Robert Brydges Addison (16 August 1854 – 8 July 1920) was an English composer, choirmaster and teacher.
Born in
Dorchester on Thames
Dorchester on Thames is a historic village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire, England, located about 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Oxford at the confluence of the River Thames and River Thame.
The village has evidence of preh ...
, Oxfordshire, Addison was the son of clergyman William Fountaine Addison (1817-1893). He trained at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
where he studied with
George Alexander Macfarren
Sir George Alexander Macfarren (2 March 181331 October 1887) was an English composer and musicologist.
Life
George Alexander Macfarren was born in London on 2 March 1813 to George Macfarren, a dancing-master, dramatic author and journalist, wh ...
. Following four years as sub-professor to Macfarren Addison was appointed professor of harmony and composition at the academy, a position he held between 1882 and 1892. From 1892 he taught at
Trinity College London
Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom which offers graded and diploma qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and teaching. Trinity Colleg ...
.
[James Duff Brown, Stephen Samuel Stratton. ''British Musical Biography: A Dictionary of Musical Artists, Authors and Composers Born in Britain and its Colonies'' (1897)]
His compositions include a Concert Allegro in G, the cantata ''A Vision'' (1880), the motet ''Save Me, O Lord'', the anthem ''They that sow in tears'', a Piano Sonata in A minor, and the ''Andante and Variations'' for piano. There are also many songs, including ''Rise! For the Day is Passing'', which was performed at the
BBC Proms
The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...
in 1914, and several albums for children. While at the academy he composed a Symphony in G minor, of which two movements were performed on 15 December 1881.
[
Addison never married, and in 1891 was still living with his father in ]Ossett
Ossett is a market town in the Wakefield district, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated between Dewsbury, Horbury and Wakefield. At the 2021 census, the town had a po ...
, Yorkshire. From 1910 until his death his address was 11 Sheriff Road, West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden. Neighbouring areas includes Childs Hill to the north, Frognal to the east, Swiss Cottage to the south-east, South Hampstead to the south and Kilburn to the south-west.
The neighbourh ...
in London, though he died, aged 65, in Cranbrook, leaving a fortune of £11,150. His brother was the Oxfordshire painter William Grylls Addison (1853-1904).
List of works
Orchestral
* Symphony in G minor (1881)
* Concert allegro in G major, for orchestra
Instrumental
* Piano Sonata in A minor
* Andante and Variations for piano
Choral
* ''A Vision'', cantata for choir and orchestra (1880)
* ''Quiet Hours''. Trio for female voices (1886)
* ''They that sow in tears'', Psalm 126 (1889)
* ''Save me O Lord'', motet
Songs
* ''Under the sea'' (1876)
* ''Weariness'' (1876)
* ''The days are cold'', lullaby (1879)
* ''Always'' (1880)
* ''Wandering wishes'' (1881)
* ''Two doves'' (1882)
* ''A dream of long ago'' (1883)
* ''Children's Voices'', album for children (1884)
* ''Love in a boat'' (1886)
* ''The early bird'' (1886)
* ''While we dream'' (1886)
* ''Under the snow'', with cello accompaniment (1885-1887)
* ''Please Sing me a Song'', album for children (1887)
* ''Do I love thee? O rushing wind'' (1887)
* ''Resemblance'' (1887)
* ''Thy roses'' (1887)
* ''Violets'' (1887)
* ''The sweetest hour'' (1887)
* ''First come... (The early bird)'' (1887)
* ''Brightness'' (1888)
* ''The dew is sweet to the lily'' (1888)
* ''A winter song'' (1888)
* ''In quiet sleep'' (1889)
* ''My heart's desire'' (1889)
* ''From a child's hand'' (1890)
* ''My love for thee'' (1891)
* ''O rushing wind'' (1891)
* ''Don't cry'' (1892)
* ''A summer morn'' (1893)
* Rise! for the day is passing (1901)
* ''When summer comes again'' (1906)
* ''Bright be the place of thy soul''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Addison, Robert Brydges
English Romantic composers
1854 births
1920 deaths
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music
Alumni of Trinity College of Music