Charles Ambrose (1791 – 17 February 1856) was an English organist,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

choir director A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

who was active in his native country during his early career and later in Canada. Ambrose was the organist-choirmaster at

Chelmsford Cathedral Chelmsford Cathedral in the city of Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom, is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd. It became a cathedral when the Anglican Diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914 and is the seat of the Bishop o ...

during the 1820s and 1830s.

Early life

Ambrose was born in England, where he trained as an organist.

Career

In 1837 he emigrated to Canada where he settled with his wife Sophia and his children on a farm just outside Guelph, Ontario. He was appointed organist-choirmaster at Christ Church Cathedral in Hamilton in 1845, a position he held up until his death 11 years later. He also actively taught the piano and organ privately throughout his career. Ambrose' compositional output was small, consisting of a few sacred works and pieces for solo organ and piano. His most notable work is ''Three Grand Sonatas'' for piano which was published in 1825; a copy of which is held in the collection at the

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

. Ambrose died in Hamilton, Ontario in 1856 at the age of 65. He was the father and teacher of composer and organist Robert Ambrose and the grandfather of composer and organist

Paul Ambrose Paul Ambrose (11 October 1868 – 1 July 1941) was a Canadian organist, conductor, composer, and music educator who was primarily active in the United States. His compositional output includes more than 200 songs, choral pieces, and works for s ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrose, Paul 1791 births 1856 deaths English composers English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) English organists British male organists British music educators 19th-century English musicians 19th-century British male musicians 19th-century organists