William Done was born on 24th October 1815[i]. He was to become one of Worcester Cathedral’s most well-known organists in the nineteenth century, holding the post for some fifty years. His story offers a fascinating insight into the busy musical scene of a Victorian cathedral.
Done lived almost all his life near the Cathedral but as a boy was not a chorister. He started as an organ pupil of Mr. Charles Clarke in 1828, and undertook his apprenticeship for seven years. He clearly showed promise and was made the deputy organist. He also played the organ at St. Martin’s in the Cornmarket[ii]. On Clarke’s death in 1844 he was promoted to the post of Cathedral organist by the Dean George Murray[iii]. Done was so long in post that he conducted numerous Three Choirs Festivals.
Famous singers of his day who Done worked with included such names as Clara Novello, Madame Albani, Mr. Lewis Thomas, Frebelli, Charlotte Dolby, Madame Lemmens Sherrington and Herr Staudighl[iv]. There were also premiers of new works. In 1869, for example, composer Arthur Sullivan’s The Prodigal Son was premiered at the Three Choirs Festival. The composer conducted this piece, which was an entirely fitting topic for a concert based in a cathedral. This premier involved as principal vocalists Mademoiselle Tietjens, Madame Tebelli-Bettini, Mr. Sims Reeves and Mr. Santley. All were regarded as very notable singers of their day[v].
The College Hall was used for more concerts than in modern times, and again the instrumentalists who were invited were very well known. This was before the design of the ceiling was altered, which in Done’s daughter’s opinion harmed the acoustics[vi]. A grand ball in the city usually ended the festivals.
Done’s task as leader at his first Three Choirs must have seemed daunting. However, as one of his daughters recollected: “by minute attention to detail, careful study and good judgement in the choice of works” things went well[vii].
One of the standout performances that his daughter recollected was in 1872 when he conducted Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion. It had been rarely performed in England at that time, and Done took a great deal of care to understand the piece[viii]. However, by now in his career Done was considered a veteran of music festivals and was universally esteemed by music enthusiasts[ix]. After twenty-five years working for the Cathedral, he was permitted to be the choirmaster as well as organist in 1877[x].
Besides the festivals, Done had a busy schedule. He usually woke at 6am and began teaching at 7am. He then spent the day either leading the musical part of the services or teaching the choristers. His improvement of the choir was noticed by a local lay clerk who noted “the choristers have never been better trained than they were under him”[xi]. It was also recognized by the local newspaper[xii]. In addition, he taught music pupils, some of whom he travelled to because they lived outside the city. In the evenings he was a member of several music societies[xiii] including the old Philharmonic Society which became the Festival Choral Society, at which he conducted rehearsals[xiv]. In those days the post of cathedral organist was poorly paid, and he had to teach private music pupils in order to feed and maintain his family[xv]. Done’s holidays were often spent in London enjoying the busy musical life of the capital[xvi]. He also had hobbies, one of which was keeping canaries[xvii].
He was a kindly father and husband, and the death of his two boys at the ages of 17 and 20 must have been very difficult for him and his wife. Fortunately, they still had two daughters. Fanny Done married Mr. de Limoelan, a teacher at the nearby King’s School, and Agnes Done continued to live in College Yard with her father. Agnes was known for maintaining Victorian customs into the twentieth century, such as giving the choristers small posies of primroses to be worn on their surplices at the mattins service every Easter. She also held a party for the choristers every Christmas at which they performed a play she had written. She was the author of a book about post-reformation church musicians and was involved in collecting money for the Nursing Association, until her death in 1931[xviii].
Towards the end of his time in the post, Done was getting so old that most of the work was done by his deputy organist Hugh Blair[xix]. On 24th May 1894 Willliam Done was awarded an honorary music doctorate from the Archbishop of Canterbury. He had been recommended for the award by two separate petitions. The first from several senior clergy with connections to Worcester, and the second by three of the leading musicians of the day. He got on well with the Precentor Woodward and the standard at daily services was always high. In 1872, the Worcester Festival “class” gave him a ceremonial baton, which his family later donated to the Cathedral Library’s music collection. They also gave, amongst other things, the first book from which he learnt to play music. William Done died in 1895.
Overall, William Done has received a favourable assessment from those who knew him. One lay clerk, James Smith, described him as “an excellent musician – a good organist, pianist and teacher”: Compliments that any musician would be pleased to receive[xx].
David Morrison
Bibliography:
Philip Barrett, Barchester – English Cathedral Life in the Nineteenth Century, SPCK, London 1993
James Berrow,”One of the Old School, Solid, and Good, and a gentleman”: William Done of Worcester Cathedral 1844-1895” in Chris Guy (ed.), Archaeology at Worcester Cathedral, Report of the 23rd Annual Symposium March 2013, (pub. Worcester 2014).
Eric Blom, Music in England, Penguin, London 1947
Recollections by James Smith, 1920, Add Mss 137 (not paginated.)
Reminiscences of Mrs. Limoelan, 1921, Add Mss 141
Worcester Cathedral Muniments A405
Worcester Cathedral Music Library F4.26b William Done scrapbook
Berrow’s Worcester Journal 24th August 1895.
[i] Add Mss 141, p.18
[ii][ii] Berrow, “One of the Old School, Solid, and Good, and a gentleman”: William Done of Worcester Cathedral 1844-1895”, p.3
[iii] Add Mss 141, p.18
[iv] Add Mss 141, p. 19
[v] Eric Blom, Music in England, Pelican Books, London 1947, p.207
[vi] Add Mss 141, p. 22
[vii] Add Mss 141, p.21
[viii] Add Mss 141, p.24
[ix] WCML F4.26b, p.15
[x] Philip Barrett, Barchester- English Cathedral Life in the Nineteenth Century, SPCK, London 1993, p.182
[xi] Add Mss 137
[xii] Berrow’s Worcester Journal 24th August 1895.
[xiii] Berrow, “One of the Old School, Solid, and Good, and a gentleman”: William Done of Worcester Cathedral 1844-1895”, p.4
[xiv] Add Mss 141, p.25; Berrow’s Worcester Journal 24th August 1895.
[xv] Berrow’s Worcester Journal 24th August 1895.
[xvi] Add Mss 141, p.25
[xvii] Add Mss 141, p.26
[xviii] WCM A405 (1931).
[xix] Philip Barrett, Barchester – English Cathedral Life in the Nineteenth Century, SPCK, London 1993, p.172
[xx] Add Mss 137
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