Richard Davis (died April 1688) 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 ...

and

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 ...

who was active at the

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England cathedral in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Worcester and is the Mother Church# ...

from 1639 until his death in 1688. He began his musical life at the cathedral as a chorister from 1639–1644. He then served as a

lay clerk A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic cathedral in the UK, or (occasionally) college choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars choral w ...

before being appointed organist at the cathedral in 1664. In 1671 he also became Master of Choristers at the Cathedral. While Davis held the post of organist until his death, the last two years of his life he suffered ill health and the duties of the post were filled by a deputy organist, the composer Vaughan Richardson. Davis died in Worcester in April 1688. As a composer, his surviving compositions include a ''Mass in C Major'' and 12 anthems; all of which are part of the collection of the Worcester Cathedral's library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Richard 1688 deaths 17th-century English composers English Baroque composers English organists Musicians from Worcester, England Worcester Cathedral