George Loosemore (12 September 1619 – 11 September 1682) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

organist and composer who became organist of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, in 1660 and of

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

, in 1661, serving in both roles until his death.''The Story of a Loosemore Family'', chap. 3, "Organists, composers and organ builders"
Accessed on 11 December 2021.

Life

Baptised at

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

, Loosemore was the son of the organ builder Samuel Loosemore. His brothers included

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, also an organ builder, and

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, a fellow organist. Loosemore was appointed organist at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1660 and at St John's College, Cambridge, the following year. He may also have succeeded his brother Henry as resident organist and teacher of music at

Kirtling Kirtling, together with Kirtling Green and Kirtling Towers, is a scattered settlement in the south-eastern edge of the English county of Cambridgeshire. It forms a civil parish with the nearby village of Upend to its north. The population of the ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, under the patronage of

Dudley North, 4th Baron North Dudley North, 4th Baron North, Order of the Bath, KB (160224 June 1677) of Kirtling Tower, Cambridgeshire was an English politician, who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1660. Life North ...

. He died in Cambridge.MGG Online
retrieved 13 December 2021.

Works

Surviving works include the

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 sho ...

''Glory be to God'' in the collection of music compiled by

Thomas Tudway Thomas Tudway (died 1726) was an English musician and Professor of Music at Cambridge University. He is known as a composer, and for his compilation of a collection of Anglican church music. Life Tudway was born probably before 1650, as he beca ...

References

1619 births 1682 deaths 17th-century English composers English organists People associated with the University of Cambridge {{UK-composer-stub