William Carnaby (1772 – 7 November 1839) was an English organist and composer.

Life

Carnaby was born in London in 1772, and was educated in the

Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

as a chorister under James Nares and

Edmund Ayrton Dr. Edmund Ayrton (1734 – 22 May 1808) was an English organist who was Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal. Early life Edmund Ayrton was born in Ripon and baptised on 19 November 1734. His father was Edward Ayrton (1698-1774), a 'bar ...

. He was subsequently organist at

Eye, Suffolk Eye () is a market town and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district, in the north of the English county of Suffolk, about south of Diss, Norfolk, Diss, north of Ipswich and south-west of Norwich. The population in the 2011 census of 2,154 ...

and at

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

. In 1805 he took the degree of Mus. Doc. at Cambridge, where he entered at Trinity Hall. In July 1808 he proceeded Mus. Doc., on which occasion his exercise, described as "a grand musical piece," was performed at

Great St Mary's St Mary the Great is a Church of England parish and university church at the north end of King's Parade in central Cambridge, England. It is known locally as Great St Mary's or simply GSM to distinguish it from " Little St Mary's". It is one of ...

on Sunday 7 July. Previous to this he had left Huntingdon and settled in London, where he lived at various times at Winchester Row and

Red Lion Square Red Lion Square is a small square in Holborn, London. The square was laid out in 1684 by Nicholas Barbon, taking its name from the Red Lion Inn. According to some sources, the bodies of three regicides—Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and H ...

. In 1823 he was appointed organist of the newly opened Hanover Chapel, Regent Street, at a salary of £50 per annum, a post he occupied until his death on 7 November 1839.

Compositions

Carnaby wrote many songs: these include six songs dedicated to Lady Templetown; two books of songs dedicated to William Knyvett; six canzonets for two voices to words by

William Shenstone William Shenstone (18 November 171411 February 1763) was an English poet and one of the earliest practitioners of History of gardening#Picturesque and English Landscape gardens, landscape gardening through the development of his estate, ''The ...

; and a collection of vocal music dedicated to Viscountess Mahon. He also composed piano pieces.

William Henry Husk William Henry Husk (1814–1887) was an English historian of music and critic. Life Husk was born in London on 4 November 1814. From 1833 to 1886 he was clerk to a firm of solicitors. As an amateur musician, taught by his godfather John Bernard S ...

wrote that his compositions "have been characterised as scientific, but deficient in taste."

References

Attribution *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carnaby, William 1772 births 1839 deaths 19th-century English organists English classical organists 19th-century English composers