Tony Hewitt-Jones - Choral Works and Complete Organ Music (Vivum Singers; Tom Winpenny)

Information

Composer: Tony Hewitt-Jones

• Fanfare
• At the round earth’s imagin’d corners
• Sonata for Organ (Missa Brevis)
• The Divine Image
• Whitsunday Processional
• Mass of the Reconciliation
• Wedding March
• Thou art Peter
• Rejoice and be merry
• Out of the deep
• Music for Joyful Occasions
• The Gloucester Service

Vivum Singers

Tom Winpenny, director & organ solo

Francesca Massey, organ accompaniment

Date: 2026

Label: Toccata Classics

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Many composers rooted in the English cathedral tradition remain underappreciated beyond liturgical circles, and Tony Hewitt-Jones is a compelling example. Although his sacred choral and organ works were tailored to specific liturgical contexts, they transcend these origins through a distinct freshness, rhythmic vitality, and individual voice. Hewitt-Jones’s expressive sound world shares striking affinities with prominent contemporaries like John Gardner, Kenneth Leighton, and William Mathias. This album highlights his craft, offering a broader audience the opportunity to rediscover a vibrant, highly sophisticated voice in twentieth-century English church music.

Born in London, English composer Tony Hewitt-Jones (1926–1989) studied at Christ Church, Oxford under Dr. Bernard Rose before settling in Cheltenham as County Music Organiser for Gloucestershire. A versatile performer and highly sought-after composer, his catalogue of over 200 works spans choral, vocal, chamber, orchestral, and organ music, culminating in his 1986 Trumpet Concerto. Celebrated for balancing modern harmonic language with traditional practical craftsmanship suitable for both amateurs and professionals, Hewitt-Jones composed steadfastly throughout his life despite severe health challenges, leaving a rich musical legacy that continues to be championed today.

Tom Winpenny is a British organist and choral director, formerly assistant master of the music at St Albans Cathedral and sub-organist at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. A trustee of the Royal College of Organists, he has performed internationally and frequently appeared on BBC Radio and American Public Media’s Pipedreams. A former organ scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, he twice accompanied A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. His extensive discography includes acclaimed Naxos recordings of works by Elgar, Schumann, Messiaen, Judith Bingham, and Francis Pott, as well as choral albums with the St Albans Cathedral Girls Choir.