Henry Gadsby

Henry Robert Gadsby (15 December 1842 – 11 November 1907) was an English composer, music educator and church organist.

Born in Hackney, London, on 15 December 1842, he was son of William Gadsby. From 1849 to 1858 he was a chorister boy at St Paul's Cathedral at the same time as Sir John Stainer. He learnt basic harmony under the vicar-choral William Bayley (1810-1858) but was otherwise self-taught. In 1863 he became a teacher of the piano, and Frederick Corder was one of his first pupils. Having also taught himself the organ, he became organist of St. Ann's Church, Blackfriars, Camden Church, Camberwell and St. Peter's Church, Brockley, holding this last appointment till 1884.

Gadsby succeeded John Hullah as Professor of Harmony at Queen's College, London, in 1884, and Sir William Cusins as Professor of Pianoforte and Director of Musical Studies there in 1893. In 1880 he was appointed as the first Professor of Harmony at the Guildhall School of Music, where he taught for the rest of his life. A member of the Philharmonic Society, and other musical societies, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, he was a well-known figure in the musical world. Gadsby was one of a number of eminent musicians who sang in the choir for the open-air service at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. He died on 11 November 1907 at 53 Clarendon Road, Putney, London, and was buried in Putney Vale cemetery. His widow died shortly after him, leaving two daughters.

Several of Gadsby's works were heard at the Crystal Palace, London. Reviewing his overture Andromeda in 1873 The Musical Times offered the opinion that

In 1874, the first performance of Gadsby's overture The Witch's Frolic under the auspices of the British Orchestral Society was reviewed favourably by the same journal:

The Musical Times, reviewing the 1879 Brighton Festival, noted of Gadsby's cantata The Lord of the Isles that

In March 1886 Gadsby secured a prestigious first performance of his orchestral scene The Forest of Arden under the auspices of the Philharmonic Society, London. The Musical Times thought that

His final large-scale orchestral work, the Festal Symphony, was also his last Crystal Palace premiere. A review of the concert in The Musical Times allowed that

Frederick Corder characterised Gadsby as

According to his obituary, published in The Musical Times,

A photograph of Gadsby is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London, as part of a composite bromide print: "Various musical celebrities". Gadsby is number 685.

The only work by Gadsby to be published in full orchestral score was The Forest of Arden issued by Novello, Ewer & Co., London, however several other significant works were also printed: Novello, Ewer & Co., London, issued vocal scores of The Lord of the Isles, Columbus, Alcestis and the Ode written by C. E. Maurice; Augener & Co., London, issued a vocal score of The Cyclops; Joseph Williams, London, issued a vocal score of Aminta; Stanley Lucas, Weber & Co., London, published the score and parts of the String Quartet; other London publishers (unspecified or unidentified by either The British Library, London, or The Bodleian Library, Oxford) issued vocal scores of Alice Brand and A Song of Welcome together with a piano duet arrangement of Andromeda and Ten Original Pieces for organ.

Autograph full orchestral scores of Symphony No.2, Andromeda, Harold and the Festal Symphony and piano duet arrangements of Andromeda and The Forest of Arden, are at the British Library, London (Music manuscripts 1198-1202: 1862-88), having been purchased at Bonhams auctioneers 29 June 2004 (lot 500) for £478, together with lithographed orchestral parts for King and Empire (Music Collections h.3210.h.(11.)). Autograph (possibly full orchestral) scores of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in C, The Lord of the Isles, Columbus, the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in F and Alcestis are at the Royal College of Music, London (Add.Mss 5083a-e).

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Gadsby, Henry Robert". Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). 2. London: Smith, Elder & Co.