Caleb Simper
Encyclopedia
Caleb Simper was an English
organist
and prolific composer
of choral and organ music.
Simper was born in the village of Barford St Martin
, Wiltshire
, the son of a shoemaker
. After a period in Worcester
, where he worked in a music shop near that was owned by the Elgar
family, he moved in the 1890s to Barnstaple
where he spent the remainder of his active life working as a choirmaster, organist and composer. In the last capacity he produced a prodigious amount of Anglican church music
and organ pieces, written in an unsophisticated, popular style and aimed at small parish choir
s and unskilled organists. Although ignored if not derided by critic
s, his anthem
s in particular became widely popular and were sold by his publisher
under the slogan
"Sung throughout the civilized world". Over five million copies had been sold by the 1920s and a few remain in print today, though Simper's musical style has long since fallen from fashion.
Today, some of Simper's music is still performed by church choirs. Amongst his greatest works are the cantatas, The Rolling Seasons and The Nativity of Christ. He wrote somewhere in the region of 200 pieces of organ music, mostly published in volumes entitled "Seventeen Voluntaries for the Organ, American Organ or Harmonium". Simper also published several miscellaneous works such as "The Silver Clarion", a march which exists in a version for organ and a version for pianoforte. His son, Roland Chalmers Simper was also a composer. Caleb Simper's music has always been most associated with parishes but one of his works was performed by Orly Watson in a 2010 organ recital at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
organist
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and prolific composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of choral and organ music.
Simper was born in the village of Barford St Martin
Barford St Martin
Barford St Martin, a Wiltshire village with 467 adult residents, is situated about two miles from Wilton, on the junction of the A30 and the B3089. Barford is known as one of the Nadder Valley villages, named for the River Nadder which flows through the village.-History:The history of Barford can...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, the son of a shoemaker
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
. After a period in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, where he worked in a music shop near that was owned by the Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
family, he moved in the 1890s to Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
where he spent the remainder of his active life working as a choirmaster, organist and composer. In the last capacity he produced a prodigious amount of Anglican church music
Anglican church music
Anglican church music is music that is written for liturgical performance in Anglican church services.Almost all of it is written for choir with or without organ accompaniment...
and organ pieces, written in an unsophisticated, popular style and aimed at small parish choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
s and unskilled organists. Although ignored if not derided by critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
s, his anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
s in particular became widely popular and were sold by his publisher
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
under the slogan
Advertising slogan
Advertising slogans are short, often memorable phrases used in advertising campaigns. They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product. A strapline is a British term used as a secondary sentence attached to a brand name...
"Sung throughout the civilized world". Over five million copies had been sold by the 1920s and a few remain in print today, though Simper's musical style has long since fallen from fashion.
Today, some of Simper's music is still performed by church choirs. Amongst his greatest works are the cantatas, The Rolling Seasons and The Nativity of Christ. He wrote somewhere in the region of 200 pieces of organ music, mostly published in volumes entitled "Seventeen Voluntaries for the Organ, American Organ or Harmonium". Simper also published several miscellaneous works such as "The Silver Clarion", a march which exists in a version for organ and a version for pianoforte. His son, Roland Chalmers Simper was also a composer. Caleb Simper's music has always been most associated with parishes but one of his works was performed by Orly Watson in a 2010 organ recital at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)
External links
- Brian Clegg, "Who was Caleb Simper?" The Church Music Site