Hugh Percy Allen

ALLEN, (Sir) Hugh Percy. b. Reading, Berkshire, 23 December 1869; d. Oxford, 20 February 1946. He was a gifted child who took on his first appointment as organist of St Saviour’s, Reading, at the age of 11 and later in the parishes of Tilehurst (1884) and Eversley (1886). For a short time he was also assistant music master at Wellington College (1887). He took organ lessons from Frederick John Read, organist of Christ Church, Reading. Read was appointed organist of Chichester Cathedral in 1887 and took Allen with him as assistant. Allen remained in the post until 1892 after which he went up to Christ’s College, Cambridge, as organ scholar. In 1893 he took his Oxford BMus degree and his BA...