Michael Wise (1648–1687) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

organist and composer. He sang as a child in the choir of 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 served as a

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...

in St George's Chapel,

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, from 1666 until, in 1668, he was appointed organist and choirmaster at

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 ...

. In 1676 he became a Gentleman of the

, and in the last year of his life was Master of the Children at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

. He was killed during a confrontation with a

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 ...

night watchman: "He had quarrelled with his wife on some trivial matter, and rushed out of his house. The watchman met him while he was yet boiling with rage, and commanding him to stand and give an account of himself, he struck the guardian of the peace to the ground, who in return aimed a blow at his assailant with his bill, which broke his skull, of the consequence whereof he died."

Music

As well as Service Settings, his compositions include anthems such as: *''How are the mighty fallen'' *''Awake up, my glory'' *''The ways of Zion do mourn'' *''Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy''
''Prepare ye the way of the Lord''''Awake, put on thy strength''
A number of movements within the jubilant ''Prepare ye the way of the Lord'' were parodied by

George Frederic Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

in the oratorio ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

.'' Wise also composed some catches and at least one once famous

drinking song A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs or commercium songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music. In Germany, drinking songs are ...

''Old Chiron''
He often composed for the unusual combination of a duet of bass and treble voices – for instance, in ''Old Chiron'' and ''The Ways of Zion do mourn.'' The choir of

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

issued a CD of Wise's Sacred Choral Music in 2008.Delphian Records DCD34041
reviewed at ''MusicWeb International''

References

External links

*
Video recording of 'Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy'
sung by the

Choir of Somerville College, Oxford The Choir of Somerville College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, is mixed voice and is led by a Director of Chapel Music, currently William Dawes, incumbent since 2017. In conjunction with the organ scholars, the choi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, Michael 1648 births 1687 deaths 17th-century English composers English Baroque composers English classical composers English classical organists British male organists Cathedral organists Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal 17th-century classical composers English male classical composers Children of the Chapel Royal 17th-century male musicians Male classical organists