University College Oxford Record 2020

of Manchester. In 1961 he took up the post of
Precentor at Manchester Cathedral, where his
musical, liturgical and pastoral skills were well
employed. This was followed by parish ministry in
the Diocese of Bangor. As Vicar of Dwygyfylchi
he began to appreciate more deeply the riches
of Welsh hymnody. His book Welsh Hymns and
Their Tunes (1990) remains an authoritative work
on the subject. Fittingly, it is dedicated to Enid and
to their children Ann, Gwilym, Robin and Hywel.
In 1979 a new chapter beckoned when
Alan was appointed Precentor and Sacrist of
Westminster Abbey. Here he advised the Dean
and Canons on all matters liturgical. He was an
ideal person to support the Abbey’s “Come
and Sing” sessions, a series of lunchtime lectures
on hymns. After thirteen years at the Abbey,
Alan was appointed as a Canon Residentiary of
Birmingham Cathedral, a post which he held for
four years prior to retirement in Cardiff.
Alan’s engagement with hymns no doubt
began at school and in the life of the local church.
Encouraged by Erik Routley, he attended the
Dunblane Consultations in Scotland,
and so began his fruitful journey with
hymns, both texts and tunes. In 1969
he was invited to lecture at the annual
conference of The Hymn Society on
“Welsh Hymns in English Books”. A
happy association with the Society
had begun. Alan served with much
distinction as Secretary of the Society
from 1972-87 and as Chairman from
1987-93; thereafter he served as Executive
Vice-President until 2014. He was subsequently
made an Honorary Vice-President.
Over the years, Alan’s contribution to the
Hymn Society Bulletin has been immense, with
over fifty articles to his name. Two Occasional
Papers are especially important reference points:
A Hymn Book Survey 1993-2003 and The Wit and
Wisdom of Percy Dearmer 1867-1936. He edited
Strengthen for Service (2005), a fine collection of
essays commemorating the centenary of The
English Hymnal. When the Choir of Kings College,
Cambridge was looking to launch its CD of Best
Loved Hymns in 2001, Alan was invited to write a
brief introduction to each hymn.
In the late 1980s Alan began to write hymn
texts with the typically modest caveat that it
would be for others to decide whether the
results were useful. Fifteen of his texts appeared
in Come Celebrate (2009).
Alan’s love and appreciation of the choral
tradition was well known and perhaps he was
happiest in the knowledge that others could
engage in the joy of singing and making music,
especially when that achieved the ultimate aim
of praising God. All who knew Alan valued his
counsel, his wisdom, and his friendship. He was a
towering figure who gave so much to hymnody
and to church music in general.
1948:
HAROLD GARNAR READING
(Aldenham School) died on 13
October 2019 aged 95. He came
up to Univ to read Forestry, but
changed to Geology after a year. This
is a shortened version of an obituary
which appeared on the website of
the Department of Earth Science,
as did the photograph, and both are
reproduced by permission:
The Department announces with sadness
that Harold Reading passed away peacefully last
week. His legacy in the world of sedimentology
is immense, having inspired many generations of
University College Record | October 2020 61