Charles Godfrey (November 22, 1790,

Kingston-upon-Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

– December 12, 1863, London) was an English

bandmaster A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a concert band, military band, brass band or a marching band. British Armed Forces In the British Army, bandmasters of the Royal Corps of Army Music now hold the rank of staff ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

, and

bassoonist The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

. He began his career as a

in the band of the 1st Royal Surrey Militia. He then played in the band of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

as a

. He was appointed director of this band in 1825. He served in that position until 1834 when he was discharged from military duty, but continued to direct the group as a civilian musician. His son

Fred Godfrey Fred or Frederick Godfrey may refer to: * Fred Godfrey (bandmaster) (1837–1882), English bandmaster and music arranger * Fred Godfrey (footballer) (1910–1989), Australian footballer *Fred Godfrey (songwriter) (1880–1953), Welsh songwriter ...

succeeded him as director of the Coldstream Guards band in 1863. In 1831 Godfrey was appointed musician-in-ordinary to 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 hi ...

. He was editor of the military band publication, '' Jullien’s Military Journal''. His other son was the bandmaster Dan Godfrey who was the father of bandmaster Daniel Eyers Godfrey.

References

1790 births 1863 deaths English bandleaders English bassoonists English drummers {{UK-musician-stub