Feast of Herbert Stanley Oakeley (October 26)

Above:  Edinburgh from the Castle, Between 1890 and 1900

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsc-07583

Published by the Detroit Publishing Company in 1905

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HERBERT STANLEY OAKELEY (JULY 22, 1830-OCTOBER 26, 1903)

Composer

Herbert Stanley Oakeley was the son of the Reverend Sir Herbert Oakeley, the Anglican Vicar of Ealing then the Dean of Bocking then the Archdeacon of Colchester.  Our saint, educated at Rugby then at Christ Church, Oxford, then at Dresden then at Leipzig then at Bonn, worked as a music reporter for The Guardian for a time.  By 1865, when he became the Reid Chair of Music at the University of Edinburgh, he was already a composer and an organist.  Yet his appointment caused a controversy due to the Reid Chair’s duties of conducting the Reid Concerts, major events.  As Reid Chair our saint promoted what he considered good music and favored the restoration of the organ to church music.  (The Church of Scotland lifted its bar on the organ in the late 1800s.)  Oakeley received ten honorary doctorates, became a Sir in 1876 and composer to Queen Victoria five years later.  He retired in 1891.

Oakeley composed works for piano, orchestra, and the human voice.  Among the hymn tunes he wrote were “Abends” and “Dominica.”

Oakeley glorified God via music–a wonderful way to accomplish that purpose.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 24, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

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Eternal God, light of the world and Creator of all that is good and lovely:

We bless your name for inspiring Herbert Stanley Oakeley

and all who with music have filled us with desire and love for you;

through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit

lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 29:14b-19

Psalm 90:14-17

2 Corinthians 3:1-3

John 21:15-17, 24-25

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 728

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