An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience. It is an important part of music-making in Christian worship and is strongly associated with, but is not limited to, Anglican church music in the United Kingdom, Australia and the USA.
Organ scholars may sometimes be found at a cathedral or a collegiate church. Many colleges at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Trinity College Dublin, as well as other universities, offer organ scholarships to undergraduates. At some institutions (for example, Christ Church, Oxford, New College, Oxford, Trinity College Dublin or King's College, Cambridge), the organ scholar(s) work under the direction of a full-time professional director of music. At other institutions, the organ scholar is in charge of running the choir.[1]
One of the first organ scholarships in the University of Cambridge was set up by Queens' College, Cambridge. An early scholar there was the composer Charles Villiers Stanford, who took up his position there in 1870.[2]
Many organ scholars have gone on to notable careers in music and in other fields. Two notable ex-organ scholars who went on to achieve fame in other fields are Edward Heath, who read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford and later served as British Prime Minister 1970–1974; and Dudley Moore, who read music at Magdalen College, Oxford and went on to a career in acting.
| Name | Institution | Dates | Later appointments | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892–1895 | Organist of St Asaph Cathedral, Ely Cathedral and New College, Oxford; professor of music at the University of Oxford and director of the Royal College of Music | [3] | |||
| 1972–1975 | Organist of Bristol Cathedral, Wells Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral; director of chapel music and organist of Winchester College | ||||
| 1961 | Music Director of Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera | ||||
| 1919-1921 | Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford | ||||
| 1985–1988 | Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral | ||||
| 1993-1996 | Assistant Director of Music Winchester Cathedral, organist of Chichester Cathedral, director of music at Winchester College | ||||
| 1961–1964 | Organist of Lagos Cathedral | ||||
| 1972–1975 | |||||
| 1997–2000 | |||||
| 1949–1952 | Organist of Southwell Minster | ||||
| and Lincoln College, Oxford | 1955–1958 (Corpus Christi) ? (Lincoln) | Organist of Blackburn Cathedral | |||
| 1980–1983 | Director of The English Concert | ||||
| 1963–1967 | Organist of Wakefield Cathedral | ||||
| 1883-1886 | Organist of Worcester Cathedral | ||||
| 1978–1981 | Organist of St Edmundsbury Cathedral | ||||
| 1982–1985 | Organist of St Davids Cathedral and Hereford Cathedral | ||||
| 1922 | Organist of Truro Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral | [4] | |||
| 1955–1960 | Organist of Southwark Cathedral and director of the Royal School of Church Music | ||||
| 1883–1885 | Composer, organist of Bristol Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral | [5] | |||
| 1981–1984 | Organist of Truro Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral | ||||
| 1983–1986 | Organist of Sheffield Cathedral, director of music at All Saints, Margaret Street. | ||||
| 1910–1912 | Composer and music critic | [6] | |||
| 1979–1982 | Gardiner Professor of Music, Glasgow University | ||||
| 1982–1985 | Sub-organist of Winchester Cathedral, organist of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, St George's Chapel, Windsor. Director of Music at Jesus College, Cambridge, and now at All Saints, Margaret Street | ||||
| 1987–1991 | Director of Music at Saint Paul's Cathedral, Wellington and organist and master of choristers at Croydon Minster | ||||
| 1968–1971 | Assistant Organist of Chichester Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford | ||||
| 1967–1971 | Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, director of music at King's College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1907–1909 | Organist of Manchester Cathedral | ||||
| Organist of Southwark Cathedral | |||||
| Organist of St. Paul's Cathedral (London, Ontario) | |||||
| 1938–40, 1946–1947 | Broadcaster and musicologist | ||||
| 1967–1970 | Organist of Norwich Cathedral | ||||
| 1931–1934 | [7] | ||||
| 1990–1993 | Assistant director of music at Blackburn Cathedral, director of music at Rugby School Thailand | ||||
| 1971–1974 | Organist of St Albans Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford | ||||
| 1963–1966 | Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra | ||||
| 1948–1952 | Organist of Salisbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral | ||||
| 1925–1928 | Professor of organ at the Royal College of Music, organist of the London Oratory and designer and curator of the organ of the Royal Festival Hall | [8] | |||
| 1996–1999 | Sub-Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford | ||||
| 1982–1985 | Music Director of Academy of Ancient Music | ||||
| 1983–1986 | Music Director of Opera North | ||||
| 1984 | Sub-organist Christ Church, Oxford, Sub-organist Winchester Cathedral, organist of Guildford Cathedral | ||||
| 1996–1999 | |||||
| 1905 | |||||
| and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 1982–1985 | Organist of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, artist-in-residence at Washington National Cathedral | |||
| 1959–1962 | Organist of Chester Cathedral | ||||
| 1926 | BBC Controller of Music | ||||
| 1991–1994 | Organist of Eton College | ||||
| 1998-2001 | Organist & Director of Music at St Marylebone Parish Church, assistant organist of New College, Oxford | ||||
| Organist and Master of the Choristers, Truro Cathedral (2008−2022); Director of Music, St John's College, Cambridge (2023−) | |||||
| 1973–1976 | Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford | ||||
| 1935–1939 | Organist of Westminster Abbey | ||||
| 1947–1951 | Director of Music of St John's College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1971–1974 | Rector Chori of Southwell Minster | ||||
| 1992–1995 | Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester Cathedral | ||||
| 1935–1939 | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | ||||
| 1954-1957 | Founding Professor of Music at the Open University | ||||
| 1959–1962 | Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey | ||||
| 1967–1970 | Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales | ||||
| 1966–1970 | Director of Music at New College, Oxford | ||||
| 1976–1979 | Master of Music of Westminster Cathedral and at Winchester Cathedral, director of music at St John's College, Cambridge, director of the BBC Singers | ||||
| 1949-1952 | |||||
| 1949–1953 | Organist of St Albans Cathedral | ||||
| 1972-1974 | Organist of St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham | ||||
| 2000–2003 | Organist and Director of Music at Saint Thomas Church, New York (2016−2019); Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge (2019−present) | ||||
| 1978–1981 | Director of Music of the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace | ||||
| 1989-1992 | Organist of Coventry Cathedral, organist and director of music at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane | ||||
| 1981-1984 | Director of Music at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Minneapolis | ||||
| Organist of Harvard University | |||||
| 1996–1998 | Assistant Organist of Saint Paul's Cathedral, Wellington | ||||
| 1978-1981 | Organist of St. Mary's Church, Nottingham | ||||
| 1893 | Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin | ||||
| 1971–1974 | Sub-organist of Winchester Cathedral, organist of Durham Cathedral | [9] | |||
| Anna Lapwood | Magdalen College, Oxford | Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge and Associate Artist at Royal Albert Hall | [10] | ||
| 1985–1988 | Director of Music, Trinity College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1906–1909 | Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford | ||||
| 1952–1955 | Organist of Hereford Cathedral and Durham Cathedral | ||||
| Director of Music at Sheffield Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral | |||||
| 1980–1983 | Organist of Portsmouth Cathedral and Worcester Cathedral | ||||
| 1981–1984 | Organist of Lichfield Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral | ||||
| and St John's College, Cambridge | 1948–1951 (Selwyn) 1951–1953 (St John's) | Organist of New College, Oxford and principal of the Royal Academy of Music | |||
| 1992–1995 | Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and of Ely Cathedral Girls' Choir | ||||
| 1958–1962 | Organist of Trinity College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1992-1995 | Organist of St Davids Cathedral | ||||
| 1921 | Organist of Westminster Abbey | ||||
| 1951–1955 | Dean, Faculty of Music, University of Western Ontario | [11] | |||
| 1971–1974 | Organist of Guildford Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral | ||||
| 1955–1958 | Comedian | ||||
| 1928–1931 | BBC Controller of Music | ||||
| 1958–1963 | Organist of Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Abbey | ||||
| 1987–1990 | Organist of Truro Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral, director of music at St John's College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1957–1960 | Organist of Norwich Cathedral | ||||
| 1979–1982 | Master of Music of Westminster Cathedral, organist of Westminster Abbey | ||||
| 1989–1992 | Composer, former organist of St George's Cathedral, Southwark, composer in residence for the Parliament Choir. | ||||
| 1920 | Organist of King's College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1929–1932 | Organist of St John's College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1951–1954 | Organist of St Edmundsbury Cathedral | [12] | |||
| 1972–1975 | Assistant Organist of St Albans Cathedral | ||||
| 1978–1981 | Director of Music, Gloucester Cathedral | ||||
| 1949–1954 | Organist of Ripon Cathedral | ||||
| 1955–1956 | Organist of the Chapel Royal | ||||
| 1926-1928 | Organist of Wells Cathedral | ||||
| 1958–1961 | Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and Westminster Abbey | ||||
| 1969–1972 | Organist of Lichfield Cathedral and St George's Chapel, Windsor | ||||
| 1955-1958 | Organist of Worcester Cathedral and St George's Chapel, Windsor, director of music of St John's College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1935–1939 | Informator Choristarum of Magdalen College, Oxford | ||||
| 1939 | Organist of Derby Cathedral | ||||
| 1960–1963 | Organist of Norwich Cathedral | ||||
| 1952–1956 | Organist of Gloucester Cathedral | ||||
| 1974–1978 | Organist of St Paul's Cathedral, director of music at St Thomas Church, New York | ||||
| Organist of Salisbury Cathedral | |||||
| 1898–1901 | |||||
| 1984–1987 | |||||
| and Lincoln College, Oxford | 1961 | Anglican Bishop of Salisbury | [13] | ||
| 1870 | Organist and director of music, Trinity College, Cambridge; professor of music, University of Cambridge | ||||
| 1903 | Organist of Rochester Cathedral | ||||
| 1986-1989 | |||||
| 1989–1992 | Organist of Blackburn Cathedral | [14] | |||
| Organist of Chichester Cathedral | |||||
| 1972–1975 | Organist of St Edmundsbury Cathedral and Ely Cathedral | ||||
| 1976–1979 | Birmingham City Organist | ||||
| 2000–2003 | Assistant organist of Wells Cathedral; associate director of music at Christ Church, Greenwich, USA | ||||
| 1993–1997 | Director of Music at St George's Chapel, Windsor | ||||
| 1900–1903 | Organist of Carlisle Cathedral | ||||
| 1974–1978 | Organist of St Albans Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral | ||||
| Assistant Organist at Chichester Cathedral | |||||
| 1922–1925 | Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford | ||||
| 1977–1980 | Director of Music of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | ||||
| 1956–1960 | Organist of Leicester Cathedral | ||||
| 1990–1993 | Sub-Organist of Rochester Cathedral | ||||
| 1941–1946 | Organist of Canterbury Cathedral | ||||
| 1939–1940, 1945–1947 | Organist of Salisbury Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral and King's College, Cambridge, director of the Royal College of Music | [15] | |||
| 1997-2000 | Assistant Organist of St Paul's Cathedral, Director of Music, Jesus College, Cambridge, Informator Choristarum, Magdalen College, Oxford | ||||
| 1968-1971 | Organist Emeritus, York Minster | ||||
| and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 1888–1889 (Selwyn) 1889–1894 (Gonville and Caius) | Professor of Music, University of Cambridge | |||
| 1973–1976 | Organist of Southwark Cathedral |