Robert Steele Ambrose (March 7, 1824 – March 31, 1908) was a British- Canadian organist and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

. He was notable for his evangelical music compositions.

Life

Ambrose was born on March 7, 1824, to

Charles Ambrose Charles Ambrose (1791 – 17 February 1856) was an English organist, composer, choir director, and music educator who was active in his native country during his early career and later in Canada. Ambrose was the organist-choirmaster at Chelm ...

and Sophia Stoneham in Chelmsford, England. Robert's father was the organist at

Chelmsford Cathedral Chelmsford Cathedral in the city of Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom, is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd. It became a cathedral when the Anglican Diocese of Chelmsford was created in 1914 and is the seat of the Bishop o ...

, where Robert most likely received his early musical training. The family emigrated to Upper Canada in 1837, where Charles purchased a farm. However, lacking the experience to do work on the land, Charles moved to Hamilton, Ontario, in 1845, leaving Robert to work the land himself. Robert made it clear that he did not like farming as it damaged his hands, interfering with his musical abilities. In 1847, the young Ambrose left the farm to join his brother in Kingston, Ontario, teaching music. It is thought that around 1857-1858 Ambrose served as the organist of St. George's Church. In 1862, Ambrose led the choral service at the consecration of John Travers Lewis. In 1863, Ambrose moved to Hamilton to take up a position as organist and choir director for the Church of the Ascension. The very next year, he was appointed the musical director of what is now Hamilton Ladies College, leaving that position in 1889. In 1891, Ambrose served as the president of the

Canadian Society of Musicians Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

. Ambrose was also an accomplished composer. In 1876, Ambrose's composition "

One Sweetly Solemn Thought 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

" was published, the lyrics having been written by

Phoebe Cary Phoebe Cary (September 4, 1824 – July 31, 1871) was an American poet, and the younger sister of poet Alice Cary (1820–1871).She was a great poet who composed a Legend of Northland which is a very beautiful poem. The sisters co-published po ...

. It was adopted for Moody and Sankey's evangelical tours to great success. One account states that upon hearing a hummed version of the hymn, a gambler immediately set down his cards and became a reformed

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. The song was one of the most popular songs composed by a Canadian of the 19th century. By the time of his death on March 31, 1908, Ambrose had composed 80 songs, 14 part-songs and 25 instrumental pieces. His son

Paul Ambrose Paul Ambrose (11 October 1868 – 1 July 1941) was a Canadian organist, conductor, composer, and music educator who was primarily active in the United States. His compositional output includes more than 200 songs, choral pieces, and works for s ...

was a notable organist, teacher, and composer.

References

External links

One Sweetly Solemn Thought
at University of Toronto Canadian Sheet Music Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Ambrose, Robert 1824 births 1908 deaths 19th-century Canadian composers 20th-century Canadian composers Canadian male composers Canadian organists Male organists Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario People from Chelmsford 20th-century Canadian male musicians 19th-century male musicians 19th-century musicians 19th-century organists