Sir Harrison Birtwistle

[Atarah]

Hi, John and his family went to the chapel that is at the top of Chapel Street in Ossy. Sorry, the name of it just escapes me for the minute.
Atarah

[garinda]

Thanks Atarah, that was Mount Pleasant, now Rhyddings Methodist.

[barnsie]

I have some Birwistles married to Barnes. Just found a Harrison Birtwistle in the 1891 census, son of William....obviously not the same fellow, still Lancs. though.
My Birtwistles were Robert and Susan (Ashworth) of Accrington late 18th century.

[Lance]

Originally Posted by keith

My wifes maiden name was birtwistle and was born in wiswell nr whalley I wonder if she is related

Harrison Birtwistle (Don't you dare call him Harry** lived in Huncoat with his parents. He failed at teaching me to lay clarinet, I think I got him a little interested in Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmon, he enjoyed their counterpoint playing.
He was a member of one of the bands which used to march [and play] in the Whit Sunday processions.
We went o Paris together (1953) he wished to visit Debussy's grave.
His house was up a side lane to the right just after the pub, not the Griffin.

[garinda]

Sir Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur is currently showing on BBC2, and it also features another local singing the lead role, Sir John Tomlinson.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by garinda

also features another local singing the lead role, Sir John Tomlinson.

Who used to live in my house years ago.

Now if the Secretary and Events organiser of Friends of Rhyddings Park was any good at her job she might have contacted him and persuaded him to return to his roots for a slot at next Sundays musical event in Rhyddings Park. free of charge of course

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Neil

Who used to live in my house years ago.

Now if the Secretary and Events organiser of Friends of Rhyddings Park was any good at her job she might have contacted him and persuaded him to return to his roots for a slot at next Sundays musical event in Rhyddings Park. free of charge of course

Well its 17 and a half hours since you posted that Neil, guess Gayle hasn't been on line yet today

[Bob Dobson]

I have just had a note from a Grammar school Old Boy, Kenneth Ball to say that he and his wife Mary, a High School girl, had attended the new opera 'Minotaur' at Covent garden and felt at home in the presence of the composer ( Sir Harrison Birtwistle) and the lead singer (Sir John Tomlinson).
I was contacted a year or so ago by a lady who is writing a biography of the man she called Harry. These two aren't the only Grammar school knights - we have Sir Kenneth Barnes too. I have been told that I have been put forward for an honour from the Queen - ' for services tio the brewing industry'

[StevenWaling]

Fantastic composer. Fully deserves his recognition, frankly.

[philnewt]

Originally Posted by Accy-mad

Just joined having only discovered the Accrington Web yesterday -unfortunately, thinking I was being terribly original, I have chosen a name that is already used, albeit written in a slightly different case, so forgive me, the other "accymad". Now about Harry Birtwistle - and yes, that is his real name, my grandfather always referred to him as Harry and it seems that was always his name until he went posh. Also some reference books list him as "Harrison Paul Birtwistle" but I can assure you that he was registered at birth as just plain old Harry.(But his mother's maiden name was Harrison so I suppose we should allow him the right to use it!). My mother thinks his mother came from Cheshire.
Sadly, Harry seems rather to resist too much probing about our beloved "Accy" ; in interviews his remarks may be judged as, at best, scathing about the town that in fact gave him the musical background that enabled him to go to music college. His references to his time in local amateur orchestras is remembered by him as his not having realised at the time how bad they were, which is a bit rich when one of those orchestras,The Robert Cunliffe Orchestra,( a long-standing institution run by the New Jerusalem Church, Abbey Street with financial support from philanthropic business men in the town) produced many young people who went on to be respected professional musicians (mentioning two only -John Ayre, who was 1st horn with the Halle and Marion Ayre, oboist with the BBC Scottish Symphony ).
By the way, to the contributor who thought that having the name Birtwistle meant they were probably related may be disappointed - in the 1881 Census there were 1816 Birtwistles in Lancashire, most of whom were in the Hyndburn, Blackburn, Colne area with a few towards Manchester - multiply that by the degree of increase in the population and anybody doing family history in the Accy area will probably come across a Birtwistle ! (Making us all related I suppose!!)

I conducted the Robert Cunliffe Orchestra 1969 to 71 and the Amateurs and the Accy Male Voice choir
From the people in it(RCO) and the BBC Halle Northers players recruited from it and played with it from the 1890s and its library and records
going back to then, it would be safe to say it was a worthy "sattelite" pro/am group
of high standard in relation to the RLPO and Halle of those days.Such is/were/was the tradition of NW musicical valleys/life similar to S WAles mining areas.Cotton and mining ndustry and churches of the area contributed much to music making.Robert Aspden got me the job when I set up the Sandy Lane Music (FE Coll) dept.
best
Phil Newton B Mus

[violet]

i myself dont know much well anything about this fellow but my husband went to school with him st johns & the grammer he calls him bertie i do believe his parents had a bakers very near to either maudsley st or burnley rd my hubbie says he wasnt odd at this time but watching him once i wouldnt agree but hell wish i was as rich as him violet

[violet]

had another word with my hubby he wasnt called bertie they called him shirt his mum had a shop in hood st acci my hubby says he had the most high pitched laugh & he was u would call chunky also did he go to acci grammer ??? violet

[Bob Dobson]

V. He did go to Accrington Grammar School.
I am having a job remembering a shop in Hood St.
I have sent you a PM.

[lindsay ormerod]

Well, there you go, I think his music is bloody awful, and believe me I've heard some crap! Thumbs up to the the real talent of John Tomlinson though!

[Bernard Dawson]

Originally Posted by Bob Dobson

V. He did go to Accrington Grammar School.
I am having a job remembering a shop in Hood St.
I have sent you a PM.

I can't remember one either Bob.