Anthony Bernard

Anthony Bernard (25 January 1891 – 6 April 1963) was an English conductor, organist, pianist and composer.

Early life

He was born Alan Charles Butler, apparently the son of a Thames lighterman. But he changed his name by deed poll in 1919 according to the National Archives. Further family research has uncovered the fact he was an illegitimate child of the Edwardian band leader Thomas Bidgood and Rosetta Casselden. Another of Thomas Bidgood's sons was the dance band leader Harry Bidgood (Also known as Primo Scala.)

He studied with Joseph Holbrooke, John Ireland, Leonard Borwick and Sir Granville Bantock. He was appointed organist at St. Augustine's, Ramsgate in 1910. He worked in some other churches, and also became well known as an accompanist to singers, such as Muriel Foster, who retained him for the rest of her career, and John Coates.

Career

In 1921 he was one of the people at a luncheon convened by Sir Edward Elgar, the other invitees being Arthur Bliss, Eugene Goossens, John Ireland, Adrian Boult, and W. H. "Billy" Reed, leader of the London Symphony Orchestra. The purpose of the meeting turned out to be Elgar's suggestion that Bliss, Goossens and Herbert Howells each write a new piece for the 1922 Three Choirs Festival, to be held in Gloucester. Bliss's contribution was his A Colour Symphony. Goossens wrote Silence for chorus and orchestra. Howells wrote Sine Nomine for wordless chorus (which was not given its second performance until his centenary year 1992). Elgar's own contribution was his orchestration of Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 542.