Sowerbutts

I had thought to have a rumination today on growth & change & how in times of stress reactionary elements in society always resort to the same tactics, burning books, attacking the weakest of the weak, etc., such thoughts inspired by these photos from early spring (11.March.2011 - there is one possible Martian thrown in the mix), the movie Dangerous Beauty, some US reactions to Harry Potter & by today's Catholic Church, but this posting to a thread on odd names in the music librarianship listserv was just too good to pass up:

Lieutenant J.A. Sowerbutts, London Rifle Brigade, has been awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous bravery in a recent fight near Ypres. Lieutenant Sowerbutts is A.R.A.M., F.R.C.O., was Stainer Exhibitioner in 1911, proxime accessit Mendelssohn Scholarship 1912, won the Oliveria Prescott Prize in 1912, and was appointed assistant music master at Winchester College in 1914. He joined the Hampshire Regiment as a private and received his commission last year.

He went on to be organist of Holy Trinity, Guildford, beginning in 1924. In 1927 that church became the Pro-Cathedral of the Diocese of Guildford. He served there until 1946. He was secretary of the Royal College of Organists (don't have the dates for that), and one of the College's prizes is now named for him. His songs, church and organ music were published by Novello and Stainer & Bell. He taught harmony and counterpoint at the Royal Academy of Music (see Peter Mountain's Scraping a Living for a description of his pedagogical technique).

Much cooler today, thank the goddess. We seem always to go from 50 to 80+ with nothing in between. The rest of this holiday weekend, unfortunately, forecast to be mid 80F with high humidity. Blech.