Thomas Attwood (23 November 176524 March 1838) was an English composer and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

Early life

The son of a musician in the royal band, Attwood was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, probably in

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Victor ...

. At the age of nine he became a chorister in the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also appl ...

, where he received training in music from James Nares and

Edmund Ayrton Dr. Edmund Ayrton (1734 – 22 May 1808) was an English organist who was Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal. Early life Edmund Ayrton was born in Ripon and baptised on 19 November 1734. His father was Edward Ayrton (1698-1774), a ' ...

. In 1783 he was sent to study abroad at the expense of the Prince of Wales (afterwards

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten ...

), who had been favourably impressed by his skill at the

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a ...

. After two years in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Attwood proceeded to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where he became a favourite pupil of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

. On his return to London in 1787 he held for a short time an appointment as one of the chamber musicians to the Prince of Wales.

Career

In 1796 he was chosen as the organist of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

, and in the same year he was made composer of the Chapel Royal. His court connection was further confirmed by his appointment as musical instructor to the

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of the dukes married twice, therefore the ...

, and afterwards to the

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Briti ...

. In January 1806, he played his own composition, ''Grand

Dirge A dirge ( la, dirige, naenia) is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. Often taking the form of a brief hymn, dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than el ...

'', on the organ for the funeral of

Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought ab ...

, the only piece specially written for the occasion. For the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

of George IV, he composed a

setting Setting may refer to: * A location (geography) where something is set * Set construction in theatrical scenery * Setting (narrative), the place and time in a work of narrative, especially fiction * Setting up to fail a manipulative technique to ...

of the traditional

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

'' I was Glad'', which was also used at the coronations of

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

and

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

. The king, who had neglected him for some years on account of his connection with the Princess of Wales, now restored him to favour, and in 1821 appointed him organist to his private chapel at Brighton. Attwood was also one of the original members of the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a mem ...

(RPS), founded in 1813. He was also a founding member of the Regent’s Harmonic Institution; a music publishing firm established in 1818 with the backing of the RPS. Soon after the institution of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

in 1823, Attwood was chosen to be one of the professors. He wrote the anthem ''O Lord, Grant the King a Long Life'' for the coronation of William IV, and he was composing a similar work for the

coronation of Queen Victoria The coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18. The ceremony w ...

when he died at his house at 75

Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk is an historic road in Chelsea, London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs parallel with the River Thames. Before the construction of Chelsea Embankment reduced the width of the Thames here, it fronted ...

, Chelsea, on 24 March 1838. Attwood's funeral took place at

on 31 March 1838. He is buried in the cathedral, in the

crypt A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a ...

, under the organ.

Compositions

Thomas Attwood's services and anthems were published in a collected form after his death by his godson and pupil Thomas Attwood Walmisley. Attwood is now known only for a few short anthems; these include ''Teach me, O Lord'' (1797), ''O God who by the leading of a star'' (1814), ''Turn Thy face from my sins'' (1831), and ''Come, Holy Ghost'' (1834). His compositions show the influence of his teacher Mozart, but also the Georgian tradition of English church music of his early training, producing a "union of styles" which remained influential throughout the 19th century. Besides his ecclesiastical work, Attwood wrote music and songs for some twenty musical plays and

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a n ...

s between 1792 and 1807. He was also a prolific writer of

glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

s, including ''A Rose-Bud by my Early Walk'' (c. 1819), a poem by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

. He was himself the teacher of John Goss,

Cipriani Potter Philip Cipriani Hambly Potter (3 October 1792 – 26 September 1871) was an English musician. He was a composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. After an early career as a performer and composer, he was a teacher in the Royal Academy of Musi ...

, his godson Thomas Attwood Walmisley, and child prodigy

Elizabeth Jonas Elizabeth Gladman Jonas (born Southwark, London, England about 1825; died 1877) was an English pianist, child prodigy, and music teacher. Early life Jonas was one of six children of John and Henrietta Jonas of 35 Prospect Place, Southwark; an 1 ...

. Through his friendship with Mendelssohn, he greatly encouraged the young

William Sterndale Bennett Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 18161 February 1875) was an English composer, pianist, conductor and music educator. At the age of ten Bennett was admitted to the London Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he remained for ten years. B ...

Family life

In 1793, Thomas Attwood married Mary Denton, they had five sons and one daughter. The eldest son was a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers but was murdered in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...

in 1821. His second son, George Attwood, was the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Framlingham and his third son, a solicitor, predeceased his father in a riding accident. His fourth son was an estate manager in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

and the fifth was also a clergyman. Attwood had heard Felix Mendelssohn play during a visit to London in 1829. Following a tour of Scotland and Wales, Mendelssohn returned to the capital but fell out of a carriage and suffered a leg injury; while he was recovering, he received a large hamper from Attwood and was invited to stay at the family home at Beulah Hill in Norwood as soon as he was able to travel. Mendelssohn composed a piece for harp and piano called ''The Evening Bell'', suggested by the gate bell at Attwood's house. Following a second stay at Norwood in 1832, Mendelssohn dedicated his ''Three Preludes and Fugues for the Organ'' (Op. 37) to Attwood.

Notes

References

* Attribution: * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Attwood, Thomas 1765 births 1838 deaths 18th-century British composers 18th-century British male musicians 19th-century British composers English classical composers Glee composers English classical organists British male organists Cathedral organists Classical-period composers Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Burials at St Paul's Cathedral 18th-century keyboardists 19th-century organists 19th-century British male musicians Male classical organists