George Oldroyd (1 December 1886, Healey,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, England26 February 1951, London, England) was an

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 ...

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 ...

, composer and teacher of

Anglican church music Anglican church music is music that is written for Christian worship in Anglican religious services, forming part of the liturgy. It mostly consists of pieces written to be sung by a church choir, which may sing '' a cappella'' or accompanie ...

. He studied with the organist and composer

Arthur Eaglefield Hull Arthur Eaglefield Hull (10 March 1876 – 4 November 1928) was an English music critic, writer, composer and organist.

and took violin lessons from Johann Rasch and Frank Arnold.Leach, Gerald. ''British Composer Profiles'' (2011), p. 152-3 He graduated with a B.Mus (1912) and D.Mus (1917) at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

.Humphreys, M and Evans, R
''Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland''
(2001), p. 250 He was organist of St. Alban's Church, Holborn from 1919 to 1920, and then of St Michael's Church,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

from 1920 until his death in 1951. Both are churches firmly rooted within the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

tradition in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. In the 1920s he taught at Trinity College, London, and from 1933-1948 was Director of Music at Whitgift School. From 1944 he was Dean of the Faculty of Music at London University, becoming King Edward Professor of Music from 1951. He composed numerous settings of the

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

, but is best remembered for his ''Mass of the Quiet Hour'' composed in 1928, whose swooping melodies and lush harmonies recall the " Palm Court" style of that era. It was dedicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, in whose diocese St. Michael's at that time lay, and is still part of the repertoire of many English

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

s and

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

es. There is also a large scale ''Stabat Mater'' (1922), and ''A Spiritual Rhapsody'' (1931) for voices and orchestra. Other works include the part song, 'Lute book lullaby', organ works including a ''Liturgical Prelude'' and pieces for piano and for violin. Oldroyd was an authority on counterpoint, and published ''The Technique And Spirit Of Fugue: An Historical Study'' in 1948.WorldCat
/ref>

Bibliography

* Henderson, John. A Directory of Composers for Organ, Third Revised and Enlarged Edition. John Henderson (Publishing) Ltd., 2005, p. 545, ,
Oldroyd entry
b. 12-01-1886 Healey, Yorkshire, England; d. 2-26-1951 London, England

References

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External links

* 1886 births People from Kirklees (district) 1951 deaths English classical organists British male organists English composers English Anglo-Catholics 20th-century organists 20th-century British male musicians Male classical organists {{UK-composer-stub