Tony Hewitt-Jones(1926-1989)

Tony Hewitt-Jones was born in London in 1926. He won scholarships to Westminster School and to Christ Church, Oxford where he studied under Dr.Bernard Rose. He moved to Cheltenham in 1954 and, after a few years teaching, became the Assistant County Music Adviser and then County Music Organiser for Gloucestershire. His work included conducting and accompanying choirs, conducting orchestras, singing, playing the organ or harpsichord and composing for every type of occasion whether a brass fanfare for the opening of the Severn Bridge by the Queen or a wedding march for a friend or relative. Of his 200 or more compositions, music for voices takes up a large proportion of his output which includes songs, chamber music, music for strings, organ, woodwind and brass. His Trumpet Concerto (published by Goodmusic) was performed by the Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra in 1986 and was his last major work before he died in 1989. Over the years he had been in constant demand as a composer. He was popular, warm-hearted, and highly entertaining with his Elizabethan beard (which formed part of his distinctive signature!), and always generous with his time. His compositional style could be tough and harmonically in keeping with the last quarter of the twentieth century but it was based on traditional practicality for performance by amateurs as well as by professionals. Although he battled against periods of depression and, latterly, cancer of the bone, he continued to write up till the end and his last anthem "Out of the Deep" was performed at his funeral in October 1989.