Edward Lowe (c.1610 – 11 July 1682) was an English musician, who was an organist at

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual r ...

, the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...

and the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. He was also

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 p ...

at Oxford from 1661 until his death.

Life and career

Edward Lowe was born in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

, Wiltshire, and sang in the choir of

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

as a boy at

Salisbury Cathedral School Salisbury Cathedral School is a co-educational independent school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, which was founded in 1091 by Saint Osmund. The choristers of Salisbury Cathedral are educated at the school. History The school was founded i ...

. At some point between 1631 and 1641, he became organist and master of the choristers of

. Documents at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

for the year 1657–58 record him as holding the position of university organist. He deputised for John Wilson as

, succeeding him in 1661; he also became an organist of the

soon afterwards. At Oxford, he increased the university's collection of music by purchases and by receiving gifts. He retained his various positions until his death on 11 July 1682. He was married twice: to Alice Peyton from 1633 until her death in 1649 (with whom he had nine children); and from about 1654 to Mary (with whom he had at least two children). He was buried in the cathedral, close to the grave of his first wife.

Compositions and writings

In 1661, after the restoration of the monarchy, Lowe wrote a collection of simple settings of music for church and cathedral services, for the use of choirs newly reestablished after the end of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

. He composed various pieces for Oxford occasions, including "Nunc est canendum" (possibly to mark the opening in 1669 of the

Sheldonian Theatre Sheldonian Theatre, located in Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, chancellor of the University at the time and the project's ...

), and for Christ Church; some vocal compositions and one work for keyboard also survive.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Edward 1610 births 1682 deaths English classical composers English classical organists British male organists 17th-century classical composers 17th-century English composers Organists of Christ Church, Oxford Heather Professors of Music Musicians from Wiltshire People educated at Salisbury Cathedral School People from Salisbury English male classical composers 17th-century male musicians Male classical organists