Henry Twiselton Elliston ( c. 1801 – 1864), was an English musical composer and inventor.

Life

Elliston was born in or about 1801, the second son of

Robert William Elliston Robert William Elliston (7 April 1774 – 7 July 1831) was an English actor and theatre manager. Life He was born in London, the son of a watchmaker. He was educated at St Paul's School, but ran away from home and made his first appearance on ...

and the nephew of

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. He resided during most of his life at Leamington, where his father had formerly leased the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

. Having decided on adopting music as his profession, he received a careful training, and became a sound theoretical musician, and an able performer on the organ and several other instruments. On his father presenting an organ to the parish church of Leamington, Elliston was elected organist, and held the post till his death. In the subsequent enlargement of the organ he exhibited considerable mechanical ingenuity, and invented a transposing piano on a new and simple plan. He was an early member of the choral society of Leamington, and whilst he was associated with it the society produced the ''

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'' and other great works during a three days' musical festival. Elliston himself built the music hall in Bath Street, with his brother William, who emigrated to Australia, he established the County Library. During the time that he and his brother were in partnership they gave concerts on an extensive scale. Subsequently, Elliston was lessee of the royal assembly rooms. Beyond some admired church services he composed little. In September 1863 he was appointed librarian of the free public library at Leamington. He died at Leamington on 19 April 1864, aged 63, and was buried in the cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliston, Henry Twiselton 1801 births 1864 deaths 19th-century British composers English composers English inventors 19th-century English scientists English librarians 19th-century English musicians