Herbert Sumsion

Herbert Whitton Sumsion (14 January 1899 – 11 August 1995) was an English musician who was organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1928 to 1967. Through his leadership role with the Three Choirs Festival, Sumsion maintained close associations with major figures in England’s 20th-century musical renaissance, including Edward Elgar, Herbert Howells, Gerald Finzi, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Although Sumsion is known primarily as a cathedral musician, his professional career spanned more than 60 years and encompassed composing, conducting, performing, accompanying, and teaching. His compositions include works for choir and organ, as well as lesser-known chamber and orchestral works. Biography Training and early career Sumsion was born in Gloucester, a cathedral city on the River Severn. In 1908, at the age of nine, he became a Probationer in the choir at the cathedral there, which was then under the direction of Herbert Brewer. After two years, Sumsion became a full Chorister and sang with the choir until 1914. From 1911 to 1915 he was organist at Ashleworth, a small village six miles from Gloucester, responsible for the church choir and the “organ blower” for a fee of £5 a quarter, qui