Priory Records

Priory Records is a British independent record company founded in 1980 and identified principally with recordings of church music, cathedral choirs, organ repertoire and related British sacred traditions. Its catalogue has developed around repertoire that is often underrepresented in mainstream classical recording, including Anglican chant, settings for the Anglican liturgy, music for Evensong, organ works and the output of British church composers. The label has consequently served both as a commercial classical imprint and as a documentary enterprise, preserving performances, instruments, choirs and repertories associated with churches and cathedrals in Britain and elsewhere. The company was founded by Neil Collier and Paul Crichton. Crichton, who had worked as a sound producer for Central Television, initially handled recording and editing, while Collier was responsible for sales and promotion. Collier’s background included singing with the vocal group The Corporation, which appeared on BBC television, and his earlier sales work helped Priory establish relationships with record shops and customers. He later developed recording, production and editing skills and eventually acquired Crichton’s share of the business, becoming the label’s managing director and principal producer and recording engineer. Priory’s best-known projects include a series documenting the complete Psalms sung by cathedral choirs to Anglican chant, a project covering the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis settings of Herbert Howells, and the British Church Composer Series. Other substantial programmes include Choral and Music from English Cathedrals, Music for Evensong, and the complete New English Hymnal Series. The label has also issued groups of recordings devoted to Charles Villiers Stanford’s Communion Service settings, as well as settings of the Te Deum and Jubilate by different composers. Organ music is another major pillar of the catalogue. The Great European Organs collection explores organs across the continent and has involved internationally recognised performers including Dame Gillian Weir, Christopher Herrick, Daniel Roth, David Briggs, John Scott, Naji Hakim, Stephen Cleobury and others. Related series have covered Great Australasian Organs, Victorian Organ Sonatas, Christmas Organ Music, Organ Master Series, Organ Concertos and the Concert Hall Series. Priory has also recorded complete or near-complete organ repertories by composers including Olivier Messiaen, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Herbert Sumsion, Camille Saint-Saëns, Eugène Gigout, Hubert Parry, Percy Whitlock, Frank Bridge, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Joseph Jongen, Kenneth Leighton, Henri Mulet, William Mathias and Samuel Sebastian Wesley. According to the cited reference material, Priory has made more than 1,000 recordings during its history. Approximately 600 became commercial album releases, while the remainder were produced as private pressings. This combination of public catalogue releases and commissioned or private productions reflects the label’s close relationship with choirs, churches, organists and musical institutions. Priory’s positioning is therefore archival and specialist rather than oriented toward mass-market popular music: it documents performers, buildings, instruments and liturgical repertories while making focused classical and sacred-music projects available internationally.

Priory Records was established in the United Kingdom in 1980 by Neil Collier and Paul Crichton. The founders brought complementary experience to the project. Crichton was a Central Television sound producer and initially took responsibility for recording and editing, while Collier handled sales. Collier had been involved in vocal performance through The Corporation, a group that appeared on BBC television, and had also worked in sales after leaving school. He used that experience to promote Priory releases directly to customers and record shops. The company’s early and continuing identity was shaped by a concentration on church music and organ music. Rather than building its catalogue primarily around commercial mainstream classical repertoire, Priory developed recording projects connected with cathedrals, choirs, organs, liturgical practice and British composers. This approach produced series documenting Anglican chant, choral music from English cathedrals, music for Evensong and the work of British church composers. The label also undertook projects of unusual completeness, including the Psalms sung by cathedral choirs to Anglican chant and the settings of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis by Herbert Howells. Over time, Collier expanded his technical role. After initially focusing on sales, he learned production and editing and became closely involved in the label’s recording work. Around 1990 he bought Crichton’s share of the business. He subsequently served as Priory’s managing director as well as its primary producer and recording engineer. His long-term work with sacred and church repertoire was recognised in 2018 when he became an honorary member of the Royal School of Church Music. Priory’s catalogue broadened through several organ-focused programmes. Great European Organs was conceived as a survey of instruments across Europe and involved a large roster of recognised organists. The project placed the character of individual organs and their locations at the centre of the recording concept. Related collections explored organs in Australasia, Victorian organ sonatas, Christmas organ music, organ concertos and repertoire associated with concert halls. Priory also issued complete-organ-work projects devoted to individual composers, including Olivier Messiaen, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Herbert Sumsion, Camille Saint-Saëns, Eugène Gigout, Hubert Parry, Percy Whitlock, Frank Bridge, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Joseph Jongen, Kenneth Leighton, Henri Mulet, William Mathias and Samuel Sebastian Wesley. The company’s choral and liturgical output has included the British Church Composer Series, Choral and Music from English Cathedrals, Music for Evensong and a programme covering the complete New English Hymnal Series. It has also released recordings of Stanford’s Communion Service settings and multiple discs devoted to Te Deum and Jubilate settings by different composers. These projects demonstrate Priory’s interest in both canonical and neglected repertory, with an emphasis on preserving performance traditions and making specialist material accessible through recorded media. The cited reference describes a cumulative output of more than 1,000 recordings, comprising approximately 600 commercial album releases and around 400 private pressings. The private-press element indicates an additional role in documenting commissioned performances and institutional repertory beyond the label’s publicly marketed catalogue. Priory therefore occupies a distinctive position in British independent recorded music: it is a specialist label, a producer of archival classical projects and a longstanding documenter of church, cathedral and organ culture.

• 2018

  Neil Collier receives Royal School of Church Music honour

  [1]Priory Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Collier was made an honorary member of the Royal School of Church Music in recognition of his contribution to church music and recorded sacred repertoire.

• 1990

  Neil Collier takes ownership role

  [1]Priory Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Around this time, Collier acquired Crichton’s share and became the central owner-manager and production figure associated with the label.

• 1980

  Priory Records founded

  [1]Priory Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Neil Collier and Paul Crichton established Priory Records in the United Kingdom, initially dividing sales and recording responsibilities between them.

A specialist independent classical label focused on British church music, cathedral choral traditions, organ music, sacred repertoire and documentation of historic European organs.

• Organ recording series

  Great European Organs

  A major collection devoted to organs across Europe. The series treats the instruments and their acoustic settings as central subjects and features performances by internationally recognised organists, including Dame Gillian Weir, Christopher Herrick, Daniel Roth, David Briggs, John Scott and Naji Hakim.

• Choral and sacred music series

  British Church Composer Series

  A catalogue programme focused on composers connected with Britain’s church-music tradition. It forms part of Priory’s broader effort to record sacred and liturgical repertoire that is closely associated with Anglican choirs and ecclesiastical performance.

• Choral and liturgical music series

  Music for Evensong

  A series centred on music used in or associated with the Anglican service of Evensong. The project reflects Priory’s documentary interest in cathedral and collegiate choir traditions rather than treating the repertoire solely as concert music.

• Hymn and congregational music series

  Complete New English Hymnal Series

  A recording project covering the hymns of the complete New English Hymnal series. It extends Priory’s work in documenting the repertoire used in English worship and church musical practice.

• Organ repertoire series

  Complete Organ Works collections

  Priory has issued composer-focused organ collections covering figures such as Olivier Messiaen, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Herbert Sumsion, Camille Saint-Saëns, Eugène Gigout, Hubert Parry, Percy Whitlock, Frank Bridge, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Joseph Jongen, Kenneth Leighton, Henri Mulet, William Mathias and Samuel Sebastian Wesley.

1. 1Priory Recordsen.wikipedia.org