Richard Lloyd

1933–2021

 

We were very sorry to hear of the death on Saturday 24 April of Richard Lloyd, organist of Hereford Cathedral from 1966 to 1974.

 

Richard was a chorister at Lichfield Cathedral (1942–7), a pupil at Rugby School and later organ scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge (1952–5). He was assistant organist of Salisbury Cathedral from 1957 to 1966, and took up the post of organist at Hereford Cathedral in October 1966, conducting his first Three Choirs Festival at Hereford the following year. In 1974 he was appointed organist of Durham Cathedral, and in 1985 returned to Salisbury as deputy headmaster of the cathedral school. Ill health brought about his early retirement from that post in 1988, following which he devoted much of his time to composition.

 

Many people will know his beautiful miniature View me, Lord, perhaps his best-known composition, which the cathedral choir sang as a tribute at the Cathedral Eucharist the morning after his death. This piece is also included in the Evensong which Hereford Cathedral Choir will be singing at this year’s Three Choirs Festival in Worcester on Saturday 31 July.

 

At last year’s Advent carol service the cathedral choir sang his beautiful setting of There is no Rose written recently for the Hereford-based chamber choir The Britten Singers, and world premiere recordings of two fine carols commissioned by the Clarke-Whitfeld Trust for the cathedral choir were included on its 2012 disc Christmas from Hereford.

 

Geraint Bowen, director of music at the cathedral said: ‘Richard’s death will be keenly felt throughout the world of Anglican church music, where he was much-loved and respected for his gifts as a choir-trainer, organist and composer. He was wonderfully generous and supportive of musical activities at the cathedral and we shall miss him greatly.’