeter College,
Oxford, where he gained a B.Mus.and M.A.. In the FRCO exam he was
awarded the prestigious Limpus Prize.
He spent some time as Assistant Organist at New College, Oxford
and then moved to Boston in 1957 as Organist and Choirmaster at
St. Botolph's. He became Director of Music at Boston Grammar School
and an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of
Music. Although now retired, he still plays for some Sunday choral
evensongs, weddings and funerals. This year will mark fifty years
of service to our church.
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The
Organs
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In
the church's early days each of the various Guilds had their own
organ but the Guilds were suppressed in 1547 and by 1589 all existing
organs in the church had been disposed of.
The church was subsequently without an organ for more than a century
and a quarter during Puritan days, until Christian Smith was engaged
to build one in 1717. Some of Smith's pipes still survive in the
present instrument but, over the years, various builders have had
a hand in its development, namely Nicholls, Hill, Bishop, Brindley,
Norman & Beard and Henry Willis. The last major rebuild was
in 1940 by Harrison & Harrison of Durham. In 1987 Harrisons
restored this organ, making some slight tonal changes and taking
advantage of modern solid-state technology to increase the facilities,
such as having twenty-four general, adjustable piston settings as
compared with the single one on the 1940 rebuild. It is a three
manual and pedals instrument, with 41 speaking stops and electro
pneumatic action.
In the summer of 2004, we acquired a small chamber organ for use
under the tower. It is a one manual, tracker action instrument with
4 stops and was built by Cousans of Lincoln.
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sponsor this page please click to email the Parish
Office or Tel:01205 362864
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