A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Hawes, William

HAWES, William, born in London in 1785, from 1793 to 1801 a chorister of the Chapel Royal. In 1802 he was engaged as a violinist in the band of Covent Garden, and about the same time began to teach singing. In 1803 he officiated as deputy lay vicar at Westminster Abbey. On July 15, 1805, he was appointed gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and on the formation of the Philharmonic Society in 1813 was elected an associate. In 1814 he was appointed almoner, master of the choristers and vicar-choral of St. Paul's, and in 1817 master of the children and lutenist of the Chapel Royal. In the same year he became lay vicar of Westminster Abbey, but resigned bis appointment in 1820. He was the first promoter of the Harmonic Institution [see Argyll Rooms], and after the breaking up of that establishment carried on for some years the business of a music publisher in the Strand. He was for several years director of the music at the English Opera, Lyceum; and it was at his instance that Weber's 'Der Freischütz' was first performed in England, July 24 [App. p.670 "July 23"], 1824, an event which forms an era in the history of the opera in this country. Hawes did not at first venture to perform the entire work, the finale being omitted and ballads for the soprano and tenor interpolated, but he had soon the satisfaction of discovering that the opera would be accepted without curtailment. The great success of the work induced him subsequently to adapt the following operas to the English stage:—Salieri's 'Tarrare,' 1825; Winter's 'Das Unterbrochne Opferfest' ('The Oracle, or, The Interrupted Sacrifice'), 1826; Paer's 'I Fuorusciti' ('The Freebooters'), 1827; Mozart's 'Così fan tutte' ('Tit for Tat'), 1828; Ries' 'Die Raüberbraut' ('The Robber's Bride'), and Marschner's 'Der Vampyr,' 1829. Hawes composed or compiled music for the following pieces: 'Broken Promises' (compiled), 1825; 'The Sister of Charity,' 1829; 'The Irish Girl,' 1830; 'Comfortable Lodgings,' 'The Dilosk Gatherer,' and 'The Climbing Boy,' 1832; 'The Mummy,' 'The Quartette,' and 'The Yeoman's Daughter,' 1833; and 'The Muleteer's Vow' (partly selected), 1835. He was the composer of 'A Collection of five Glees and one Madrigal,' and 'Six Glees for three and four voices'; and the arranger of 'Six Scotch Songs, harmonized as Glees.' His glee, 'The bee, the golden daughter of the spring,' gained the prize given by the Glee Club on its 5Oth anniversary in April 1836. He edited the publication in score of 'The Triumphs of Oriana'; of a collection of madrigals by composers of the 16th and 17th centuries; a collection of the then unpublished glees of Reginald Spofforth; and a collection of Chants, Sanctuses, and Responses to the Commandments. In 1830 he gave oratorio performances in Lent at both the patent theatres, but with heavy loss. He was for many years conductor of the Madrigal Society, and organist of the German Lutheran Church in the Savoy. Hawes died Feb. 18, 1846. His daughter, Maria Billington Hawes, afterwards Mrs. Merest, for some years occupied a high position as a contralto singer, and was the composer of several pleasing ballads.

[ W. H. H. ]