Maurice Greene (12 August 1696 – 1 December 1755) was an English

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

. He was an admirer and friend of

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Biography and works

He was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the son of a cleric, Thomas Green(e) (1648–1720) who was a chaplain of the

Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

, and his wife Mary Shelton (d. 1722). He became a

choirboy A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble. As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honor ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

under

Jeremiah Clarke Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1674 – 1 December 1707) was an English baroque composer and organist, best known for his ''Trumpet Voluntary,'' a popular piece often played at wedding ceremonies or commencement ceremonies. Biography The exact date of Cla ...

and Charles King. He studied the organ under Richard Brind, and after Brind died, Greene became organist at St Paul's. With the death of

William Croft William Croft (baptised 30 December 1678 – 14 August 1727) was an English composer and organist. Life Croft was born at the Manor House, Nether Ettington, Warwickshire. He was educated at the Chapel Royal under the instruction of John Blow, ...

in 1727, Greene became organist at the Chapel Royal, and in 1730 he became Professor of Music at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. In 1735 he was appointed

Master of the King's Musick Master of the King's Music (or Master of the Queen's Music, or earlier Master of the King's Musick) is a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England, directing the court orc ...

. At his death, Greene was working on the compilation ''Cathedral Music'', which his student and successor as Master of the King's Musick, William Boyce, was to complete. Many items from that collection are still used in

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

services today. Greene wrote in the prevailing Georgian England, particularly longer verse

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

s, of which ''Lord, Let Me Know Mine End'', is a representative example. In it, Greene sets the text using a polyphonic texture over a continuous instrumental

walking bass Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, dub and electronic, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played (in jazz and ...

, with an effective treble duet in the middle of the work. Both this section and the end of the anthem contain examples of the Neapolitan sixth chord. His organ voluntaries — published only some years after his death — are closer to Thomas Roseingrave in style than, say, John Stanley or William Boyce, and are more contrapuntal than melodic. They do not specify manuals or stops, unlike later contemporaries such as Bennett, Boyce and Stanley. Instances of '

false relation A false relation (also known as cross-relation, non-harmonic relation) is the name of a type of dissonance that sometimes occurs in polyphonic music, most commonly in vocal music of the Renaissance and particularly in English music into the eighte ...

' can be heard frequently in these works. Chromaticism is also common in the voluntaries. Greene died in 1755 aged 59 and was initially buried at

St Olave Old Jewry St Olave's Church, Old Jewry, sometimes known as ''Upwell Old Jewry'', was a church in the City of London located between the street called Old Jewry and Ironmonger Lane. Destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, the church was rebuilt by ...

. On the church's demolition in 1887, he was reburied in

Works

Greene wrote a good deal of both sacred and secular vocal music, including: * the

'' Hearken Unto Me, Ye Holy Children'' (1728). * the

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

''The Song of Deborah and Barak'' (1732) * the

''Jephtha'' (1737), libretto by John Hoadly (1711–76). * the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

'' Florimel'' (1734). * settings of

sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

s from

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; – 13 January 1599 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the House of Tudor, Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is re ...

's ''Amoretti'' (1739). * a collection of

s (1743), of which the best-known is ''Lord, Let Me Know Mine End''. * the opera '' Phoebe'' (completed 1747). He also published keyboard music, including: *''Choice Lessons'', for harpsichord or spinet (London, 1733). *''6 Overtures … in Seven Parts'', arranged for harpsichord or spinet (London, 1745). *''A Collection of Lessons'', for harpsichord (London, 1750). *''Twelve Voluntarys'', for organ or harpsichord ((published posthumously by J. Bland of Holborn) London, 1779).

References

* Johnstone, H. Diack. "Greene, Maurice",
Grove Music Online
' ed. L. Macy (Accessed 4 October 2004).

External links

Free scores

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Maurice 1696 births 1755 deaths 18th-century English classical composers 18th-century English keyboardists 18th-century English male musicians Professors of Music (Cambridge) English cathedral organists English classical composers of church music English Baroque composers English opera composers English classical organists English male opera composers Masters of the King's Music Members of the Academy of Ancient Music Composers from London People educated at St. Paul's Cathedral School English male classical organists Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal