Edgar Pettman (1866–1943) was an English organist, choral conductor and music editor. Born in

Dunkirk, Kent Dunkirk is a village and civil parish between Faversham and Canterbury in southeast England. It lies on the Canterbury Road between Boughton under Blean and Harbledown. This was the main Roman road from the Kentish ports to London, also known ...

, in 1881 he entered the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

where he studied under

George Alexander Macfarren Sir George Alexander Macfarren (2 March 181331 October 1887) was an English composer and musicologist. Life George Alexander Macfarren was born in London on 2 March 1813 to George Macfarren, a dancing-master, dramatic author and journalist, wh ...

. He was organist at a number of London churches, including St Mary's, Kilburn and

St James's Church, Piccadilly St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, United Kingdom. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. T ...

until his retirement in 1924.Suzanne Cole, ''Thomas Tallis and his music in Victorian England'', Volume 4 of ''Music in Britain, 1600-1900'', (Boydell Press, 2008) p.160 Although the composer of a number of anthems and other church music, he is best known for his 1892 book ''Modern Christmas Carols.''Edgar Pettman, ''Modern Christmas carols'' (Weekes & Co., 1892) Pettman harmonized the now popular carols '' I Saw a Maiden'' and ''

Gabriel's Message "Gabriel's Message" or "The angel Gabriel from heaven came" ( eu, Birjina gaztetto bat zegoen) is a Basque Christmas folk carol about the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the archangel Gabriel that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ t ...

'', both based on

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

carol melodies, publishing the latter in a pamphlet, The University Carol book, in 1922 with an English rendering by Sabine Baring-Gould. Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology, ''The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came''
/ref> He was also an early editor of the works of

Thomas Tallis Thomas Tallis (23 November 1585; also Tallys or Talles) was an English composer of High Renaissance music. His compositions are primarily vocal, and he occupies a primary place in anthologies of English choral music. Tallis is considered one o ...

, publishing an edition in 1900.

References

1866 births 1943 deaths English composers English classical organists British male organists Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music People from Faversham Musicians from Kent Male classical organists {{England-musician-stub