Daniel Godfrey (4 September 1831 – 30 June 1903) was a British

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 ...

, composer and arranger of compositions for

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

s. He was for many years bandmaster of the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

Life

Daniel Godfrey Vanity Fair 10 March 1888

He was born in Westminster in 1831, eldest of four sons of Charles Godfrey, bandmaster 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 ...

for fifty years. His eldest brother, George William Godfrey, was well known as a playwright. His brother Fred Godfrey was also a bandmaster. Daniel Godfrey was educated at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools 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 firs ...

, where he subsequently became professor of military music and was elected a fellow. In his early days he was a flute player in the orchestra of

Louis-Antoine Jullien Louis George Maurice Adolphe Roche Albert Abel Antonio Alexandre Noë Jean Lucien Daniel Eugène Joseph-le-brun Joseph-Barême Thomas Thomas Thomas-Thomas Pierre Arbon Pierre-Maurel Barthélemi Artus Alphonse Bertrand Dieudonné Emanuel Josué V ...

and at the

Royal Italian Opera The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

. In 1856, on the recommendation of Sir Michael Costa, he was, through the influence of the Prince Consort Albert, appointed bandmaster of the

. One of his first duties was to play into London the brigade of guards returning from the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. In 1863 he composed his "Guards" waltz for the ball given by the officers of the guards to the Prince and Princess of Wales, later

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

and

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...

, on their marriage. This became popular, as did his "Mabel" and "Hilda" waltzes. He was also successful as an arranger of compositions for military bands. Godfrey made a tour with his band in the United States in 1876, in celebration of the centenary of

American Independence The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American Revolutionary War ...

. It was the first visit of an English military band since the creation of the republic, and a special Act of Parliament had to be passed to authorise it. At the

Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a National service of thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Serv ...

in 1887, he was promoted second-lieutenant – the first bandmaster who received a commission in the army – and he was decorated with the Jubilee Medal. In 1891 he reached the age limit of sixty, but his period of service was extended for five years. He retired from the army on 4 September 1896, with the reputation of England's leading bandmaster. Subsequently, he formed a private military band which played at the chief exhibitions in England, and with which he twice toured America and Canada. He died in

Beeston, Nottinghamshire Beeston () is a town in the Borough of Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, England, it is 3 miles south-west of Nottingham. To its north-east is the University of Nottingham's main campus, Campuses of the University of Nottingham#University Park Campus, ...

, on 30 June 1903 aged 71. Godfrey married in 1856 Joyce Boyles, and they had two sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Dan Godfrey (1868–1939), became a successful conductor.

References

Attribution *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Daniel 1831 births 1903 deaths 19th-century British composers British military musicians Fellows of the Royal Academy of Music Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Grenadier Guards soldiers Grenadier Guards officers