Ivor Atkins Hereford Cathedral (1890-1893) and organist of St Laurence Church, Ludlow from 1893 to 1897. He composed songs, church music, service settings and anthems. With Edward Elgar he prepared an edition of Bach's "St. Matthew Passion". He was knighted in 1921 for services to music and was President of the Royal College of Organists from 1935 to 1936. He was a friend of Edward Elgar, who in 1904 dedicated the third of his Pomp and Circumstance Marches to him. It was Atkins who later suggested that Elgar's 'Severn Suite' -- produced in 1930 as a brass band competition piece, and arranged
Pomp and Circumstance Marches by a quiet swirling bass passage, which leads into the "Trio" section (in the tonic major key of A) which consists of a delightfully simple tune in thirds played by the woodwind (flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons), answered conclusively by the strings and brass. This "Trio" section is repeated, and the march concluded with a brilliant little coda, which includes a drum roll on the snare drum, a shattering chord in A Minor, briefly played by horns, and followed by a final cadence. March No. 3 was completed in November 1904 and published in 1905. It was dedicated "To my