Thomas Attwood (23 November 1765 – 24 March 1838) was
an English composer and organist. He was the son of a
musician in the royal band, Attwood was born in London,
probably in Pimlico. At the age of nine he became a
chorister in the Chapel Royal, where he received
training in music from James Nares and Edmund Ayrton.
In 1783 he was sent to study abroad at the expense of
the Prince of Wales (afterwards King George IV), who
had been favourably impressed by his skill at the
harpsichord. After two...(+)
Thomas Attwood (23 November 1765 – 24 March 1838) was
an English composer and organist. He was the son of a
musician in the royal band, Attwood was born in London,
probably in Pimlico. At the age of nine he became a
chorister in the Chapel Royal, where he received
training in music from James Nares and Edmund Ayrton.
In 1783 he was sent to study abroad at the expense of
the Prince of Wales (afterwards King George IV), who
had been favourably impressed by his skill at the
harpsichord. After two years in Naples, Attwood
proceeded to Vienna, where he became a favourite pupil
of Mozart. On his return to London in 1787 he held for
a short time an appointment as one of the chamber
musicians to the Prince of Wales.
In 1796 he was chosen as the organist of St Paul's
Cathedral, and in the same year he was made composer of
the Chapel Royal. His court connection was further
confirmed by his appointment as musical instructor to
the Duchess of York, and afterwards to the Princess of
Wales. In January 1806, he played his own composition,
Grand Dirge, on the organ for the funeral of Lord
Nelson, the only piece specially written for the
occasion. For the coronation of George IV, he composed
a setting of the traditional anthem I was Glad, which
was also used at the coronations of King William IV and
Queen Victoria. The king, who had neglected him for
some years on account of his connection with the
Princess of Wales, now restored him to favour, and in
1821 appointed him organist to his private chapel at
Brighton.
Soon after the institution of the Royal Academy of
Music in 1823, Attwood was chosen to be one of the
professors. He was also one of the original members of
the Royal Philharmonic Society, founded in 1813. He
wrote the anthem O Lord, Grant the King a Long Life for
the coronation of William IV, and he was composing a
similar work for the coronation of Queen Victoria when
he died at his house at 75 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, on 24
March 1838.
Thomas Attwood's services and anthems were published in
a collected form after his death by his godson and
pupil Thomas Attwood Walmisley. Attwood is now known
only for a few short anthems; these include Teach me, O
Lord (1797), O God who by the leading of a star (1814),
Turn Thy face from my sins (1831), and Come, Holy Ghost
(1834). His compositions show the influence of his
teacher Mozart, but also the Georgian tradition of
English church music of his early training, producing a
"union of styles" which remained influential throughout
the 19th century. Besides his ecclesiastical work,
Attwood wrote music and songs for some twenty musical
plays and comic operas between 1792 and 1807. He was
also a prolific writer of glees, including A Rose-Bud
by my Early Walk (c. 1819), a poem by Robert Burns.
He was himself the teacher of John Goss, Cipriani
Potter, his godson Thomas Attwood Walmisley, and child
prodigy Elizabeth Jonas. Through his friendship with
Mendelssohn, he greatly encouraged the young William
Sterndale Bennett. His funeral took place at St Paul's
Cathedral on 31 March 1838. He is buried in the
cathedral, in the crypt, under the organ.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Attwood_(composer
)).
Although originally written for Chorus (SATB), I
created this Interpretation of "O God, Who by the
Leading of a Star" for Pipe Organ (2 Maunals w/pedals).
