They fly forgotten, as a dream – Some lesser known church musicians

The authors have researched the life and times of 46 church musicians born between 1840 and 1870. All were well-known characters in their day – ranging from the highly proficient to the completely eccentric, and from the much-loved to the irascible. The music of some is certainly worthy of reappraisal, others range from the curious to the banal.

---

A few church musicians of today may recognise the names of J H Maunder, Caleb Simper and Ferris Tozer, but very few will know very much about them, their lives or their music. Better-known perhaps are the names of Hugh Blair, Sir Herbert Brewer and Basil Harwood but, apart from a few compositions still in the repertoire, little of their other work is known or performed today. The authors have researched the life and times of 46 church musicians born between 1840 and 1870. All were well-known characters in their day – ranging from the highlyproficient to the completely eccentric, and from the much-loved to the irascible. The music of some is certainly worthy of reappraisal, the music of others ranges from the curious to the banal.