Ord, Boris (9th July 1897-30th December 1961)

He was an organist, choirmaster and composer born Bernhard Ord in Clifton, Bristol to a family where he was the youngest of five children. His father was a University of Bristol lecturer. His mother, Johanna Anthes, was from Germany and he was nicknamed Boris, which is the name he went by. He studied at Clifton College, Bristol and was a John Stewart of Rannoch scholar in Sacred Music at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. After graduating from Corpus Christi he took further studies on an organ scholarship at the Royal College of Music, where he studied with the organist Walter Parratt.

During his studies he was called for his military service and served with the Royal Flying Corps. as a pilot. When he returned to civilian life he went back to the Royal College of Music and in 1920 returned to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge which had awarded him an organ scholarship. He founded the Cambridge University Madrigal Society during his time at Corpus Christi and in 1923 was awarded a Cambridge Fellowship.

In 1928 he went to Germany and worked at the Cologne Opera for a year and on his return to England worked as a conductor and was in charge of the chapel choir when he was given the post Director of Music and Organist of King’s College Choir, Cambridge in 1929. From 1936 he directed the Cambridge University Musical Society. Moving away from the Victorian traditions he introduced music from the 16th century to be performed by the choir and he conducted them in 1954 when the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was first broadcast on television by the BBC.

His assistant from 1939 was the organ scholar David Willcocks, who went on to direct the choir from 1957 to 1974 and was later given a knighthood. When WWII started both Boris and David Willcocks went into service and the composer Harold Darke was his replacement for those years. They both returned to Cambridge after the war.

Suffering from ill health in the 1950s he became the Director of Music with David Willcocks becoming organist. who later also took on the role of music director after he made the decision to retire in 1957. That same year he published a choral setting for the 15th century medieval text “Adam lay ybounden” which was written c1400. This would be his only published musical composition, but is regularly performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge and has been recorded by several ensembles.

He died in December 1961 when he was 64 years old and after his cremation in Cambridge his ashes were placed in a vault at King’s College Chapel.

Cambridge Singers recordings
Adam lay ybounden (Boris Ord)
Collegium 106 (CD: Christmas Night. Carols of The Nativity)
Conductor/Arranger – John Rutter

He directs the choir here…

Sources:

Ord, Boris (9th July 1897-30th December 1961)

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