Henry Charles Tonking

Henry Charles Tonking (17 January 1863 – 7 June 1926) was a British organist. Tonking was organist at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, St Luke's Church, West Norwood (1887), and, from 1888, at the Covent Garden Opera. He also gave recitals at the Crystal Palace, at the Bow and Bromley Institute, and the Royal Albert Hall Sunday Concerts (1895–1905).

Life Tonking was born in Camborne, Cornwall, England. As a child Tonking received his first musical instructions from his father who was a good amateur violinist, according to Groves.

Henry Wood recounts that he stayed at Tonking's Cornish home, where they gave recitals with H.C. on the violin and himself at the piano or organ at different venues throughout Cornwall.

When he was a member of the orchestra of the Royal "Italian Opera" and "Promenade Concerts," Covent Garden, he gave organ and violin recitals around Great Britain with Bernhard Molique Carrodus.

It was on the organ that H.C. Tonking made his name, appearing at all the international exhibitions, often in great demand playing at the Crystal Palace and Bow & Bromley Institute. He frequently gave recitals at the Royal Albert Hall Willis Organ (1895–1905).

On 6 August 1904 at the Promenade Concerts, H.C. Tonking premiered the Italian Organ "Maestro" Enrico Bossi's Concerto in A minor (Op. 100) for Organ and Orchestra. (Proms Archive)

Later in life, he returned to Cornwall where he became organist of the Parish Church at St Ives and then at Newquay Wesley (1908–1920). During his sojourn in Cornwall he remarked to a friend that he was a rolling stone, "never stayed long enough to wear out the seat of his trousers at any one organ console". In his last years he turned to cinema playing up the North, at the Newcastle and Grosvenor Cinemas, Glasgow (1925).

He wrote little music, but his best known organ pieces are "Grand Festival March, Illogan" (1896), "Fantasia on an Easter Hymn" (1897), "Coronation March" (1911), "Royal Air Force March" (c. 1920 – possibly unpublished), "Fanfare of Trumpets" and "Andantino in D". He also has a few published songs (1891–97). These include "A song of the bells" and "Liberty". An organ and violin duo also exists.

Henry Wood says that he was an "exceedingly gifted organist and violinist . . . . . and a tremendous worker." He taught me to play Bach's organ preludes and fugues. His phrasing and registration of the "great G minor" and the Toccata and Fugue in D minor were masterly."

Tonking died in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1926.