Born in London, bap. Sept 11, 1711
Died in London, Feb 7, 1779
- Boyce was an organist and composer. He studied at St. Paul’s Cathedral choir school under Maurice Greene.1
- Boyce was appointed composer for the Chapel Royal in 1736. He composed organ music, theater music, choral works and music for royal occasions.2
- Boyce’s claim to fame: he edited Cathedral Music (pub. 1760-73), a collection of Anglican church music from Tallis onward.3
- This became a classic anthology in use till the 20th C.
- It was intended not just for practical performance, but as early effort of (what we now call) musicology.
- According his preface, Boyce wanted to record and preserve the music of early English composers for posterity, “in its original purity.”4
Sources
- Bruce and Ian Bartlett, “Boyce, William,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 8, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040029.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- William Boyce, ed., Cathedral Music Voli. 1, 2nd ed. (London, 1788), iii, International Music Score Library Project, accessed August 8, 2019, http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/f/f1/IMSLP373038-PMLP602311-cathedralmusicbe00boyc_1.pdf.