Person Results

Switch back to the old search page.Advanced Search

Showing 11 - 20 of 23Results Per Page: 10 20 50

Richard Farrant

1525 - 1580 Person Name: R. Farrant, c. 1530-80 Composer of "FARRANT" in The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes Like many composers of his day, the early years of Richard Farrant’s (c.1525- November 30, 1580) life are not well documented. The first acknowledgment of him is in a list of the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1552. It is assumed from that list that his birth was around 1525. Although, that cannot be accurately determined. During his life he was able to establish himself as a successful composer, develop the English drama considerably, founded the first Blackfriar Theatre, and be the first to write verse-anthems. He married Anne Bower, daughter of Richard Bower who was Master of the Chapel Royal choristers at the time. With Anne he conceived ten children, one of whom was also named, Richard. As a member of the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, Farrant was active in ceremonies surrounding the royal family. He began his work with the Chapel Royal around 1550 under the reign of Edward VI. Fortunately, for Farrant, this is a time that saw huge developments in Latin Church Music. Composers like William Byrd and Christopher Tye were busy expanding and elaborating on the Church Music of the day. In Farrant's twelve years with the Chapel Royal, he was able to participate in funerals for Edward VI and Mary I, and coronations for Mary I and Elizabeth I. After his work there, he took up a post as organist at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. For Farrant, the post at at Windsor became a permanent one that he retained for the rest of his life. Along with this, he also acquired the position of Master of the Chapel Royal choristers in November of 1569. Having the choirs of both of these institutions at his disposal gave him an outlet to showcase all of his compositions and plays. In fact, every winter he was able to produce a play for the Queen herself. These positions also allowed him to move back to London in 1576 and begin a public theater of sorts where he rehearsed some of his choir music openly. It was soon after, in 1580, that he passed away, having left his house to his wife. Unlike many composers of his day that stuck to only music composition, Farrant also wrote many plays. One of his most important contributions to drama in England is of course the creation of the first Blackfriars Theatre. This eventually became one of the most important places in London for drama to develop during the Renaissance. Farrant is also one of the earliest and most well known composers that began to mix the two mediums of music and drama. It was this uncommon mixture that allowed him to begin to develop the composition style of 'verse.' This becomes prominent in a lot of his pieces including the anthems "When as we sat in Babylon" and "Call to remembrance" and "Hide not thou thy face." --en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Raphael Courteville

? - 1772 Composer of "ST. JAMES" in Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church Courteville, Raphael or Ralph (d. 1772), organist and political writer, was the son or grandson of one of the gentlemen of the Chapel Royal who bore the same name, and who died on 28 Dec. 1675. The organ from the Chapel Royal was presented by Queen Mary in 1691 to the church of St. James's, Westminster, and on 7 Sept. in the same year a Ralph Courtaville, who had been strongly recommended by the Earl of Burlington, and who had previously been a chorister in the Chapel Royal, was appointed the first organist, with a salary of 20l. per annum for himself and 4l. for a blower. This Courteville, Courtaville, or Courtivill, was no doubt the composer of six ‘Sonatas composed and purposley (sic) contriv'd for two flutes,’ published by Walsh about 1690; of a song introduced in Wright's ‘Female Virtuosoes,’ and supposed to have been written by Ann, countess of Winchilsea; of a very graceful song, ‘To Convent Streams,’ in ‘Duke and no Duke,’ and of songs in ‘Oroonoko.’ He was one of the composers who furnished the music for part iii. of D'Urfey's ‘Don Quixote’ in 1695. The well-known hymn tune, ‘St. James's,’ is also by him. It has been supposed that this Courteville died about 1735, and was succeeded by his son of the same name; but as the vestry minutes of the parish, in which all appointments, &c. are carefully recorded, contain no mention of such a change of organists, while no record of the father's death can be found, we are compelled to believe that the existence of the son is a mere assumption, made in order to account for the long tenure of the post by a person or persons of the name of Courteville. This conclusion is strengthened by various entries in the vestry minutes; in January 1752–3, and again in June 1754, letters are written to him warning him that unless he attends personally to the duties of the post he will be dismissed. Whether he endeavoured to perform the duties himself after this we do not know, but he was certainly not dismissed, and shortly afterwards an assistant, ‘Mr. Richardson,’ was appointed. On 12 June 1771 it was reported to the vestry that Courteville gave this assistant only one quarter of his salary for doing the whole work, and he was thereupon ordered to share the payment equally with Richardson. Seven years before this, in 1764, the assistant, with two others, was consulted as to the state of the organ and the undertaking of repairs to its structure. Neither at this time, nor when the improved instrument, repaired by Byfield, was tried, was Courteville's advice asked in the matter, from which we may conclude that he was long past all work, although he was allowed to keep the post. This Raphael Courteville, whether or not he be identical with the first organist of the church, took a somewhat active part in politics towards the end of Sir Robert Walpole's administration. He is stated to have married, on 14 Sept. 1735, a lady named Miss Lucy Green, with a fortune of 25,000l. In 1738 he published ‘Memoirs of the Life and Administration of William Cecil, Baron Burleigh, &c., including a parallel between the State of Government then and now,’ with preface and appendix of original papers, dedicated to the Right Hon. Edward Walpole, secretary to the Duke of Devonshire. It is signed only ‘R. C.,’ and was printed for the author in London. He was the reputed author of ‘The Gazetteer,’ a paper written in defence of the government, and it was probably in consequence of this production that he acquired the nickname of ‘Court-evil.’ He also wrote a pamphlet published in 1761, entitled ‘Arguments respecting Insolvency.’ On 4 Dec. 1742 a letter appeared in No. 50 of the ‘Westminster Journal’ bearing his signature, to which were appended the words, ‘Organ-blower, Essayist, and Historiographer.’ The letter was undoubtedly written as a joke, probably upon his own genuine productions; it is of course not by himself, and the point of the joke is impossible now to discover, but the appearance of his name in this connection proves that he was more or less a well-known character. He died early in June 1772, as on the 10th of the month he was buried, and his place was declared vacant at the vestry meeting of that date. [Grove's Dict. of Music; Hawkins's Hist. of Music; Notes and Queries, 2nd ser. x. 496; Registers and Vestry Minutes of St. James's, Westminster; Cheque-books of the Chapel Royal; Westminster Journal, quoted above; Brit. Mus. Cat.] --en.wikisource.org/wiki/

Gioacchino A. Rossini

1792 - 1868 Person Name: Gioacchino A. Rossini, 1792-1868 Composer of "MANOAH" in Hymnal and Order of Service Gioacchino A. Rossini; b. 1792, Pesaro; d. 1868, Ruelle near Parise Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, 1908

Thomas Haweis

1734 - 1820 Composer of "RICHMOND" in The Worshiping Church Thomas Haweis (b. Redruth, Cornwall, England, 1734; d. Bath, England, 1820) Initially apprenticed to a surgeon and pharmacist, Haweis decided to study for the ministry at Oxford and was ordained in the Church of England in 1757. He served as curate of St. Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, but was removed by the bishop from that position because of his Methodist leanings. He also was an assistant to Martin Madan at Locke Hospital, London. In 1764 he became rector of All Saints Church in Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire, and later served as administrator at Trevecca College, Wales, a school founded by the Countess of Huntingdon, whom Haweis served as chaplain. After completing advanced studies at Cambridge, he published a Bible commentary and a volume on church history. Haweis was strongly interested in missions and helped to found the London Mission Society. His hymn texts and tunes were published in Carmino Christo, or Hymns to the Savior (1792, expanded 1808). Bert Polman ============================ Haweis, Thomas, LL.B., M.D., born at Truro, Cornwall, 1732. After practising for a time as a Physician, he entered Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated. Taking Holy Orders, he became Assistant Preacher to M. Madan at the Lock Hospital, London, and subsequently Rector of All Saints, Aldwincle, Northamptonshire. He was also Chaplain to Lady Huntingdon, and for several years officiated at her Chapel in Bath. He died at Bath, Feb. 11, 1820. He published several prose works, including A History of the Church, A Translation of the New Testament, and A Commentary on the Holy Bible. His hymns, a few of which are of more than ordinary merit, were published in his Carmina Christo; or, Hymns to the Saviour. Designed for the Use and Comfort of Those who worship the Lamb that was slain. Bath, S. Hayward, 1792 (139 hymns), enlarged. London, 1808 (256 hymns). In 1794, or sometime after, but before the enlarged edition was published, two hymns "For the Fast-day, Feb. 28, 1794," were added to the first edition. These were, "Big with events, another year," and "Still o'er the deep the cannon's roar." The most popular and widely used of his hymns are, "Behold the Lamb of God, Who bore," &c.; "Enthroned on high, Almighty Lord"; and “O Thou from Whom all goodness flows." The rest, all being from Carmina Christo, first edition 1792, are:— 1. Dark was the night and cold the ground. Gethsemane. 2. From the cross uplifted high. Christ in Glory. 3. Great Spirit, by Whose mighty power. Whitsuntide. 4. Submissive to Thy will, my God. Resignation. 5. The happy morn is come. Easter. 6. Thou Lamb of God, that on the tree. Good Friday. The hymn, "Thy Head, the crown of thorns that wears," in Stryker & Main's Church Praise Book, N. Y., 1882, begins with st. ii. of this hymn. 7. To Thee, my God and Saviour, My heart, &c. Praise for Redemption. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Thomas Greatorex

1758 - 1831 Person Name: T. Greatorex Composer of "TOTTENHAM" in The Song Companion to the Scriptures

Thomas Turton

1780 - 1864 Person Name: Bp. Turton Composer of "ST. ELHERDREDA" in Gloria Deo Turton, Thomas; b. 25 Feb. 1780 Yorkshire, England; d. 7 Jan. 1864 London; clergyman and scholar

Hugh Wilson

1766 - 1824 Person Name: Hugh Wilson, 1764-1824 Composer of "MARTYRDOM" in Hymnal and Order of Service Hugh Wilson (b. Fenwick, Ayrshire, Scotland, c. 1766; d. Duntocher, Scotland, 1824) learned the shoemaker trade from his father. He also studied music and mathematics and became proficient enough in various subjects to become a part-time teacher to the villagers. Around 1800, he moved to Pollokshaws to work in the cotton mills and later moved to Duntocher, where he became a draftsman in the local mill. He also made sundials and composed hymn tunes as a hobby. Wilson was a member of the Secession Church, which had separated from the Church of Scotland. He served as a manager and precentor in the church in Duntocher and helped found its first Sunday school. It is thought that he composed and adapted a number of psalm tunes, but only two have survived because he gave instructions shortly before his death that all his music manuscripts were to be destroyed. Bert Polman

T. Worsley Staniforth

1845 - 1909 Person Name: Worsley Staniforth Composer (Melody) of "[Lord, teach us how to pray aright]" in The Durham Mission Tune Book

Justin Heinrich Knecht

1752 - 1817 Person Name: J. H. Knecht, 1752-1817 Composer of "DOMINE, CLAMAVI" in Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary Justin Heinrich Knecht Germany 1752-1817. Born at Biberach Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, he attended a Lutheran college in Esslingen am Neckar from 1768-1771. Having learned the organ, keyboard, violin and oratory, he became a Lutheran preceptor (professor of literature) and music director in Biberach. It was a free imperial city until 1803 and had a rich cultural life. He became organist of St. Martin’s Church in 1792, used by both Lutherans and Catholics, and was there for many years. He led an energetic, busy musical life, composing for both the theatre and church, organizing subscription concerts, teaching music theory, acoustics, aesthetics, composition, and instruments at the Gymnasium, affiliated to the Musikschule in 1806. He went to Stuttgart in 1806 in hopes of a post there as Kapellmeister, serving two years as Konzertmeister, but he was appointed Direktor Beim Orchester by the King of Wurttemberg in 1807. However, he returned to his former life in 1808 and remained there the rest of his life. He died at Biberach. He wrote 10 vocals, 11 opera and stage works, one symphony, 3 chamber music instrumentals, 7 organ works, 4 piano works, and 6 music theories. He was an author composer, editor, contributor, musician, compiler, and lyricist. John Perry