John Larkin Hopkins (25 November 1819 – 25 April 1873) was an English organist and composer, mostly of church music.

Life

He was born in Westminster on 25 November 1819, son of Edward Hopkins, a musician. The organist

Edward John Hopkins Dr. Edward John Hopkins FRCO (30 June 1818 - 4 February 1901) was an English organist and composer. The organist and composer John Larkin Hopkins was his cousin. Life He was born on 30 June 1818 in Westminster. He was the eldest son of George ...

was a cousin.James Duff Brown and Stephen Stratton. ''British Musical Biography'' (1897), pp. 206-207 He sang for several years as chorister boy in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

James Turle James Turle (5 March 1802 – 28 June 1882) was an English organist and composer, best known today as the writer of several widely sung Anglican chants and the hymn tune "Westminster" sung to the words of Frederick William Faber "My God, how wonde ...

being the organist and master of the choristers. After leaving the abbey choir Hopkins devoted himself to the study of music, and particularly of the organ, with such success that in 1841, aged 22, he was chosen to succeed Ralph Banks as organist of

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is in Rochester, Kent, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Rochester and seat (''cathedra'') of the Bishop of Rocheste ...

. In 1842 Hopkins took the degree of Mus. Bac. at Cambridge University, and in 1856 was elected organist at

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 ...

; he resigned his appointment at Rochester and moved to Cambridge. He proceeded to the degree of Mus. Doc. in 1857. He died at

Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport, Isle of Wight, Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface D ...

, Isle of Wight, on 25 April 1873.

Compositions

His compositions include ''Five Glees and a Madrigal'' (London, 1842); cathedral services in C flat and E flat (London, 1857); a collection of anthems, and several other services, anthems, songs, glees, and carols. He was the author of ''A New Vocal Tutor'' (London, 1855), and he published in 1847, with the Rev. S. Shepherd, a collection of words of anthems used in Rochester Cathedral.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, John Larkin 1819 births 1873 deaths People from Westminster 19th-century English organists English classical organists English male organists English classical composers of church music Glee composers 19th-century English male musicians English male classical organists English cathedral organists Musicians from the City of Westminster