A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Hodges, Edward

HODGES, EDWARD, Mus. Doc., born July 20, 1796, at Bristol, was organist of Clifton Church, and afterwards of the churches of St. James and St. Nicholas, Bristol. He produced a Morning and Evening Service and two Anthems on the reopening of St. James's organ, May 2, 1824, and published them in 1825. He obtained his doctor's degree at Cambridge in 1825. He was a contributor to 'The Quarterly Musical Magazine,' and 'The Musical World.' In 1838 he quitted England for America, and in the next year became organist of St. John's Episcopal Chapel, New York. He published 'An Essay on the Cultivation of Church Music' at New York in 1841. On the opening of Trinity Church, New York, May 21, 1846 (the organ in which had been built from his specifications), Dr. Hodges quitted St. John's to become its organist. He composed church music, some published in New York, and others in London. During his long residence in America he was much esteemed for his performance on the organ. Dr. Hodges returned to England in 1863, and died at Clifton, Sept. 1, 1867. His daughter, Miss Faustina Hasse Hodges, formerly organist in Brooklyn, and now (1878) organist of two churches in Philadelphia, has composed some songs and instrumental pieces.—His son, Rev. John Sebastian Bach Hodges, D.D., Rector of St. Paul's Church, Baltimore, is an excellent organist.

[ W. H. H. ]

[App. p.677 "The following additions are to be made to the existing article:—At the age of 15 he developed remarkable inventive faculties, and some of his projects have since been adopted in different branches of mechanical science. Connected with music were improvements in organ bellows, etc., and, more important than all, the introduction of the C compass into England is claimed for him. His appointments to the churches of St. James and St. Nicholas, Bristol, took place in 1819 and 1821 respectively. The new organ in the former church, remodelled under his direction, and opened 1824, contained the first CC manual, and CCC pedal made in England. In 1838 he was appointed organist of the cathedral of Toronto, and in the following year became director of the music of Trinity Parish, New York, taking the duty at St. John's while the new Trinity Church was being built. Illness obliged him to give up duty in 1859, and in 1863 he returned to England. Besides the contributions to musical literature mentioned in the article, he wrote many pamphlets, etc. on musical and other subjects. He was an excellent contrapuntist, and possessed a remarkable gift of improvisation, and especially of extempore fugue-playing. His church compositions are numerous and elaborate. They comprise a Morning and Evening Service in C, with two anthems, a full service in F, and another in E, Psalm cxxii, etc. (all published by Novello), besides many MS. compositions, and occasional anthems for various royal funerals, etc.

[ M. ]