Mrs. Phyllis Horne 1908 -1984 (Obituary)
Music Teacher
EJ 1984 transcribed by Tess Taylor
Mrs. Phyllis Horne, 10, Haysum’s Close, Chipping Campden, who died in the Ellen Badger Hospital, Shipston on Stour, on November 16th, was for many years a prominent personality in the musical life of Campden. Aged 76, she is survived by her husband, Mr. John Horne, well known as a local historian, whom she married in 1930.
As a licentiate of Trinity College of Music, she taught music part-time at Campden Grammar School for many years and was organist and choirmaster of St. James’s Parish Church from 1947 to 1973 and thereafter assistant organist. She had a long association with Blockley Choral Society, for which she served as a committee member for some time. She was accompanist for other choirs in the district, notably at Paxford, and was concerned in the organisation of various musical events. Until shortly before her final illness, Mrs. Horne still taught the piano to a select number of pupils. Besides taking an interest in other aspects of the town’s cultural life, she was also a Justice of the Peace. Mrs Horne’s only daughter, Joan Brearly, also a promising musician died in 1969.
Following a brief commital service at Oakley Wood Crematorium last Tuesday, the burial of ashes and memorial service took place at St.James’s Church last Thursday. The church choir led the hymns and sang a special anthem.
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Following a music lesson in the first form, I helped Mrs Horne collect & put away the song books. Praising my willingness to be of assistance, she continued by telling me how she knew which of her first year pupils had come from St. Catharine’s school, which was because we were the most polite & well mannered !
I vividly remember ‘Auntie Phyll’ as she and ‘Uncle Jack’ were friends of my parents and they lived at ‘Oaksey’, next door to Mum and Dad’s market garden on Aston Road. She taught me to play the piano, although I wasn’t very good as I hated practising, and then I remember music lessons with her at school later on, when she would embarrass me by calling me by my full name – Mary Rose – which I hated because my fellow pupils teased me. One year the school choir took part in the Three Choirs Festival at Gloucester Cathedral – I can still remember “Sound the Trumpets” by Henry Purcell!
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