Eric Harding Thiman was an Englishcomposer, conductor and organist. The surname is pronounced 'tea-man'. By 1939 he was considered one of the leading non-conformist organists in England.
Life
Thiman was born in Ashford, Kent, England. Largely self-taught, he was awarded a fellow of the Royal College of Organists in 1921, and a doctor of music in 1928. From 1930 he was Professor of Harmony at the Royal Academy of Music and later, from 1956 to 1962, was Dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of London. He toured Australia in August 1951 to conduct examinations for the Australian Musical Examinations Board. From 1958, having moved from Park Chapel, he was organist of the City Temple in London, a Congregational church. He was a keen advocate of amateur music-making and in the 1960s was the conductor and Musical Director of the Purley Choral Society, which performed his Spring garland in 1964. The choir, which changed its name to The Chandos Choir in 1969, performed his Go, lovely rose in 2012. He wrote much educational music for piano and other instruments, as well as music for church choirs, some of which is still performed. He is best remembered for his short passion cantata, The last Supper, which sets texts from the gospels of Matthew and John and hymns by St Thomas Aquinas, Charles Wesley and Johann Franck. Thiman's list of published works numbers about 1,300. These include a large number of part songs and many anthems and carols. Most of his church music was written for the non-conformist churches, but he also wrote anthems and canticles for Church of England choirs. It was considered he was strongly influenced by Edward Elgar. He composed some lighter songs under the name Eric Harding, one of which was published when he was only fifteen. He was conductor of the Elysian Concert Society that performed at Hornsey Town Hall, The City Temple and other venues in London. Thiman died in 1975.
Works
An archive of his music, The Eric Thiman Collection, was set up in 2014 in the choir library of Southwell Minster. Some of Thiman's musical compositions include:
Apple blossom, from poem by Will H. Ogilvie
A clean wind blowing, from poem by Will H. Ogilvie
Highland scenes. Stated to consist of five short piano numbers of moderate difficulty, commencing with 'By rock-bound coast', a mistful 'Evening on Skye', bright and rhythmic 'Celtic tune', an expressive 'In the heather', finishing with the Scottish melodies of 'At the highland gathering'.
Thiman wrote Varied harmonies to hymn tunes: A short practical treatice, and was also the musical director of the Congregational Hymn Book to be published in 1951.
