Joseph Barnby English composer and conductor Date of Birth: 12.08.1838 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Joseph Barnby

Joseph Barnby was an English composer and conductor known for his predominantly sacred works. He was born on August 12, 1838, in York, the son of Thomas Barnby, an organist. At the age of seven, Barnby became a chorister at the renowned York Minster.

Barnby studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London under the guidance of British composer and pianist Cipriani Potter and Charles Lucas. In 1856, he competed for the first place in the Felix Mendelssohn Scholarship competition.

In 1862, Barnby was appointed as the organist of St. Andrew's Church on Wells Street in London. During his tenure, he elevated the quality of services to a high level of excellence. He remained there until 1871. From 1871 to 1886, he served as the organist of St. Anne's Church in Soho, where he established an annual performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. John Passion accompanied by an orchestra.

In 1864, Barnby became the conductor of the "Barnby's Choir," and in 1871, he succeeded composer Charles Gounod as the conductor of the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society, a position he held until his death. In the same year, Barnby conducted a performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion at Westminster Abbey.

In 1875, Barnby became the choirmaster and musical director at Eton College, one of the most prestigious private schools in the UK. In 1892, he assumed the position of director at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was knighted in July of the same year.

Barnby's body of work includes an oratorio called "Rebekah," a setting of Psalm 97 titled "The Lord is King," numerous anthems and sacred music, 246 hymn tunes published in a collection in 1897, as well as several examples of part-song (with the popular song "Sweet and Low" among them) and organ pieces.

In 1878, Barnby married Edith Mary Silverthorne. In the same year, he helped establish the London Musical Society and became its first director and conductor. Under his leadership, the society performed Antonín Dvořák's Stabat Mater for the first time in England. Barnby greatly influenced the spread of Charles Gounod's sacred music among the less educated population of London, although he did not show much affinity for opera as a genre. On the other hand, he organized a remarkable concert performance of Wagner's Parsifal at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1884.

In 1892 and 1895, Barnby served as the chief conductor of the Cardiff Festival. He passed away in London on January 28, 1896. Following a special service at St. Paul's Cathedral, he was laid to rest at West Norwood Cemetery.