William Hawes (178518 February 1846) was an English musician and composer. He was the

Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal The Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal was the choirmaster of the Chapel Royal of England. They were responsible for the musical direction of the choir, which consisted of the Gentlemen of the Chapel and Children of the Chapel. In some pe ...

and musical director of the Lyceum Theatre bringing several notable works to the public's attention.

Life

Hawes was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and was for eight years (1793–1801) 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 ...

of 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 ...

, where he studied music, mainly under

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 subsequently held various musical posts, being master of the choristers at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

in London from 1812 to 1846. William_hawes

] In 1816 his third daughter, Maria Billington Hawes, Maria Hawes, was born. She was baptised in the same year and the singer Elizabeth Billington was her godmother. Her full name was Maria Dowding Billington Hawes and she would be a noted singer. In 1817 he was appointed

. According to one of the choristers under his charge at that time,

Samuel Sebastian Wesley Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810 – 19 April 1876) was an English organ (music), organist and composer. Wesley married Mary Anne Merewether and had 6 children. He is often referred to as S.S. Wesley to avoid confusion with his father Sa ...

, William Hawes was a disciplinarian who would freely whip the choirboys with a riding whip when they made mistakes. Wesley remembered

Maria Hackett Maria Hackett (14 November 1783 – 5 November 1874) was an English philanthropist. She took an interest in the welfare of choristers starting at those at St Paul's Cathedral. When she died she was recognised as "The Chorister's Friend". Earl ...

giving them succulent buns to help alleviate the pain. In 1818 Hawes was a founding member of the Regent’s Harmonic Institution (later renamed the Royal Harmonic Institution in 1820); a music publishing firm established with the intent of raising funds for the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

and its restoration of the

Argyll Rooms The Argyll Rooms (sometimes spelled Argyle) was an entertainment venue on Little Argyll Street, Regent Street, London, England, opened in 1806. It was rebuilt in 1818 due to the design of Regent Street. It burned down in 1830, but was rebuilt, b ...

. Eventually Hawes and composer Thomas Welsh obtained a controlling interest in this publishing firm, and it became known as 'Welsh and Hawes, at the Royal Harmonic Institution' in September 1825. Hawes remained active in this music publishing enterprise until July 1827 when he declared bankruptcy; although the firm continued to publish music under Welsh's leadership through May 1833. Hawes was for many years musical director of the

Lyceum Theatre, London The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arno ...

, then devoted to English

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

. In this capacity (on 23 July 1824), he introduced Weber's ''

Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...

'' for the first time in England, at first slightly curtailed, but soon afterwards in its entirety.

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

's '' Interrupted Sacrifice'',

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's ''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

'', Marschner's '' Der Vampyr'' and other important works were also brought out under his auspices. Hawes wrote or compiled the music for numerous pieces. Better were his glees and madrigals, of which he published two series. His ''The bee, the golden daughter of the spring'' won at the Glee Club in 1836. He also edited and published in 1814 the first re-edition of ''

The Triumphs of Oriana ''The Triumphs of Oriana'' is a book of English madrigals, compiled and published in 1601 by Thomas Morley, which first edition has 25 pieces by 23 composers (Thomas Morley and Ellis Gibbons have two madrigals) for 5 and 6 voices. The first 14 m ...

''. His great-great-grandson was the composer Sir

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music f ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawes, William 1785 births 1846 deaths English Romantic composers Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal Musicians from London 19th-century English musicians Masters of the Children of the Chapel Royal Children of the Chapel Royal