Andrew Downes' Singing Career

An account by his wife and publisher, Cynthia Downes, posted on July 28th, 2024

Follow Cynthia Downes on Instagram to keep up-to-date with her blog posts.

From a very early age, Andrew had a beautiful treble voice.  Friends and neighbours used to ask him to sing them O for the Wings of a Dove, and gave him 'half a crown' for bringing tears to their eyes!

Here you can hear Andrew as a treble singing Handel's How beautiful are the feet by Handel:

His amazing voice was very quickly spotted by his Music teacher, Alvena Grant, at Aldridge Grammar School, and she asked Andrew to become a founder member of a new boys' choir which she was forming with her husband Peter: The Midland Boy Singers.  

Peter and Alvena Grant were Catholics, so the choir often sang for Catholic masses.  The plainsong which they sang had a profound effect on Andrew and inspired his compositions all his life.  The choir even sang to Pope Paul on an unforgettable trip to Rome.  The boys were each presented with a large medal by the Pope with a wonderful carving of the Last Supper within it.  When we were out at Andrew's premiere of The Marshes of Glynn on February 20, 1986, our house was burgled and the priceless Pope's medal was stolen.  I looked around medal collections at car boot sales afterwards, but we didn't find it.

As Andrew's voice broke, Peter and Alvena encouraged Andrew to carry on singing in his 'head voice'.  Thus his beautiful counter tenor voice emerged. 

Here is Andrew as a teenager in the 1960s singing Iris, hence away from Handel's 'Semele' (Andrew often sang this to us on the coach going to County Youth Orchestra and changed the words to "Iris, where's mi bag?" - because his Grandma was always saying this to his Mum!)

At the same time, he developed a wonderful baritone voice.  I went to see him sing the principal role of Macheath in The Beggar's Opera by John Gaye at Aldridge Grammar School when he was 18.  Not having heard him before, I was absolutely amazed at his mature voice and wonderful performing.  After the opera, I just about caught the last bus to Wolverhampton by rushing to the front of the queue and jumping on in front of everyone else.  Since I was a vulnerable young girl, the conductress let me on.  I then had a scary walk across a dark St George's churchyard to get to my Grandma's, who was kindly putting me up for the night, because I couldn't travel on to my parents' home in Bilbrook.

In 1969, Andrew gained a place as a countertenor choral scholar at St John's College, Cambridge.  His offer was for 2 Es at 'A' level, proving how much they wanted him.  He easily got the required 'A' levels, but only just got his 'O' level maths in time!

Just before going up to Cambridge,  Andrew sang in a Midland Boy Singers' concert in the Wigmore Hall, London, with great success.  He was singled out for high praise by the reviewer in The Times!  I talk about this in my blog post entitled Motet and Mass: 'O Magnum Mysterium'

When Andrew was at Cambridge I went to see him every so often at weekends.  He couldn't come to visit me at Royal Holloway, because he always had services at St John's.  The first time I went to see him, he was worrying about not having solo work in Cambridge.  The second time, there were posters all round Cambridge for various concerts with his name on them singing solos in all kinds of events!  He sang the title role in 2 operas by Händel: 'Ariodante' in his 2nd year and 'Julius Caesar' after his finals.  I was part of the costume making team for 'Julius Caesar' and had the job of making the dress of a young Sarah Walker, who sang the part of Cornelia in the opera.

I talk about Andrew's career as a singer in the group 'Counterpoint' following his time at Cambridge in my blog post entitled 'What shall I do to show how much I love her' and 'Ave Maria'.

Andrew was also getting a lot of solo work after Cambridge as well, both as a baritone and counter tenor.

In 1975, Andrew's uncle, Herbert Downes (principal viola in the Philharmonia Orchestra), who knew the famous German baritone Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, organised for Andrew to go and sing (countertenor) to this famous star, when he was visiting London.  Lo and behold, Andrew got an invitation to sing the role of David (9 arias!) alongside Fischer Dieskau in Händel's Oratorio 'Saul' in the Göttingen Händelfest.  Andrew had a great shock when he walked out on to the stage for the Generalprobe (final rehearsal).  The hall was packed with people.  So Andrew had to sing his nine arias in full voice, both in the afternoon rehearsal and the evening performance.  I was teaching and so couldn't go.  That was a shame, because I speak German.  After the concert, Andrew rang down to his hotel reception and made up some German: "Fünf Bier in mein Raum bitte"!  He earned a lot of money from the gig, which paid for our honeymoon!  We married just after Andrew's return from Germany. 

Andrew gained his post at the Birmingham School of Music (now known as Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) shortly before our marriage.  He continued with his solo performing career:

Here is Andrew singing in a recital at Upton Parish church in 1975:

Andrew's Ankylosing Spondylitis, however, made it increasingly difficult for him to stand up for his solos.  He also always said he didn't have the temperament for performance.  He used to get extremely nervous. His composition gradually took over, but he also performed in his own compositions, for example his Five Holy Songs for Countertenor and Strings, which I talk about in my blog post entitled Song Cycles 3 - Soloists with Instrumental Accompaniment and his Cantata The Death of Goliath, which I describe in my blog post of the same name.

Andrew had a beautiful voice all through his life, both as a countertenor and a baritone/tenor.  

Just before the first performance of his large choral work The Marshes of Glynn, for the Royal Opening of the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham, John Mitchinson, the tenor soloist went down with a bad cold.  Fortunately, John was able to perform in the premiere, but Andrew himself had to be on standby and sang John's solo part in the final rehearsals.  Students have since told me how marvellously Andrew sang as understudy!

I always used to say to Andrew, that I knew he had a wonderful voice, because whenever we heard other singers on LPs or CDs, they were never as good as him!   His rendition of Handel's He was despised was heart-rending:

A very special performance which he gave was as baritone soloist in Finzi's In Terra Pax, alongside our soprano soloist daughter Paula, with Central England Ensemble led by our daughter Anna in December 2005.  

During the Coronavirus lockdown, our daughter Paula created a video performance with her 2 daughters of Andrew's opera for children,      Odysseus and the Cyclops, in their Cambridge garden.  Paula dressed up as the Cyclops and acted the part to a sound track made by Andrew.  He wasn't well by this stage, but his baritone voice and intensely moving delivery were still there.

Return to Premieres Blog page

Visit 'About Andrew Downes' page

Follow Cynthia Downes on Instagram to keep up-to-date with her blog posts:
@cynthia.downes.12