William Crotch (d. 1847), born in 1775, was equally precocious, playing in
public before he was 4, at 11 becoming an organist at Cambridge, and at 14
writing an oratorio. From 1790 he was organist at Oxford, where in 1797 he
succeeded Philip Hayes. From 1800 he lectured much at Oxford and London,
and in 1822-32 was the first principal of the Royal Academy. He was a fine
organist and a successful teacher. Besides text-books, he wrote some 20
anthems, 3 oratorios, including Palestine (1812), 3 organ-concertos, fugues,
etc., and several cantatas and glees.
Thomas Attwood (d. 1838), born in 1765, studied first under Nares and Ayrton, then at Naples and with Mozart at Vienna. From 1787 he worked in London, from 1796 as organist at St. Paul's and as composer to the Chapel Royal. For about 20 years he was much engaged upon dramatic music, but afterward devoted himself to church writing. He was a close friend of Mendelssohn. His works, in a tasteful and solid style, include over 20 operas and operettas (1792-1807), many songs, glees and piano-pieces, 5 services and about 20 anthems, including those for the coronations of George IV. and William IV.
John Clarke [-Whitfeld] (d. 1836), a pupil of Philip Hayes, from 1789 was organist at Ludlow, from 1793 choirmaster at Dublin, from 1799 organist at Cambridge and from 1820 at Hereford, besides being from 1821 professor at Cambridge. He published services and anthems (4 vols. from 1805), many songs and glees, an edition of Handel's works (17 vols., 1809) and an anthem-collection. His church music is still somewhat used, and his settings of poems by Walter Scott were long popular.
George Smart (d. 1867), pupil of Ayrton and Arnold, was from 1791 an organist, violinist and teacher in London, from about 1801 in constant request as a conductor, especially for the Philharmonic Society (1813-44) and of numerous festivals (from 1823), and from 1822 organist to the Chapel Royal. He was an authority upon the traditional renderings of Handel, and was intimate with Weber and Mendelssohn. He edited Gibbons' madrigals (1841) and wrote some anthems, glees and canons (collections, 1863).
Lesser names of those working mainly in sacred music are Thomas Greatorex (d. 1831), from 1788 a popular teacher and conductor in London and at festivals, and from 1819 organist at Westminster, writing some church music and a few glees; Benjamin Jacob (d. 1829), from 1794 organist at Surrey Chapel (Rowland Hill's) and famous, with Wesley and Crotch, as a superior organist; Matthew Camidge (d. 1844), son of John Camidge and in 1803 his successor as organist at York, publishing tunes (1789), a collection of Cathedral Music (about 1800), including 6 anthems of his own, and a small musical catechism; and Thomas Adams (d. 1858), from 1802 noted as a phenomenal organ-player, excelling in extemporization, with many organ works—fugues, preludes, interludes, variations—also some anthems, tunes and songs. Adams was much concerned in making effective the public concerts given from 1817 upon the 'apollonicon,' a large and ingenious mechanical organ.
William Horsley (d. 1858), from 1794 a London organist and soon active in reviving glee music and promoting vocal concerts, was a prolific writer of excellent glees (5 collections, 1801-7), many songs, 3 symphonies, besides
