Basil Ramsey, organist and writer – obituary

Basil Ramsey in 2004; he took a particular interest in church music
Basil Ramsey in 2004; he took a particular interest in church music Credit: Keith Bramich

Basil Ramsey, who has died aged 89, was an organist, journalist and publisher with a particular interest in church music.

At the dawn of the internet age he founded Music & Vision, one of the first websites dedicated to classical music, pioneering the idea of overnight news and reviews delivered to subscribers’ computers, often accompanied by his own whimsical “editorial musings”.

Ramsey, who was in a wheelchair having suffered a stroke in 1996, had been introduced by a mutual friend to Keith Bramich, who was working with the internet but wanted to move towards classical music.

Ramsey persuaded his extensive network of musical contacts to contribute to the website, but in the early days many submitted their material by fax or post, which he would type out using only one finger and then email to Bramich for publication.

M & V began life on January 1 1999 and was soon reaching a global audience. After 10 months Ramsey wrote to his readers describing how M & V’s database was already “crammed with material, much of it as relevant today as when first published”. He added: “The internet has, in effect, shrunk the world, and we wish to take advantage of this by increasing the amount of news we give …”

Basil Albert Rowland Ramsey was born at Chelmsford on April 26 1929, the son of a signwriter. He was raised in London, but during the war the family were evacuated to a farm in Hertfordshire.

At school he was teased by a girl for not playing an instrument, so he appealed to his parents for piano lessons. He described how his father, “who awakened my interest in music as an 11-year-old, was a keen [piano] duettist with … the ability to make arduous practice more fun than fume”.

He began his career as a teaboy at Novello, eventually becoming director of publications with responsibility for new composers, including John Joubert, John McCabe and Charles Camilleri. In the 1950s and 1960s he was keen to champion composers who had served in the war and were making up for lost time.

He also befriended Bernard Herrmann, the film composer. He recalled being with Herrmann at St Giles Cripplegate recording the music for a spooky film by Larry Cohen when the composer asked him to climb up to the organ loft and play a chord cluster on the pedals.

“At the console, with Benny wheezing down my ear from the exertion, I was instructed to play five notes, which I hastily explained is not that easy with just two feet.” Eventually they struck a balance between what Herrmann wanted and what was physically possible.

Ramsey left Novello in 1974 and teamed up with Herrmann to form Basil Ramsey Publisher of Music, but after Herrmann died in 1975, despite Ramsey’s best efforts the business foundered.

Ramsey, who had studied at the Royal College of Organists, was a fine organist at St Luke’s Old Street and later St Giles. He also edited a string of classical music magazines including The Musical Times and Choir & Organ, for which he commissioned some of the best writers on church music including Wilfrid Mellers and Stephen Bicknell.

After his stroke he continued working from home in Southend, communicating with Choir & Organ’s production team in Harrow by phone, fax and post. Once a month the team would decamp to the north bank of the Thames Estuary for editorial meetings. Although he retired at 70, Ramsey still had an entire career left in him with M & V, which he edited until 2006; it continues to thrive today.

Basil Ramsey married Violet Simpson in 1952. She died in 1996 and he is survived by two daughters and a son.

Basil Ramsey, born April 26 1929, died June 13 2018

License this content