Page 11 - LOTN Spring Issue 52 2023

FAITH IN ACTION
Cathedral organist

celebrates 50 years

at the keyboards

BY DR SHELAGH NODEN

aetare Sunday on March 19th this year provided an
additional reason to rejoice at St Mary’s Cathedral in
Aberdeen. The date marked 50 years in post for the
Lcathedral organist, Ronald Leith.
Ronald was born and bred in Aberdeen, and started playing
the organ at the age of 16, taught by Dennis Townhill, organist
at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. He played at
Skene Street Congregational Church, before leaving Aberdeen
to study with Ralph Downes and Nicholas Danby at the Royal
College of Music in London, where he also had harpsichord
lessons from Ruth Dyson. After graduating in 1970 he returned
to Aberdeen. In 1972 he won first prize in the National Organ
Competition, subsequently giving the first of several recitals
at the Royal Festival Hall in London. He also featured in the Ronald Leith
BBC Radio 3 series of organ recitals, in which he included some
pieces that were heard for the first time in Britain. cathedral on Laetare Sunday, to mark Ronald’s 50 years in post
Ronald first came to play at St Mary’s Cathedral at the request Ronald recalls that with the arrival of Bishop Mario Conti,
of one of his pupils, a young woman who occasionally played things began to change, and in addition to playing the organ
there. At that time there was no regular organist The cathedral he was required to act as Director of Music. There was still
no permanent choir, but for times such as Holy Week, Easter
administrator, Fr Charles McGregor, was obviously impressed
with what he heard, as he invited Ronald to take on the post and Christmas, singers were recruited to make up a small ad
His first Sunday as Cathedral organist was the Solemnity of St hoc group which performed quite challenging material, eg
Joseph, Monday March 19th 1973, and the celebrant was Fr Palestrina’s Missa Brevis. The 125th anniversary of the opening
Andrew McKillop. I asked what the music was on that occasion, of St Mary’s was celebrated in 1985, and Ronald composed
another Mass for that occasion. A large temporary choir was
but sadly there is no record.
At that time there was a small choir, led by Shaun Dillon. formed, accompanied by a brass ensemble as well as the organ.
Its repertoire included the Good Shepherd Mass by Fr Francis In the 1990s, a request was made by Gerald Cunningham
Duffy, and some compositions by Shaun Dillon himself. to reinstate the cathedral choir.This was granted, and the
Unfortunately, in the 1980s the choir was disbanded, and choir sang from the gallery under Ronald’s direction. One of
the members of that choir was Donna Kincaid, who joined in
cantors introduced, with advice from Fr David Trainer at Blairs
College. This was an attempt to follow the decrees of Vatican II 1992 and still sings with the choir today. I asked what sort of
as widely interpreted, and assist the congregation to participate things this choir sang. It seems that there was still a focus on
in the singing. Ronald took charge of the cantors, Gerald encouraging the congregation to sing hymns and some parts
Cunningham, Violet Dickie, John Everett, Morton Gauld, Jack of the Mass, rather than including any motets or other pieces
for choir alone. Bishop Mario was on the ICEL committee
Keelan, Peter Sims, Kieran Walsh and George Brand (now the
cathedral MC). They sang individually from the lectern at the (International Committee on English in the Liturgy) and
front of the church, and tried to encourage the congregation to brought back experimental psalm settings and alleluias, which
join in the hymns. George recalls ‘In true fashion and knowing Ronald tried out with the choir. One psalm, ‘My Shepherd is
as he did, the musical capabilities of each one of us, Ronald Lord’, was a particular favourite.
I asked Ronald what changes he had noticed during the course
would adjust his accompaniment to suit our differing styles,
giving us the confidence to deliver our best’ of his long career at St Mary’s. He said that the main difference
About this time Ronald wrote his Elphinstone Mass, with its is the cosmopolitan nature of the present-day congregation –
very splendid Grand Amen. Part of this Mass was chosen to be Poles, Filipinos, people from various parts of Africa and South
sung at Bellahouston in 1982 for the visit of Pope John Paul II. America and elsewhere – and they sing! He went on ‘The
challenges now as organist involve several tasks all at once –
At a church music conference in Norwich in the 1980s Ronald
met the composer Geoffrey Boulton Smith, who selected the reading the music I have to play - changing stops - looking at
Elphinstone Mass for inclusion in a new publication, ‘Music the conductor on the screen and keeping with her all at the
for the Mass’. The Mass in its entirety was heard again at the same time. Paying attention to what is going on. The present
choir is just great - such enthusiasm - and all mostly young,

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