Owen P. Franklin

Owen Franklin

Residents Encouraged to Take PRIDE
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Owen Franklin
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I am presently doing some research into the life of Owen Franklin who was organist at Doncaster Parish Church from 1947 until 1957.He formed the Doriah Choir and coached a succession of quality boy choristers until he left Doncaster to become Director of Music at Heathfield School, Ascot and Ascot Parish Church.

O P Franklin
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Owen Franklin was born on 14 August 1905, making him 19 years old when he took up his appointment as Organist and Choirmaster of St. Alban's Holborn in January 1925. Born in London, he was educated at Tollington School N10 and Taunton School.
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Owen was compelled to use his full name while a student at the Royal Academy of Music as there was another Owen Franklin studying there at the same time. At the Academy he won prizes every year for both piano and organ. A modest man, he said in later life that his performances would have won nothing forty years on as standards had risen so much.

A newspaper article written in 1954 tells us that Owen Franklin's ambition from the age of 12 was to be a church organist. The article continues 'The son of a leather wholesaler, he derived his musical aptitude from his mother, a first-class pianist. Like most middle-class boys of the period he went to music lessons. But unlike the others, he found he enjoyed them. The only point about lessons which irked him was the fact that he was learning the piano when his hands were itching to play the organ. Eventually youth had its way, and at 12 years of age he switched instruments. His playing matured swiftly and, while at school in Taunton, he became chapel organist. In his last term at school - he was then 16 - he won two scholarships which sent him to the London Royal Academy.
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In an article in the Parish Magazine for February 1925 written, I think, by Owen Franklin, he comments that 'When a descant to a hymn is sung, the congregation should be especially careful to sing the hymn-tune and not the descant. Tallis' familiar Festal Responses heard today in so many Anglican Cathedrals are a descant. The true melody is in the tenor part, and is the same as that to which the Responses are sung in St. Alban's. But most people quite wrongly sing the descant, "the tune on the top" instead of the real Response beneath. The beautiful effect planned by Tallis is thus quite lost.'

A series of articles by Gilbert Benham entitled Interesting London Organs, written during Owen Franklin's period of office, comments thus, concerning St. Alban's: 'Unfortunately there is no choir school, with the result that the whole resources of the parish have to be drawn upon, aided by all the outside help that is available.
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A long article about Gibbons appeared in the Parish Magazine, probably written by Owen Franklin.
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Mr. Franklin joined us there, but Mr Dykes Bower was unfortunately unable to go with us.
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At three o'clock we re-embarked onto the "Yarmouth Belle", fortified by large supplies of Clacton rock kindly presented by Mr. Franklin's father and mother, who by great good luck were staying at Clacton, and met us on our arrival.
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OWEN FRANKLIN,
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ORGAN RECITALS: 'Our Organist, Mr. Owen Franklin, will give two recitals during November.
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'I regret to tell you that our Organist, Mr. Owen Franklin, is leaving us at the end of September, as he has accepted an invitation to go on a musical tour in Canada. We shall all miss him and feel sorry at his departure, but he decides that he ought not to miss this opportunity while he is young, and although I am not in accord with his leaving us, I feel that I cannot over-persuade him and stand in his way, so I wish him every blessing and prosperity. I must find a successor, and I ask your prayers that the right and efficient Catholic organist may be found to help us in our worship'. The newspaper article, quoted at the beginning of this article, tells us that this was, in fact, a concert tour of both Canada and the United States, which lasted seven months. Owen always spoke fondly of his time at St. Alban's Holborn.
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Here Owen met Doris Mary Abey, a talented local soprano who regularly sang solos for York Musical Society of which Owen was Musical Director.
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Here Owen met Doris Mary Abey, a talented local soprano who regularly sang solos for York Musical Society of which Owen was Musical Director.
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Doris was offered a job with D'Oyley Carte, but chose to stay in York and marry Owen.
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G.D. Cunningham, George Thalben-Ball and many other eminent organists gave recitals there at Owen Franklin's invitation, and the BBC broadcast morning service from St. George's on several occasions.
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In about 1950 Owen wrote a service (possibly communion, possibly canticles).
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Owen left St. George's Minster in November 1957 to take up the position of Head of Music at Heathfield Girls' School, Ascot, Berks, and organist of Ascot Parish Church. Here at last there was no shortage of money. He produced a fine choir which performed Britten's Ceremony of Carols with Ossian Ellis at St. James' Sussex Gardens in London. His conducting style was never flamboyant, and his hands never moved more than twelve inches or so, but he got what he wanted. The intensity was in his stance, and this got everything for him.

Owen retired from Ascot at age 70 in 1975 and moved to Potters Bar to be nearer to his son Derek.
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Owen appears to have dropped the Byrd Mass for 4 voices from the repertoire. The only addition in his time seems to have been the Harwood Mass setting in A flat.

Owen P. Franklin

His successor, Owen Franklin, Organist 1946-57, produced an anthem or two and some Responses while the present Organist, Magnus Black, Organist from 1957 to 1994, has written service music and several organ works, including a Trio Sonata which has had several performances outside Doncaster.