Edward Lowe (c.1610 – 11 July 1682) was an English musician, who was an organist at

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...

, the

Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

and the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. He was also

Heather Professor of Music The Heather Professor of Music is the title of an endowed chair at the University of Oxford. The post and the funding for it come from a bequest by William Heather (c. 1563 – 1627). Following the example of his friend William Camden who had left ...

at Oxford from 1661 until his death.

Life and career

Edward Lowe was born in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, Wiltshire, and sang in the choir of

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

as a boy at

Salisbury Cathedral School Salisbury Cathedral School is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, which was founded in 1091 by Saint Osmund. The Salisbury Cathedral Choir, choristers of Salisbury Cathedral are ...

. At some point between 1631 and 1641, he became organist and master of the choristers of

. Documents at the

for the year 1657–58 record him as holding the position of university organist. He deputised for John Wilson as

, succeeding him in 1661; he also became an organist of the

soon afterwards. At Oxford, he increased the university's collection of music by purchases and by receiving gifts. He retained his various positions until his death on 11 July 1682. He was married twice: to Alice Peyton from 1633 until her death in 1649 (with whom he had nine children); and from about 1654 to Mary (with whom he had at least two children). He was buried in the cathedral, close to the grave of his first wife.

Compositions and writings

In 1661, after the

restoration of the monarchy Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

, Lowe wrote a collection of simple settings of music for church and cathedral services, for the use of choirs newly reestablished after the end of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. He composed various pieces for Oxford occasions, including "Nunc est canendum" (possibly to mark the opening in 1669 of the

Sheldonian Theatre The Sheldonian Theatre, in the centre of Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, List of Wardens of All Souls College, Oxford, Wa ...

), and for Christ Church; some vocal compositions and one work for keyboard also survive.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Edward 1610 births 1682 deaths English Baroque composers English classical organists British male organists 17th-century English classical composers 17th-century English composers Organists of Christ Church, Oxford Heather Professors of Music People educated at Salisbury Cathedral School Musicians from Salisbury English male classical composers 17th-century male musicians British male classical organists