Richard Goodson (c.1655 – 13 January 1718) was an English musician and composer, who held the post of

Heather Professor of Music The Heather Professor of Music is the title of an endowed chair at the University of Oxford. The post and the funding for it come from a bequest by William Heather (c. 1563 – 1627). Following the example of his friend William Camden who had left ...

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 ...

Life and career

Richard Goodson, the son of an Oxford publican also called Richard, was a member of the choir of

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...

, firstly as a boy chorister from 1667 and then as one of the gentlemen of the choir from 1675 to 1681. At this time, Edward Lowe was the organist and master of the choristers at the cathedral and also

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. The two of them became friends, and Lowe was Goodson's supporter and teacher. On Lowe's death in 1682, Goodson succeeded him as professor, and later also held the positions of organist of

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

(appointed 1683) and organist of Christ Church (1692). He obtained further music manuscripts to add to the resources of Oxford's music school. He died in

Great Tew Great Tew is an English village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about north-east of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, Chipping Norton and south-west of Banbury, close to the Cotswold Hills. The 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census gave a paris ...

, Oxfordshire, on 13 January 1718 and was buried in the cathedral. He had at least three children with his wife Mary, including a son called Richard, who succeeded his father in his professorship and Christ Church position.

Compositions

Goodson's choral music includes a setting of the canticles for Mattins in C major, found in the collections of

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

. Most of his compositions are to be found only in manuscript form in Oxford, rather than having been published contemporaneously. Some of his pieces were written for official university ceremonies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodson, Richard 1650s births 1718 deaths English Baroque composers English classical organists 17th-century English classical composers 18th-century English classical composers 18th-century English male musicians 18th-century English people Heather Professors of Music Organists of Christ Church, Oxford Burials at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Musicians from Oxfordshire 18th-century English keyboardists English male classical composers English male classical organists