Thomas Greatorex (5 October 1758 – 18 July 1831) was an English composer,

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and

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. As well as being

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 ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

, he was a Fellow of the

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Career

Born in Wingfield near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Greatorex as a youngster studied with Benjamin Cooke, organist of

, and was a protégé of the

Earl of Sandwich Earl of Sandwich is a noble title in the Peerage of England, held since its creation by the House of Montagu. It is nominally associated with Sandwich, Kent. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu. ...

. For four years he was organist of

Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle Cathedral is a grade-I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.Tim Tatton-Brown and John ...

and from there went to live and work in Italy, where he became a friend of Charles Edward Stuart, or "Bonnie Prince Charlie." When the Young Pretender died in 1788, he left some of his music books to Greatorex, who returned to London the same year. He was soon in much demand as a music teacher and succeeded Joah Bates as conductor of the '' Concerts of Ancient Music''. He also directed music festivals at

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and

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. In 1819, he succeeded George Ebenezer Williams as organist of

. His works as a composer include the anthem ''This is the Day the Lord Hath Made''.

Family

His father, Anthony Greatorex, became organist at St Martin's Church, Leicester (now

Leicester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Martin, Leicester, commonly known as Leicester Cathedral, is a Church of England cathedral in Leicester, England and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester. The church was elevated to a collegiate church in 192 ...

) in 1765. Thomas's sister Martha succeeded her father in that position from 1772 to 1800. From 1771, Anthony was organist at St Modwen's, Burton upon Trent, in which role Thomas succeeded him.British History Online ''Burton-upon-Trent: Established church.'' A History of the County of Staffordshire: Volume IX, Nigel J. Tringham (Editor) (2003)
/ref> Thomas Greatorex married and had five sons. One of these, Henry Wellington Greatorex, became a church organist in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, and composed many hymns. Another son, Thomas junior, became organist of Holy Trinity,

Burton on Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The d ...

Trivia

There is a story that

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

, when Prince Regent, once said to Thomas Greatorex, "My father is Rex, but you are a Greater Rex".

References

Sources

*Sadie, S. (ed.) (1980) ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians'', vol. 7.
The Name of Greatorex
*
The Noblemens and Gentlemen's Catch Club
1758 births 1831 deaths English composers English classical organists British male organists Cathedral organists Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey Male classical organists {{organist-stub