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| 1 Apr 2019 | |
| Deaths & Obituaries |
| THOMSON, Stephen William Died on 25 May 2015. His pupil, Deryck Chan (JH 07-09) writes: Affectionately known as Steve and Mr T to his pupils, Mr. Thomson was Tonbridge's beloved harpsichord teacher. After graduating from Newcastle in harpsichord performance and spending a few years at the BBC in his early career, Steve decided that he preferred teaching over performance. He devoted every Monday and Tuesday of the last two decades of his career teaching the harpsichord and leading Baroque ensembles at Tonbridge. To make best use of his seemingly bottomless stamina, he would schedule lessons with boarding boys on Monday evenings to continue beyond 10pm, and resume with Tuesday's first ensemble practice at 8am. Steve was known for his apparent omnipresence, often visiting boarding houses at breakfast time to deliver sheet music or to discuss rehearsal schedules. His familiar shouts of "hey-ho, is that a friend or a foe?", and his signature white shirts and glasses which earned him the nickname "Moleman", were a familiar scene to many generations of OTs. Steve's brand of music was one of holistic education: he taught us to practise an entire Bach suite to understand the mood when preparing to perform its Prelude or Sarabande; and his emphasis on figured bass and tuning was a rarity even among harpsichord teachers. Outside term-time, he would invite his pupils from Tonbridge, St. Paul's, and Milton Keynes to join weekend bandcamps in his home in Bentley, Hampshire, entertaining us with endless VHS tapes of Fawlty Towers, Yes Minister, and maritime documentaries in addition to keyboard music. His warm hospitality meant that he was like an extra grandfather to many of his pupils, even though he had no children of his own. After his retirement in 2013, Steve kept in touch with many of his students. He spoke of his "problems with being old” yet continued to serve as the organist of his parish church in Upper Froyle, Hampshire until the day before his sudden but peaceful death at home on 25 May 2015. He left behind no biological family, but a legacy of many generations of students who fondly remember an education under his wings. (Harpsichord Teacher 1996-2015) |
