William Boyce (baptised 11 September 1711 – 7 February 1779) was an English composer and organist. Like Beethoven later on, he became deaf but continued to compose. He knew Handel, Arne, Gluck, Bach, Abel, and a very young Mozart all of whom respected his work.
His first professional appointment came in 1734 when he was employed as an organist at the Oxford Chapel in central London. He went on to take a number of similar posts before being appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1757 (he had applied for the post on the death of Maurice Greene in 1755) and becoming one of the organists at the Chapel Royal in 1758.[2] He also gave lessons, his daughter telling the composer R. J. S. Stevens that both Thomas Linley the Elder and Thomas Linley the Younger had been his pupils in counterpoint in the period 1763–1768.[3]
His work as a composer began in the 1730s, writing songs for Vauxhall Gardens. In 1736 he was named as composer to the Chapel Royal and wrote the oratorioDavid's Lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. He was engaged as conductor to the Three Choirs Festival in 1737; many of his works, including the Worcester Overture (today known as his Symphony no. 8), will have been premiered at the Festival over the succeeding years. The 1740s saw his opera Peleus and Thetis, the serenata Solomon, and his Secular Masque, to a libretto by John Dryden. In 1749 he wrote an ode and the anthem O be joyful to celebrate the installation of the Duke of Newcastle as Chancellor of Cambridge University, and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music.[4] In 1747 he had published his first purely instrumental composition, a set of "Twelve Sontas for Two Violins and a Bass" and these proved popular. Charles Burney wrote that they were "not only in constant use, as Chamber music, in private concerts ... but in our theatres, as act-tunes [i.e. intermezzi] and public gardens, as favourite pieces, during many years."[1]
In the 1750s Boyce supplied David Garrick with songs and other music for many productions at the Drury Lane Theatre. These included his own operas The Chaplet and The Shepherd's Lottery, both to libretti by Moses Mendez, and for Garrick's 1759 pantomime Harlequin's Invasion which contained what became Boyce's most famous song, Heart of Oak.[1]
As Master of the King's Musick Boyce had the responsibility of writing music for royal occasions including funerals, weddings and coronations. He, however, refused to make a new setting of Zadok the Priest for the coronation of George III in 1761 on the grounds that Handel's setting of the anthem was unsurpassable – as a consequence of which Handel's setting has been played at every subsequent British coronation.[1]
By the year 1758, his deafness had increased to such an extent that he was unable to continue in his organist posts. He resolved to give up teaching and to retire to Kensington, and devote himself to editing the collection of church music which bears his name. He retired and worked on completing the compilation Cathedral Music that his teacher Greene had left incomplete at his death. This led to Boyce editing works by the likes of William Byrd and Henry Purcell. Many of the pieces in the collection are still used in Anglican services today.
On 7 February 1779 Boyce died from an attack of gout. He was buried under the dome[5] of St Paul's Cathedral.[1] His only son, also William Boyce (25 March 1764 – 1824), was a professional double bass player.[6]
Boyce was largely forgotten after his death and he remains a little-performed composer today, although a number of his pieces were rediscovered in the 1930s and Constant Lambert edited and sometimes conducted his works. Lambert had already launched the early stages of the modern Boyce revival in 1928, when he published the first modern edition of the Eight Symphonies (Bartlett and Bruce 2001). The great exception to this neglect was his church music, which was edited after his death by Philip Hayes and published in two large volumes, Fifteen Anthems by Dr Boyce in 1780 and A Collection of Anthems and a Short Service in 1790 (Bartlett 2003, 54).
Church choral music saw a revival in the 1830s and 1840s, under the influences of the Tractarians, the Cambridge Camden Society, and the financial changes carried out under the "Dean and Chapter Act" (the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840).[7][8] A new edition of Boyce's works as Cathedral Music, edited by Joseph Warren, appeared in 1849.[9]
The first movement (Allegro) of Boyce's Symphony No. 1 in B-flat was the first piece of music played during the procession of the bride and bridegroom at the conclusion of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.[10]
^"Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral" Sinclair, W. p. 471: London; Chapman & Hall, Ltd; 1909.
^British musical biography (Birmingham: S.S. Stratton, 1897) p. 56.
^Mitchell, Sally (2011). Victorian Britain (Routledge Revivals): An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 150. ISBN978-1-136-71617-1.
^Milton, Anthony; Strong, Rowan; Gregory, Jeremy; Morris, Jeremy N.; Sachs, William L. (2017). The Oxford History of Anglicanism. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. p. 390. ISBN978-0-19-969970-4.
^Golby, David J. "Warren, Joseph". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28782. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^"The Official Order of Service for the Wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle" (PDF). British royal family. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
Bruce, Robert J. 2005. "Boyce, William (bap. 1711, d. 1779)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, [2004; online edition, Oct 2005; subscription or UK library membership required]
Fiske, Roger; Platt, Roger (1995). "Boyce, William". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 3. London: Macmillan. pp. 138–143. ISBN0333231112.
Further reading
Bartlett, Ian, and Robert J. Bruce. 2001. "Boyce, William". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
Bartlett, Ian. 2003. "Lambert, Finzi and the Anatomy of the Boyce Revival". Musical Times 144, no. 1884 (Autumn): 54–59.
Bartlett, Ian and Robert J. Bruce. 2011. "William Boyce: a tercentenary sourcebook and compendium". Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Bartlett, Ian, and Robert J. Bruce. 2001. "Boyce, William". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
Kenyon, Nicholas. 1978–79. "William Boyce (1711–1779)" Music and Musicians 27, no. 6:24–27.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Boyce.
william, boyce, composer, william, boyce, baptised, september, 1711, february, 1779, english, composer, organist, like, beethoven, later, became, deaf, continued, compose, knew, handel, arne, gluck, bach, abel, very, young, mozart, whom, respected, work, willi. William Boyce baptised 11 September 1711 7 February 1779 was an English composer and organist Like Beethoven later on he became deaf but continued to compose He knew Handel Arne Gluck Bach Abel and a very young Mozart all of whom respected his work William Boyce by John Russell 1776 Contents 1 Life 2 Legacy 3 Works 4 References 5 Sources 6 Further reading 7 External linksLife Edit William Boyce by Thomas Hudson ca 1745 Boyce was born in London at Joiners Hall then in Lower Thames Street to John Boyce at the time a joiner and cabinet maker and beadle of the Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers and his wife Elizabeth Cordwell He was baptised on 11 September 1711 and was admitted by his father as a choirboy at St Paul s Cathedral in 1719 After his voice broke in 1727 he studied music with Maurice Greene 1 His first professional appointment came in 1734 when he was employed as an organist at the Oxford Chapel in central London He went on to take a number of similar posts before being appointed Master of the King s Musick in 1757 he had applied for the post on the death of Maurice Greene in 1755 and becoming one of the organists at the Chapel Royal in 1758 2 He also gave lessons his daughter telling the composer R J S Stevens that both Thomas Linley the Elder and Thomas Linley the Younger had been his pupils in counterpoint in the period 1763 1768 3 His work as a composer began in the 1730s writing songs for Vauxhall Gardens In 1736 he was named as composer to the Chapel Royal and wrote the oratorio David s Lamentation over Saul and Jonathan He was engaged as conductor to the Three Choirs Festival in 1737 many of his works including the Worcester Overture today known as his Symphony no 8 will have been premiered at the Festival over the succeeding years The 1740s saw his opera Peleus and Thetis the serenata Solomon and his Secular Masque to a libretto by John Dryden In 1749 he wrote an ode and the anthem O be joyful to celebrate the installation of the Duke of Newcastle as Chancellor of Cambridge University and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music 4 In 1747 he had published his first purely instrumental composition a set of Twelve Sontas for Two Violins and a Bass and these proved popular Charles Burney wrote that they were not only in constant use as Chamber music in private concerts but in our theatres as act tunes i e intermezzi and public gardens as favourite pieces during many years 1 In the 1750s Boyce supplied David Garrick with songs and other music for many productions at the Drury Lane Theatre These included his own operas The Chaplet and The Shepherd s Lottery both to libretti by Moses Mendez and for Garrick s 1759 pantomime Harlequin s Invasion which contained what became Boyce s most famous song Heart of Oak 1 As Master of the King s Musick Boyce had the responsibility of writing music for royal occasions including funerals weddings and coronations He however refused to make a new setting of Zadok the Priest for the coronation of George III in 1761 on the grounds that Handel s setting of the anthem was unsurpassable as a consequence of which Handel s setting has been played at every subsequent British coronation 1 By the year 1758 his deafness had increased to such an extent that he was unable to continue in his organist posts He resolved to give up teaching and to retire to Kensington and devote himself to editing the collection of church music which bears his name He retired and worked on completing the compilation Cathedral Music that his teacher Greene had left incomplete at his death This led to Boyce editing works by the likes of William Byrd and Henry Purcell Many of the pieces in the collection are still used in Anglican services today On 7 February 1779 Boyce died from an attack of gout He was buried under the dome 5 of St Paul s Cathedral 1 His only son also William Boyce 25 March 1764 1824 was a professional double bass player 6 Legacy Edit William Boyce engraved by John Keyse Sherwin Boyce was largely forgotten after his death and he remains a little performed composer today although a number of his pieces were rediscovered in the 1930s and Constant Lambert edited and sometimes conducted his works Lambert had already launched the early stages of the modern Boyce revival in 1928 when he published the first modern edition of the Eight Symphonies Bartlett and Bruce 2001 The great exception to this neglect was his church music which was edited after his death by Philip Hayes and published in two large volumes Fifteen Anthems by Dr Boyce in 1780 and A Collection of Anthems and a Short Service in 1790 Bartlett 2003 54 Church choral music saw a revival in the 1830s and 1840s under the influences of the Tractarians the Cambridge Camden Society and the financial changes carried out under the Dean and Chapter Act the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840 7 8 A new edition of Boyce s works as Cathedral Music edited by Joseph Warren appeared in 1849 9 The first movement Allegro of Boyce s Symphony No 1 in B flat was the first piece of music played during the procession of the bride and bridegroom at the conclusion of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 10 Boyce s portraits were painted by Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Hudson He was drawn and engraved by John Keyse Sherwin and a vignette made by Drayton after Robert Smirke 11 Works EditSee List of compositions by William BoyceReferences Edit a b c d e Bruce 2005 Fiske 1995 p 138 9 Fiske 1995 p 140 Fiske 1995 p 138 Memorials of St Paul s Cathedral Sinclair W p 471 London Chapman amp Hall Ltd 1909 British musical biography Birmingham S S Stratton 1897 p 56 Mitchell Sally 2011 Victorian Britain Routledge Revivals An Encyclopedia Routledge p 150 ISBN 978 1 136 71617 1 Milton Anthony Strong Rowan Gregory Jeremy Morris Jeremy N Sachs William L 2017 The Oxford History of Anglicanism Vol 3 Oxford University Press p 390 ISBN 978 0 19 969970 4 Golby David J Warren Joseph Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 28782 Subscription or UK public library membership required The Official Order of Service for the Wedding of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle PDF British royal family 18 May 2018 Retrieved 18 December 2019 Boyce William Dictionary of National Biography London Smith Elder amp Co 1885 1900 Sources EditBruce Robert J 2005 Boyce William bap 1711 d 1779 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 online edition Oct 2005 subscription or UK library membership required Fiske Roger Platt Roger 1995 Boyce William In Sadie Stanley ed The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Vol 3 London Macmillan pp 138 143 ISBN 0333231112 Further reading EditBartlett Ian and Robert J Bruce 2001 Boyce William The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians second edition edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell London Macmillan Publishers Bartlett Ian 2003 Lambert Finzi and the Anatomy of the Boyce Revival Musical Times 144 no 1884 Autumn 54 59 Bartlett Ian and Robert J Bruce 2011 William Boyce a tercentenary sourcebook and compendium Cambridge Cambridge Scholars Publishing Bartlett Ian and Robert J Bruce 2001 Boyce William The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians second edition edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell London Macmillan Publishers Kenyon Nicholas 1978 79 William Boyce 1711 1779 Music and Musicians 27 no 6 24 27 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Boyce Works by or about William Boyce at Wikisource Free scores by William Boyce composer in the Choral Public Domain Library ChoralWiki Free scores by William Boyce composer at the International Music Score Library Project IMSLP William Boyce biography William Boyce s Solomon Oxford Journals Music and Letters Portraits of Boyce National Portrait Gallery London Court officesPreceded byMaurice Greene Master of the King s Music1755 1779 Succeeded byJohn StanleyCultural officesPreceded byJoseph Kelway Organist of St Michael Cornhill1736 1768 Succeeded byTheodore Aylward Sr Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Boyce composer amp oldid 1133974430, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
