NEWCASTLE'S MUSICAL HERITAGE AN INTRODUCTION By ...

CHAPTER FOUR
THE AGE OF ELEGANCE
Arthur Milner, who spent five years researching into Avison’s background in
the 1950s, stated in his subsequent articles on the composer, that Avison was
not the only professional musician working in the area. He went on to say that the
incompleteness of local records made it impossible for him to name more than
two of Avison’s colleagues, and even this information, he admitted, was only
gleaned from a marriage report and a dancing school advertisement both in the
local press. One of them was Cornforth Gelson, an eminent music master of the
town in 1751 (formerly of Edinburgh, 1744) and the other was Walter Claget, who
ran a school of dancing and music in 1757. Milner added that there must have
been more to provide Avison with an orchestra for his concerts. There were
indeed more but many of them would have been amateur musicians, such as Dr
Rotheram and Mrs Ord of Fenham and Ralph Beilby, the engraver. There was
also Thomas Wright, a famous clarionet player, who published a collection of
tunes adapted for the Northumbrian pipes. Avison also had a good friend in
support of his musical ventures in Dr Brown, who, when he became vicar of
Newcastle in 1761, is said to have zealously co-operated with his friend, the
celebrated Charles Avison, in reviving a taste for music in Newcastle. He added
a room to the vicarage-house for the accommodation of his musical friends at his
Sunday evening concerts. There are two other Newcastle musicians of this
period, who also held the prestigious post of organist at St Nicholas’, and what
we now know of them gives an interesting insight into what might have been the
typical career progression of these provincial church organist
musician/composers.
Matthias Hawdon was born in Newcastle in 1732 and died there on 19 th
March 1789. His father, Thomas Hawdon, was parish clerk at All Saints Church.
Matthias Horden was organist at Holy Trinity, (Hull) (1751-69) succeeding his
teacher William Avison, at Beverley Minster (1769-76) and, from December
1776, at St Nicholas’s Newcastle upon Tyne. In Newcastle he directed the
Subscription Concerts, assuming the duties previously undertaken by Charles
Avison, snr. and Edward Avison. In 1778 Hawdon conducted performances at a
four-day festival held in the Assembly Rooms, prominently featuring the music of
Handel. Hawdon composed a number of works including six sonatas Spirituel
and Voluntary which are said to be in the style wavering between Baroque and
Galant. His responsiveness to the senior Avison's musical influences is said to
show itself in the six Conversation Sonatas, Op 2 for harpsichord/pianoforte, 2 x
violins and violoncello, announced in 1778. Although at times displaying routine
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