Edwin George Monk (13 December 1819 – 3 January 1900), English church

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

and composer, who was Organist and Master of Choristers at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

for a quarter of a century, and was previously associated with St Columba's and

Radley Radley is a village and civil parish about northeast of the centre of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Lower Radley on the River Thames. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfor ...

Colleges. He was born on 13 December 1819 at

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

, Somerset, and died on 3 January 1900 at

, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Early career

Monk studied in Bath and London under

George MacFarren George Macfarren (1788–1843) was a playwright and the father of composer George Alexander Macfarren. Life He was born in London 5 September 1788. He was the son of George Macfarren. He was educated chiefly at Archbishop Tenison's school in Cast ...

(theory),

John Pyke Hullah John Pyke Hullah (27 June 1812 – 21 February 1884) was an English composer and teacher of music, whose promotion of vocal training is associated with the singing-class movement. Life and career Hullah was born at Worcester. He was a pupil ...

(singing) and Henry Philips (singing). He was appointed organist at St John's, Midsomer Norton and afterwards at Christ Church,

Dublin and Radley

In going to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

in 1844, Monk commenced an association with William Sewell and Robert Singleton at the newly established (1843)

High Church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

Anglican St Columba's College, Rathfarnham. It was an association which continued when the three men jointly were involved in founding St Peter's College, Radley, in Oxfordshire three years later. Monk's position at St Columba's was as organist,

Precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

and Master of Music, and he was made a Fellow of the college. Monk went to Oxford in 1847 and with Sewell and Singleton, helped in establishing the new college at Radley. In 1848 he became the first Fellow of St Peter's College, Radley, again, as at St Columba's, as Precentor. He features in entries in old boys' memoirs inter alia in connection with early games of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

and football when there were insufficient boys to make up full teams. There is also an account of Monk having made a kite which was duly decorated with the school emblem and a device reading ''Sic itur ad astra''. Monk pursued an academic career at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, graduating

BMus Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of presc ...

in 1848 and being awarded a doctorate in 1856. At Oxford Monk also founded the University Motet and Madrigal Society. In addition to his musical career, he was an amateur

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

(becoming a Fellow of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NG ...

in 1871) and a Biblical scholar. At Radley, Monk built up a firmly founded choral tradition and oversaw installation of Singleton's organ.

York Minster

In 1859 E.G. Monk succeeded Thomas Simpson Camidge as organist at

, and it was here that the long collaboration between himself and

Singleton Singleton may refer to: Sciences, technology Mathematics * Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element * Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing * Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...

(who, after an interval living back in Ireland, had gone to York) resulted in the jointly edited collection ''The Anglican Hymn-Book'' – which contained nearly thirty original

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

s. E.G. Monk was one of the first twenty-one members of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

. At York, Monk would oversee the rebuilding of both organs in the Minster.

In retirement

Monk retired after nearly a quarter of a century of service at York Minster and returned to Radley, where he remained for the rest of his life, living in a house in the village. Following his death, he was interred alongside his wife, who predeceased him in 1883, in the Radley churchyard. No formal memorial commemorates him at Radley College, but the organ at St James's Church in the village was installed in his memory.

Editor and composer

Monk is generally better known for his editorial work than for original compositions, the former including: * * ''The Anglican Chant Book. A collection of single chants, chiefly by composers of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries'' edited by Edwin George Monk (1850) * * * * Of his compositional output, says Philip Scowcroft, Monk "nevertheless begat church music and cantatas conscientiously." It has been noted that his most significant work was with Anglican psalms, and several of his own chants are still in regular use. Especially well known amongst some forty hymn tunes is Monk's ''Angel Voices'', composed in 1861 for Francis Pott's hymn of that name, written for the opening of an organ in Wingates Church, Lancashire. Another of his tunes is ''Hopkins'', associated with the hymn ''When from the East the wise men came''. In addition Monk composed a number of choral concert works, and five anthems, as well as the librettos for three

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monk, Edwin George 1819 births 1900 deaths 19th-century British composers 19th-century English musicians 19th-century British male musicians Cathedral organists English composers English organists British male organists Associates of the Royal College of Organists Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Male classical organists 19th-century organists