William Henry Gill (24 October 1839 - 27 June 1923) was a Manx musical scholar who wrote and composed anthem of

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, " Arrane Ashoonagh Dy Vannin".Grove, George; Stanley Sadie (1980). ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.'' Macmillan Publishers,

Life and career

Gill was born at Marsala, Sicily to Manx parents, and he was educated at

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

.Telford, John (1934). ''The New Methodist Hymn-book Illustrated In History and Experience.'' The Epworth Press He lived in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

most of his life but remained interested in his roots. The anthem is a traditional Manx

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

. Gill's words were published as "Eaisht oo as Clash-tyn" ("Listen and Hear") in ''Manx National Songs'' in 1896. "The Manx Fisherman's Evening Hymn" and "Peel Castle."Watson, J. R.; Timothy Dudley-Smith (2003) ''An Annotated Anthology of Hymns.'' Oxford University Press, Gill also collected and arranged material in England, particularly that associated with

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. Gill also published ''A Manx Wedding and Other Songs''.Gill, William Henry (1900). ''A Manx Wedding and Other Songs''. William H. Hooke

References

1839 births 1923 deaths British composers Manx culture Manx language activists Manx nationalists People educated at King William's College People from Marsala National anthem writers People from Angmering {{IsleofMan-bio-stub