George Loosemore (12 September 1619 – 11 September 1682) was an English organist and composer who became organist of Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1660 and of

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, in 1661, serving in both roles until his death.''The Story of a Loosemore Family'', chap. 3, "Organists, composers and organ builders"
Accessed on 11 December 2021.

Life

Baptised at

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

, Devonshire, Loosemore was the son of the organ builder Samuel Loosemore. His brothers included John, also an organ builder, and Henry, a fellow organist. Loosemore was appointed organist at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1660 and at St John's College, Cambridge, the following year. He may also have succeeded his brother Henry as resident organist and teacher of music at

Kirtling Kirtling, together with Kirtling Green and Kirtling Towers, is a scattered settlement in the south-eastern edge of the English county of Cambridgeshire. It forms a civil parish with the nearby village of Upend to its north. The population of t ...

, Cambridgeshire, under the patronage of Dudley North, 4th Baron North. He died in Cambridge.MGG Online
retrieved 13 December 2021.

Works

Surviving works include the

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

''Glory be to God'' in the collection of music compiled by

Thomas Tudway Thomas Tudway (died 1726) was an English musician and Professor of Music at Cambridge University. He is known as a composer, and for his compilation of a collection of Anglican church music. Life Tudway was born probably before 1650, as he becam ...

References

1619 births 1682 deaths 17th-century English composers English organists People associated with the University of Cambridge {{UK-composer-stub