Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/King, William (1624-1680)
KING, WILLIAM (1624–1680), musician, born in 1624, son of George King, organist of Winchester Cathedral, was admitted a clerk of Magdalen College, Oxford, on 18 Oct. 1648, graduated B.A. 5 June 1649, and in 1652 was promoted to a chaplaincy at Magdalen. This he held until 25 Aug. 1654, when he became a probationer-fellow of All Souls' College. He was incorporated M.A. at Cambridge in 1655. On 10 Dec. 1664 he was appointed successor to Pickover as organist of New College, to preside over the new organ there at a salary of 50l. a year. He continued organist until his death on 7 Nov. 1680. He was buried in New College cloisters, where a Latin inscription marks his grave.
King composed a full service in B flat, and some anthems, preserved among the Elvey MSS. at the Bodleian. He also set to music Cowley's ‘Mistress,’ under the title, ‘Poems of Mr. Cowley and others, composed into Songes and Ayres, with Thorough Basse for the Theorbo, Harpsecon, or Basse-Violl,’ Oxford, 1668, fol.
[Bloxam's Magd. Reg. ii. 66, 158; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714; Hawkins's Hist. of Music, v. 23; Grove's Dict. of Music, ii. 57; Brown's Dict. of Music, p. 360.]