born in London, March 2, 1813. He began the study of music
in 1827 under the tuition of Charles Lucas. Two year's later he entered
the Royal Academy of Music, and in 1834 became one of its professors. The
latter year dates the beginning of his career as a composer, his first
work having been a symphony in F minor. During the next thirty years his
important works were as follows: overture "Chevy Chase" (1836); "Devil's
Opera," produced at the Lyceum (1838); "Emblematical Tribute on the
Queen's Marriage" and an arrangement of Purcell's "Dido and AEneas"
(1840); editions of "Belshazzar," "Judas Maccabaeus," and "Jephthah," for
the Handel Society (1843); opera "Don Quixote" (1846); opera "Charles
II." (1849); serenata "The Sleeper Awakened," and the cantata "Lenora"
(1851); the cantata "May Day," for the Bradford Festival (1856); the
cantata "Christmas" (1859); the opera "Robin Hood" (1860); the masque
"Freya's Gift" and opera "Jessy Lea" (1863); and the operas "She Stoops
to Conquer," "The Soldier's Legacy," and "Helvellyn" (1864). About the
last year his sight, which had been impaired for many years, failed. His
blindness did not however diminish his activity. He still served as
professor in the Royal Academy, and dictated compositions,--indeed some
of his best works were composed during this time of affliction. In 1873
appeared his oratorio, "St. John the Baptist," which met with an
enthusiastic reception at the Bristol Festival of that year. In 1875 he
was elected professor of music at Cambridge, to fill the vacancy
occasioned by the death of Sterndale Bennett, and in the same year was
also appointed principal of the Royal Academy of Music. In 1876 his
oratorio "The Resurrection" was performed at the Birmingham Festival, and
in 1877 the oratorio "Joseph" at Leeds, besides the cantata "The Lady of
the Lake" at Glasgow. Grove catalogues his other compositions as follows:
a cathedral service, anthems, chants, psalm-tunes, and introits for the
Holy Days and Seasons of the English Church (1866); "Songs in a
Cornfield" (1868); "Shakspeare Songs for Four Voices" (1860-64); songs
from Lane's "Arabian Nights," and Kingsley's and Tennyson's poems;
overtures to "The Merchant of Venice," "Romeo and Juliet," "Hamlet," and
"Don Carlos;" symphonies, string quartets, and a quintet; a concerto for
violin and orchestra; and sonatas for pianoforte alone, and in
combination with other instruments. As lecturer, writer, and critic, Sir
George