Arthur Phillips (1605 – 27 March 1695) was an English musician and composer. He was organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, and

Heather Professor of Music The Heather Professor of Music is the title of an endowed chair at the University of Oxford. The post and the funding for it come from a bequest by William Heather (c. 1563 – 1627). Following the example of his friend William Camden who had left ...

at the

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. He converted to

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and resigned his positions in 1656 to travel to France to become organist to Queen

Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...

, widow of the executed King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

Life and career

Arthur Phillips, from Winchester, Hampshire, was admitted to New College, Oxford, aged 17 in 1622. He was appointed organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1639 (following an appointment as organist of

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

the previous year) and gained his Bachelor of Music degree in 1640. He succeeded Richard Nicholson as organist of Magdalen and also as

at the university, a position established in 1626 following a donation from

William Heather William Heather (c. 1563 – 1627) was a musician, and founder of the position of the Heather Professor of Music at the University of Oxford. Life and career William Heather was born in Harmondsworth,DNB and sang in the choir of Westminster Abbey ...

. Phillips joined the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and resigned from his Oxford positions in 1656. He then travelled to France to serve as organist to Queen

, widow of King

(who had been executed in 1649). After the monarchy was restored in 1660, he returned to England to live in

Harting Harting is a civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is situated on the northern flank of the South Downs, around southeast of Petersfield in Hampshire. It comprises the village of South Harting and the hamlets of ...

, Sussex, where he owned some land; he died there on 27 March 1695.

Compositions

Phillips wrote instrumental and vocal music. His surviving instrumental music, held in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, consists of some variations for keyboard, and some ensemble pieces. He set poems (including royalist poetry) and hymns to music, including "The Requiem, or, Liberty of an Imprisoned Royalist" (1641) by Thomas Pierce (another Magdalen student, who was a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of Magdalen from 1643 until his expulsion by the Parliamentary visitation).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Arthur 1605 births 1695 deaths English classical musicians English classical organists British male organists English Roman Catholics Heather Professors of Music People associated with Magdalen College, Oxford 17th-century English composers English male composers Musicians from Winchester People from Harting 17th-century male musicians Male classical organists