Tributes to Kenneth Beard
03/11/10 12:15 Filed in: Ken Beard
'Moving to Southwell in 1959, Kenneth assumed the onerous responsibilities of two jobs, both of which had previously been full-time posts: as Rector Chori, directing the cathedral’s music, and as Head of Music at the Minster Grammar School, where his gifts were to benefit many hundreds of pupils. He also found the time and the energy to make a wider contribution to school life, including taking part in the annual school summer camp.
A particular highlight, and one that Kenneth would reflect on with warm satisfaction for many years afterwards, was a performance in 1976 of Haydn’s The Creation, involving all the school’s musical forces. In 1984, he directed the music at the service of the Royal Maundy, held in Southwell Minster during the centenary year of the foundation of the diocese.
Kenneth, who never married, had a succession of dogs, which, being large and barely trained, would invariably lead the way on walks. Later in his career, a house in Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, provided easy access to the walks and the scenery he loved, and became a place of hospitality and retreat on the days off which he eventually allowed himself.
Retiring from Southwell in 1988, Kenneth moved to Mold, North Wales, to become organist of the parish church. From there he moved to Baslow, Derbyshire, where he lived with his late sister, Muriel. He greatly valued his many friends, and remained in close touch with a large number of former pupils, happily offering generous support. As a man of deep faith and exceptional musicality, Kenneth never sought the limelight or reward beyond a job well done. In 2008, however, he was awarded the Cross of St Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury in recognition of his service to church music.
On the day of the presentation, Kenneth, in typically self-effacing style, expressed his admiration for the achievements of his fellow recipients, while downplaying his own. The Archbishop’s citation, however, left no one in any doubt about the magnitude of Kenneth’s legacy: it told a story of fine musicianship, of devoted service, and of the quiet but determined living out of deeply held Christian principles.
A mark of the esteem in which he was held was that, in his final years, during a long illness, he lived in Retford, Nottinghamshire, in the care of the family of two of his former Southwell choristers.'
An extract from the Church Times recent Obituary
More References and Obituaries can be found in the following
Church Times
Wikipedia
This Is Nottingham
Kcoa
The Times
Newark Advertiser
A particular highlight, and one that Kenneth would reflect on with warm satisfaction for many years afterwards, was a performance in 1976 of Haydn’s The Creation, involving all the school’s musical forces. In 1984, he directed the music at the service of the Royal Maundy, held in Southwell Minster during the centenary year of the foundation of the diocese.
Kenneth, who never married, had a succession of dogs, which, being large and barely trained, would invariably lead the way on walks. Later in his career, a house in Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, provided easy access to the walks and the scenery he loved, and became a place of hospitality and retreat on the days off which he eventually allowed himself.
Retiring from Southwell in 1988, Kenneth moved to Mold, North Wales, to become organist of the parish church. From there he moved to Baslow, Derbyshire, where he lived with his late sister, Muriel. He greatly valued his many friends, and remained in close touch with a large number of former pupils, happily offering generous support. As a man of deep faith and exceptional musicality, Kenneth never sought the limelight or reward beyond a job well done. In 2008, however, he was awarded the Cross of St Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury in recognition of his service to church music.
On the day of the presentation, Kenneth, in typically self-effacing style, expressed his admiration for the achievements of his fellow recipients, while downplaying his own. The Archbishop’s citation, however, left no one in any doubt about the magnitude of Kenneth’s legacy: it told a story of fine musicianship, of devoted service, and of the quiet but determined living out of deeply held Christian principles.
A mark of the esteem in which he was held was that, in his final years, during a long illness, he lived in Retford, Nottinghamshire, in the care of the family of two of his former Southwell choristers.'
An extract from the Church Times recent Obituary
More References and Obituaries can be found in the following
Church Times
Wikipedia
This Is Nottingham
Kcoa
The Times
Newark Advertiser