Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley, 2nd Baronet (12 August 18256 April 1889) was an English

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

Biography

Frederick Ouseley was born in London, the son of Sir

Gore Ouseley Sir Gore Ouseley, 1st Baronet Royal Guelphic Order, GCH, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (24 June 1770 – 18 November 1844), was a British entrepreneur, linguist and diplomat. He was born in 1770 and died at Hall Barn Park, Beaconsfiel ...

, and manifested an extraordinary precocity in music, composing an opera (''L'Isola disabitata'') at the age of eight years. In 1844 he succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

in 1843, where he graduated BA in 1846 and MA in 1849. He was ordained in the latter year, and, as curate of

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is an English Grade II* listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London t ...

, served the parish of St Barnabas,

Pimlico Pimlico () is a district in 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 Lon ...

until 1851. He studied composition and the theory of music under Dr. Stephen Elvey at Oxford. Throughout his life, Ouseley experienced a social conflict between his aristocratic heritage and his interest in the performance of

Anglican church music Anglican church music is music that is written for Christian worship in Anglican religious services, forming part of the liturgy. It mostly consists of pieces written to be sung by a church choir, which may sing ''a cappella'' or accompanied b ...

, an activity which was seen as beneath someone of his stature. In 1850 he took the degree of Mus.B. at 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 ...

, and four years afterwards that of Mus.D., his exercise being the

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

''The Martyrdom of St Polycarp''. He was Heather Professor of Music at Oxford from 1855 to 1889. In 1856, Ouseley both founded and endowed with his own funds St Michael's College on the outskirts of

Tenbury Wells Tenbury Wells (locally Tenbury) is a small market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the north-western extremity of the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Situated 6 miles southeast of Ludlow, its northern border ...

, a choir school intended to serve as a model for Anglican church music. Ouseley was clear that the standard of music in the English church was lacking and through his foundation at Tenbury, he would help to change that. As well as being the college founder, he became the school's first warden.

Death

Ouseley died in

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

, where he had been

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

since 1855.

Works

Ouseley's works included a second oratorio, ''Hagar'' (Hereford, 1873), a great number of

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

and anthems, psalm chants, cantatas, chamber music, organ pieces and songs. Among his instructional treaties on

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

fugue In classical music, a fugue (, from Latin ''fuga'', meaning "flight" or "escape""Fugue, ''n''." ''The Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', eleventh edition, revised, ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Oxford and New York: Oxford Universit ...

, and composition are ''Harmony'' (1868) and ''Counterpoint'' (1869) and ''Musical Form'' (1875). He also added a series of chapters on English music to the English translation of Emil Naumann's History of Music, the subject having been practically ignored in the German treatise.

Choral

nfinished* Anthems: **''All the kings of the earth'' **''And there was a pure river of Water of life'' **''And there was a war in heaven'' **''Ascribe ye greatness'' **''Awake, thou that sleepest'' **''Behold, how good and joyful'' **''Behold now, praise the Lord'' **''Be merciful unto me'' **''Blessed be the Lord God of Israel'' **''Blessed be Thou'' **''Blessed is he whose unrighteousness'' **''Blessed is the man'' **''Christ is risen from the dead'' **''Except the Lord build the house'' **''From the rising of the sun'' **''Give thanks, O Israel'' **''Great is the Lord'' **''Happy is the man'' **''Haste Thee, O God'' **''How goodly are the tents'' **''Is it nothing to you'' **''It came even to pass'' **''Jerusalem on high'' **''O Saviour of the world'' *Oratorios **''St Polycarp'' (1854) **''Hagar'' (Hereford Festival, 1873) *Services **Evening Service in B flat **Evening Service in E flat *Miscellaneous **Gloria in D **Te Deum in D **Te Deum in F *Hymn tunes **Contemplation (When all thy mercies, O my God) **Hereford (When wounded sore the stricken heart) **Bewdley (Children of the heavenly King) **St Gabriel.

References

;Attribution *

External links

* *
St Michael's College Society

The Ouseley Church Music Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouseley, Frederick 1825 births 1889 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 19th-century English musicians 19th-century English male musicians 19th-century English classical composers Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom English Romantic composers English classical organists English music theorists 19th-century English Anglican priests Heather Professors of Music English male classical composers Oratorio composers English male classical organists 19th-century English organists 19th-century British musicologists