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William Smith (''c.'' 27 March 1603 – AprilSmith's date of death is not recorded, but he was buried on 21 April 1645. 1645) was an
Score for Smith's Preces and Responses
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William English classical composers Renaissance composers English Baroque composers 17th-century English composers 1603 births 1645 deaths 17th-century classical composers English male classical composers 17th-century male musicians
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 ...
composer from the city of Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
. He is chiefly known for his set of choral preces
In Christian liturgical worship, preces ( ; ), also known in the Anglican prayer book tradition as the suffrages, are short petitions that are said or sung as versicles and responses by the officiant and congregation respectively. It is one of t ...
and responses for the Anglican liturgy of Evening Prayer.
Life
William Smith was baptised on 3 April 1603. He was aMinor Canon
A minor canon is a member of staff on the establishment of a cathedral or a collegiate church. In at least one foundation the post may be known as "priest-vicar".
Minor canons are clergy and take part in the daily services but are not part of t ...
when Richard Hutcheson was organist at Durham Cathedral.
Works
In addition to the well known Preces and Responses, Smith composed seven verse anthems, five festal psalms, two communion services, and a Kyrie, ‘10: severall wayes’. Additionally, there are two organ fantasias written in Smith's handwriting at the back of an organ book in the Durham Cathedral library. The first may be by Smith, although his name or initials do not appear in the score, but the second is of poorer quality and is unlikely to be by Smith himself. Smith's anthems employ the prevalent device of imitative verse sections, and exhibit his predilection for lengthy verse sections and short choruses. For example, in 'Almighty and everlasting God', a concise and effective setting of the text of the Collect for the Purification, the first chorus lasts a total of just eight minim beats. Smith took this verse–chorus proportion to its extreme in his Second Creed, which is entirely a verse setting, apart from the final ‘amen’.References
External links
*Score for Smith's Preces and Responses
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William English classical composers Renaissance composers English Baroque composers 17th-century English composers 1603 births 1645 deaths 17th-century classical composers English male classical composers 17th-century male musicians