# Edward Higginbottom > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edward_Higginbottom > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edward_Higginbottom.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Higginbottom > Source revision: 1344410829 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English choirmaster (born 1946)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Edward Higginbottom | honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|FRCO}} | image = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|11|16|df=yes}} | birth_place = [Kendal](/source/Kendal){{cite web|last1=Carson|first1=Ian|title=Higginbottom, Edward|url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/42800?q=higginbottom&search=quick&source=omo_gmo&pos=1&_start=1|website=Grove Music Online|accessdate=26 August 2015}} | origin = | death_date = | death_place = | genre = [Choral music](/source/Choral_music) | occupation = [Musicologists](/source/Musicology), [Organist](/source/Organist), [Choirmaster](/source/Conducting) | instrument = [Pipe Organ](/source/Pipe_Organ) | years_active = 1970- | label = Novum | website = }} '''Edward Higginbottom''' (born 16 November 1946, [Kendal](/source/Kendal)) is a music scholar, organist, choirmaster and conductor.{{cite web|title=Professor Edward Higginbottom Emeritus Fellow, New College|url=http://www.music.ox.ac.uk/about/people/academic-staff/emeritus-fellows/edward-higginbottom/|website=New College Oxford|accessdate=26 August 2015|archive-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018063653/http://www.music.ox.ac.uk/about/people/academic-staff/emeritus-fellows/edward-higginbottom/|url-status=dead}} Most of his career has been as organist at [New College, Oxford](/source/New_College%2C_Oxford), where he led their choir for more than 35 years and produced a large number of choral recordings. ==Musical biography== thumb|Montiverdi Vespers New College Before moving on to [St Mary's Church](/source/St_Mary's_Church%2C_Warwick) in Warwick, Edward was a chorister at his local parish church where he started playing the organ. Edward completed his undergraduate and graduate training as organ scholar of [Corpus Christi College, Cambridge](/source/Corpus_Christi_College%2C_Cambridge), where he developed a particular interest in French [baroque music](/source/baroque_music){{cite web|title=Edward Higginbottom (Conductor)|url=https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Higginbottom-Edward.htm|website=Bach Cantatas|accessdate=26 August 2015}} and became a Fellow of the [Royal College of Organists](/source/Royal_College_of_Organists). He toured regularly in France at that time as director of the Cambridge University Purcell Society. As a graduate student, he spent time in France (1970–1972), studying the organ with [Marie-Claire Alain](/source/Marie-Claire_Alain) while working on his doctoral thesis.{{Cite web|title=The liturgy and French classical organ music: a study of the liturgical background to organ music in France during the 17th and 18th centuries.|url=http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/search?vid=44CAM_PROD&lang=en_US&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,(UkCU)9492-manuscrpdb&search_scope=default_scope&sortby=rank|last=Higginbottom|first=Edward|date=|website=idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-05-02}} He was appointed as the Organist and Director of Music at [New College, Oxford](/source/New_College%2C_Oxford) in 1976. While the main role of the choir is to provide liturgical music for worship, Edward went further, organizing economically viable choir tours and a broad set of musical recordings. By doing so, he "has helped the cause of such institutions through a period when financial constraints and changes in social attitudes have threatened choral foundations". In 1990 he was made an officer, and subsequently a ''Commandeur'' of the [Ordre des Arts et des Lettres](/source/Ordre_des_Arts_et_des_Lettres) by the [French Ministry of Culture](/source/French_Ministry_of_Culture) for "his role in the revival of choir schools in France and support of French cultural activities". In 2010 he formed a new recording label for the Choir, novum, and the choir began experimenting with weekly webcasting of their [Evensong](/source/Evening_Prayer_(Anglican)) services.{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Charlotte|title=Edward Higginbottom and the Choir of New College, Oxford announce new recording label|url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/edward-higginbottom-and-the-choir-of-new-college-oxford-announce-new-recording-|accessdate=26 August 2015|agency=Gramophone|date=26 July 2010}} Retiring from New College in 2014, he continues his musical career as a freelancer. He is the principal conductor of an Oxford ensemble called [Instruments of Time and Truth](/source/Instruments_of_Time_and_Truth).{{cite news|last1=Lisle|first1=Nicola|title=Frustration spurred on new Oxford orchestra|url=https://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/music/classical/13364438.Frustration_spurred_on_new_Oxford_orchestra/|accessdate=20 November 2016|work=The Oxford Times|date=2 July 2015}} In spite of his retirement, however, he was named in March 2019 as the Director of Chapel Music at [St Peter's College, Oxford](/source/St_Peter's_College%2C_Oxford) for the 2019/20 academic year, pending the appointment of a successor to [Jeremy Summerly](/source/Jeremy_Summerly) in 2020.{{cite web|title=Edward Higginbottom appointed new Director of Music|url=https://www.spc.ox.ac.uk/news/edward-higginbottom-appointed-new-director-music|website=St Peter's College, Oxford|accessdate=13 September 2019|archive-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013051738/https://www.spc.ox.ac.uk/news/edward-higginbottom-appointed-new-director-music|url-status=dead}} ==Personal life== Edward and his wife Caroline have 7 adult children,{{cite news|last1=Woodforde|first1=Giles|title=Choir director Edward Higginbottom to step down after 38 years|url=http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/features/11170081.Edward_Higginbottom__four_decades_of_direction/|accessdate=26 August 2015|date=24 April 2014}} including his son (who was also a chorister) Orlando, better known professionally as [Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs](/source/Totally_Enormous_Extinct_Dinosaurs), an animal chiropractor, a jeweller, a doctor, a teacher, a timpanist, and a writer.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025|reason=not sure if all these vocations are of one child or all seven. couldn't find this information in given link}} An early episode of ITV's [Inspector Morse](/source/Inspector_Morse_(TV_series)) featured a character based on Edward Higginbottom (although the suspect, and his obsession with Spangles and Trebor Mints, bears no similarity to the real Edward Higginbottom). ==Recordings== Recent recordings include: {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Title!! Composer !! Performers !! Year |- | Music for Salzburg Cathedral|| [Mozart](/source/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart) || Choir of New College Oxford, Collegium Novum || 2013 |- | Musique sacrée|| [Charpentier](/source/Marc-Antoine_Charpentier) || Choir of New College Oxford, Oxford Baroque || 2013 |- | Britten, The Sacred Choral Music|| [Benjamin Britten](/source/Benjamin_Britten) || Choir of New College Oxford|| 2013 |- | Haydn, Nelson Mass|| [Joseph Haydn](/source/Joseph_Haydn) || Choir of New College Oxford, New Century Baroque, Jonty Ward, Hugh Cutting, Nick Pritchard, Tom Edwards || 2012 |- | Illumina: Music of Light|| [Mahler](/source/Gustav_Mahler), [Rutter](/source/John_Rutter), Bach and others|| Choir of New College Oxford|| 2012 |- | Francois Couperin, Exultent superi|| [Francois Couperin](/source/Fran%C3%A7ois_Couperin) || Soloists of the Choir of New College Oxford, Collegium Novum|| 2011 |- | W. A. Mozart, Requiem|| [Mozart](/source/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart)|| Choir of New College Oxford, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment|| 2011 |- | Claudio Monteverdi, Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610|| [Claudio Monteverdi](/source/Claudio_Monteverdi) || Nicholas Mulroy, Thomas Hobbs, Thomas Raskin, Choir of New College Oxford, Charivari Agreable|| 2010 |- | J S Bach, [Motets](/source/Motets_(Bach)) || [Bach](/source/Johann_Sebastian_Bach) || Choir of New College Oxford|| 2009 |- | The Victorian and Edwardian Anthem|| [Elgar](/source/Edward_Elgar), [Parry](/source/Hubert_Parry), [Stainer](/source/John_Stainer) and others|| Choir of New College Oxford, Nicholas Wearne, David Newsholme|| 2008 |- | Nicholas Ludford, Missa Benedicta & antiennes votives|| [Nicholas Ludford](/source/Nicholas_Ludford) || Choir of New College Oxford|| 2008 |- | Haydn, The Creation|| [Joseph Haydn](/source/Joseph_Haydn) || Lawson, Muller, Stout, Choir of New College Oxford, Oxford Philomusica|| 2008 |- | Evensong at New College Oxford|| Harris, Coward, Stanford and others|| Choir of New College Oxford, Nicholas Wearne, Robert Patterson, Jane Shaw|| 2008 |- | The Art of the Chorister|| Mendelssohn, Couperin, Mozart and others|| The Choristers of New College Oxford, Collegium Novum String Ensemble, Collegium Novum Baroque Strings|| 2008 |- | Poulenc and his French Contemporaries|| [Poulenc](/source/Francis_Poulenc), Francis/Messiaen, Olivier/Villiette, Pierre|| Choir of New College Oxford, David Newsholme, Nicholas Wearne|| 2006 |- | Macmillan and his British Contemporaries|| [Macmillan](/source/James_MacMillan), Anderson, Dove and others || Choir of New College Oxford, Robert Patterson, Nicholas Wearne|| 2006 |- | Handel, Messiah (1751 Version)|| Handel|| Jenkinson, Jones, Brookes, Davies, Spence, Dougan, Choir of New College Oxford, The Academy of Ancient Music|| 2006 |- | Copland and his American Contemporaries|| Copland, Hailstork, Stravinsky and others|| Choir of New College Oxford|| 2006 |- | The Georgian Anthem|| Wesley, Crotch, Battishill and others || Choir of New College Oxford|| 2004 |- | J S Bach, St John Passion|| [Bach](/source/Johann_Sebastian_Bach) || Gilchrist, Bernays, Dougan, Bowman, Beale, Baldy, Littlewood, Choir of New College Oxford, Collegium Novum|| 2003 |} ==Publications related to music== Edward Higginbottom has edited music by François Couperin and Michel Corrette, and written articles on French Baroque music. * "Organ Music and the liturgy", Cambridge Companion to the Organ{{cite book|editor1-last=Thistlethwaite|editor1-first=Nicholas|editor2-last=Webber|editor2-first=Geoffrey|title=The Cambridge companion to the organ|series=[Cambridge Companions to Music](/source/Cambridge_Companions_to_Music)|date=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, U.K.|isbn=0521575842|edition=7th print.}} * "The French classical organ school", Cambridge Companion to the Organ ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.newcollegechoir.com/ Choir of New College, Oxford] * [http://www.newcollegechoir.com/novum.html Novum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045259/http://www.newcollegechoir.com/novum.html |date=4 March 2016 }} * [https://www.last.fm/music/Choir+of+New+College+Oxford%2FEdward+Higginbottom Last FM, Choir of New College] * [http://www.timeandtruth.co.uk/ Instruments of Time and Truth] * {{youTube|id=cODdMJSpo8g|title=Higgi, Inspiring Voices - Teaser}} * {{YouTube|OvHUgnLXueQ|My New College Moment - Edward Higginbottom, 2020}} {{s-start}} {{s-culture}} {{s-bef|before=[David Lumsden](/source/David_Lumsden_(musician))}} {{s-ttl|title=[Organist and Master of the Choristers](/source/Director_of_Music) of [New College, Oxford](/source/New_College%2C_Oxford) |years=1976–2014}} {{s-aft|after=[Robert Quinney](/source/Robert_Quinney)}} {{end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Higginbottom, Edward}} Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Cathedral organists Category:English classical composers Category:Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:Fellows of New College, Oxford Category:20th-century English musicians Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Organists Category:Organists of New College, Oxford Category:21st-century organists --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Edward Higginbottom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Higginbottom) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Higginbottom?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.