William Henry Monk (16 March 1823 – 1 March 1889) was an English organist,

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church musician, and music editor who composed popular hymn tunes, including "Eventide", used for the hymn "

Abide with Me "Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. It is most often sung ...

", and " All Things Bright and Beautiful". He also wrote music for

church service A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...

s and anthems.

Biography

Grave of William Henry Monk in Highgate Cemetery

William Henry Monk was born in London on 16 March 1823. His youth is not well-documented, but it seems that he developed quickly on the keyboard, but perhaps less so in composition. By age 18, Monk was organist at

St Peter's Church, Eaton Square St. Peter's Church, Eaton Square, is a Church of England parish church at the east end of Eaton Square, Belgravia, London. It is a neoclassical building designed by the architect Henry Hakewill with a hexastyle portico with Ionic columns and ...

(Central London). He left after two years, and moved on to two more organist posts in London (St George's Church, Albemarle Street, and St Paul's Church, Portman Square). He spent two years in each. Each served as a stepping stone toward fostering his musical ambitions. In 1847, Monk became choirmaster at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. There he developed an interest in incorporating plainchant into Anglican services, an idea suggested by William Dyce, a King's College professor with whom Monk had much contact. In 1849, Monk also became organist at King's College. In 1852, he became organist and choirmaster at

St Matthias' Church, Stoke Newington St Matthias Church is a Grade-1 listed Anglican church in Stoke Newington, north London, England. Since it opened it has been known for its distinctly ‘High Church’ forms of worship.A P Baggs, Diane K Bolton and Patricia E C Croot'Stoke Newi ...

, where he made many changes: plainchant was used in singing psalms, and the music performed was more appropriate to the church calendar. By now, Monk was also arranging hymns, as well as writing his own hymn melodies. In 1857, his talents as composer, arranger, and editor were recognized when he was appointed the musical editor of '' Hymns Ancient and Modern'', a volume first published in 1861, containing 273 hymns. After supplements were added (second edition, 1875; later additions or supplements, 1889, 1904, and 1916) it became one of the best-selling hymn books ever produced. It was for this publication that Monk supplied his famous "Eventide" tune, which is mostly used for the hymn "

", as well as several others, including "Gethsemane", "Ascension", and "St Denys". The well-known hymn "God, that madest earth and heaven" by

Reginald Heber Reginald Heber (21 April 1783 – 3 April 1826) was an English Anglican bishop, man of letters and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served as Bishop of Calcutta until his death at the age of 42. The son of a rich lando ...

and

Richard Whately Richard Whately (1 February 1787 – 8 October 1863) was an English academic, rhetorician, logician, philosopher, economist, and theologian who also served as a reforming Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin. He was a leading Broad Churchman ...

, two of the greatest Regency-era clergymen, was set to music in Monk's tune "Nutfield". He was also responsible for the tune "St Matthias" often used for the hymn "Sweet Saviour, bless us ere we go." The late Victorian Anglo-Saxon revivalist tune "St Ethelwald" was put to the words of the Charles Wesley called "

Soldiers of Christ, Arise "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" is an 18th-century English hymn. The words were written by Charles Wesley (1707–1788),National Training School of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performance ...

in 1876, and the second at Bedford College in 1878. Monk remained active in composition in his later years, writing not only hymn tunes but also anthems and other works. In 1882

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

awarded him an honorary Mus. Doc. He died on 1 March 1889 and was buried on the eastern side of Highgate Cemetery in north London.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Monk, William Henry 1823 births 1889 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Musicians from London Hymnal editors English composers English organists English male organists Academics of King's College London 19th-century British composers 19th-century English musicians 19th-century English male musicians 19th-century organists