Thomas Ebdon (1738–1811) was a British

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 born in Durham. He was a

chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

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 ...

and was a pupil of James Heseltine, the organist there. He succeeded Heseltine in the office, aged 35, after some wrangling between the Chapter and Dean. He died in office. He is most famous for the evening part of his Service in C, and his setting of the Preces and Responses. Ebdon was for many years a freemason at the ''Granby'' lodge in Durham, as well as being a senior member of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham, established in 1788. A march by Ebdon, for wind and brass (published by Dale of London in 1792), was composed for the installation in 1788 of William Lambton (1764–97) as the first Provincial Grand Master of Durham.See 'Harmony and brotherly love: musicians and Freemasonry in 18th-century Durham City' by Simon Fleming in ''The Musical Times'', 2008 (Autumn), 69–80

References

*Bumpus, T. Francis (1905–06) The Cathedrals of England and Wales. 3 vols. London: T. Werner Laurie *Wollenberg, Susan; McVeigh, Simon (eds.) (2004) Concert Life in Eighteenth-century Britain. Aldershot: Ashgate *

External links

* English composers 1738 births 1811 deaths People from Durham, England Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England {{England-musician-stub