William Leslie Sumner (1904-1973) - author of 'The Organ'

I suspect that there may be others like me who have long had a copy of The Organ - Its Evolution, Principles of Construction and Use (to give the book its full title) in their book collection without knowing much about William Leslie Sumner, the author. I first came across this book in the mid-1960s when I was gifted the Third Edition in 1963 as a present from my parents for my success in my O Level examinations. The book gave me my first glimpse into the history of the organ since the Winchester Cathedral organ of circa 950AD and the development of organ technology. At university I set myself the target of reading Sumner’s book from cover to cover and it remains a very useful reference source even if it is now 50 years since the Fourth Edition was published. 600pp suggests that the book contains around 250,000 words - that’s a lot of typing!

William Sumner was born in Airwyn, Yorkshire, in April 1904. His father, John, worked for H.M.Customs in the docks along the Humber estuary. He was the eldest of a family of four brothers and a daughter Gertrude, who died in 1921. He gained a first-class degree in Physics from the University of London in 1925 in the midst of the quantum revolution in the subject. Quite an achievement in itself.  Sumner was also awarded the AKC (Associate of King’s College) for theological studies which he undertook in parallel with his undergraduate physics degree. Whilst studying he was organist at Kings College, London and deputised from time to time in other London churches.

His initial position was as a Lecturer in Education at University College, Southampton, which became the University of Southampton in 1962. He then moved on to teaching physics at the King Edward VII School in Sheffield, where he began to be involved in the refurbishment of some of the organs in the city, notably the Cousans organ at St. Marks in 1963. He married his wife Margerie in Belper in 1927. Their children were Kathleen and John. In 1930 he was appointed as a Lecturer in Education at the University College, Nottingham, and devoted time to the organs in the University.  Sumner was a founder member of the Nottingham and District Society of Organists in 1932. In 1955 he was given a Readership by the University, a substantial honour. Sumner was also very supportive of the reinstallation in 1959 of Pearson cases for the organ in Westminster Abbey, a photograph of which (somewhat more than a coincidence I would guess!) forms the cover of the Third and Fourth Editions.  Sumner retired in1969 and died in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, on 5 August 1973.  

In the period from 1925 to the outbreak of WW2 Sumner travelled extensively in Europe, gaining a valuable knowledge of Baroque and Romantic organs. This led to the First Edition of The Organ, published in 1952 and running to just 432pp. A Second Edition followed in 1955, with a much enlarged Third Edition in 1962. The final Fourth Edition was published in 1973, the year of his death. For the publishers Macdonald and Janes to invest in so many editions the sales of his books must have been substantial.

The level of detail in the book is quite outstanding. The index of the Fourth Edition runs to ten pages of double column entries, which gives a sense of the scope and depth of the book. A feature of the book is a section listing the specifications of almost 150 organs from around the world. For some reason they are randomly presented – an alphabetical order of location would have been helpful. Sumner’s academic background is very evident in the large number of footnotes to research papers and books.

In general the reviews of the First Edition were very positive. The notable exception was the review by Ralph Downes (The Musical Times July 1952) that consisted of a long list of errors he had found in the text. Perhaps a case of not seeing the wood for the trees?

Somehow Sumner also found time to write a companion history of the pianoforte in 1966, which ran to a Third Edition in 1971. There was also a History of the Willis firm published in 1957. The British Library catalogue entry for Sumner runs to over 30 titles, including many on skills development for teachers; after all he was a Lecturer in Education, not in physics.

To mark the scholarship and impact of ‘The Organ’ Nottingham University awarded Sumner a Doctorate. He was also a Fellow of the Linnean Society, a Fellow of the Institute of Musical Instrument Technology and (in 1969) a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music. He was also a Membre d'Honneur des Amies de l'Orgue, Paris.

To recast the epitaph to Christopher Wren in St. Paul’s Cathedral, if you seek a memorial to William Sumner walk into Westminster Abbey and look up at the organ cases.