‘The end of an era’

Chapter 10 describes Roberts’ later years at Magdalen, and how he concentrated on the chapel choir and his work as a composer, increasingly withdrawing from music-making within both university and city as the next generation of musicians came to the fore. It considers the Great War years and the effects of the hostilities. It tells how Roberts’ health deteriorated until he eventually retired, to be succeeded by Haldane Campbell Stewart, a very different man, who made many changes to the choir’s repertoire. After dealing with his death and its aftermath, the chapter looks at Roberts’ career, the way in which he reached the top of his profession (supported by men such as Frederick Ouseley and aided by his early experiences and training as both musician and teacher), and climbed the social ladder, though not as far as Parratt and Stainer, never receiving the knighthood he so obviously craved. It considers how he was welcomed in Oxford, despite – or perhaps because of – his Yorkshireness and his unwillingness to modify his behaviour (or his accent) in the company of those allegedly of a higher class and a greater intellect. The chapter looks at his reputation as a great choirmaster and the way in which his approach to training (especially boys) has influenced the Anglican choral tradition down to the present day.