27th. February, 1913.
ORGANIST & CHOIRMASTER OF YORK MINSTER .
Dear Sir (Madam),
At a public meeting on February 21st. at St. William's College, a representative gathering of citizens and, friends, with his Grace the Archbishop of York in the chair, passed a resolution to present to Mr. Noble some form of testimonial on his departure from York, to take up the post of Organist of St. Thomas' Church in New York.
Mr. Noble has, during the last fifteen years, worked unceasingly and ungrudgingly to raise and maintain a high standard of music throughout the City of York and the County. As Organist and Choirmaster of the Minster he has rendered the music of the services, alike in tone and quality, worthy of this great House of God. By his masterly compositions, careful training and vigorous conductorship, he contributed very largely to the conspicuous success of the York Historic Pageant, and he revived the York Musical Festival which had lapsed since 1827. By his unflagging efforts he has organised instrumental and vocal concerts in the City, and enabled large numbers to hear and appreciate the best works of ancient and modern composers, while he has also published many sacred and secular compositions which, already popular, will long be valued as tokens of his musical genius. For these and many other services to our City and County we owe him a debt of gratitude.
We are to invite you, therefore, to subscribe to a testimonial to be presented to Mr. Noble before his departure to America, which takes place in April. It is proposed to give him a purse of gold, together with an address containing a list of the subscribers' names, but not the sums subscribed.
As the date of Mr. Noble's departure is so near, we must ask you to send your donation to Mr.W.F.H.Thomson, the Hon. Treasurer, at Beckett's Bank, York, together with the enclosed form, as soon as possible, and in any event not later than March 29th, when the list must be finally closed.
We are,
Yours faithfully,