A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Giles, Nathaniel

GILES, Nathaniel, Mus. Doc., was born in or near Worcester about the middle of the 16th century. In 1559 he was admitted a chorister of Magdalen College, Oxford, which office he resigned in 1561. In 1577 he was appointed a clerk in the same chapel, but retained the place only until the next year. He graduated at Oxford as Bachelor of Music June 26, 1585. On Oct. 1, 1595, he received the appointments of clerk, organist, and master of the choristers of St. George's Chapel, Windsor. On the death of William Hunnis in June, 1597, he was appointed gentleman and master of the children of the Chapel Royal. Having supplicated for the degree of Doctor of Music in 1607, but from some unknown reason not having performed the exercise for it, he proceeded to it July 5, 1622. It has been asserted that on the accession of Charles I. he was appointed organist of the Chapel Royal, but there is no record of such an appointment in the Cheque Book. Giles contributed to Leighton's 'Teares or Lamentacions of a Sorrowfull Soule,' 1614; a service and an anthem by him were printed in Barnard's Church Music, 1641, and other anthems are extant in MS. A curious 'Lesson of Descant of thirtie eighte Proportions of sundrie kindes' by him is printed in the appendix to Hawkins's History of Music. Giles died Jan. 24, 1633, and was buried in one of the aisles of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, where an inscription was placed over his grave which stated him to have been master of the children there 49 years, master of the children of the Chapel Royal 38 years, and to have been 75 years of age. A comparison with the dates given above, which are all derived from authentic records, will show that all three statements on the gravestone were erroneous.

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