A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Naylor, John

NAYLOR, John, one of our best cathedral organists, was born at Stanningley, near Leeds, on June 8, 1838. As a boy he was a chorister at the Leeds parish church, and also received instruction on the pianoforte from the well-known musician and organist Mr. R. S. Burton. With this exception he is a self-taught man. At the age of 18 he was appointed organist of the parish church, Scarborough, where he soon began, in spite of his youth, to promote a taste for good music in the town. He graduated at Oxford in 1863 as Mus.B. and proceeded to the degree of Mus.D. in 1872. In 1873 he became organist of All Saints' Church, Scarborough, where in collaboration with the vicar, the Rev. R. Brown-Borthwick, he raised the musical services to a pitch of great excellence. He was here able to make experiments in connection with the chanting of the Psalms which were not without their influence in bringing about the publication of Dr. Westcott's Paragraph Psalter. Dr. Naylor is now organist and choir-master of York Minster, for which post he was selected out of numerous candidates in 1883. He is a musician of catholic tastes, and a composer of no mean merit. His works include, besides various anthems and services, the cantatas 'Jeremiah' and 'The Brazen Serpent,' written with organ accompaniment, which were performed with great success by a large body of voices in York Minster in 1884 and 1887 respectively.

[ T. P. H. ]