by MAURICE COLE
DR. WILLIAM BOYCE held more than one of the positions which entitle a musician to the whole-hearted respect of his fellows. He was in turn composer to the Chapel Royal, conductor of the Three Choirs (Gloucester, Worcester, and Here-ford), Master of the King's Music, and latterly one of the organists of the Chapel Royal. Born in London in 1710, he was a choir-boy at St. Paul's Cathedral and afterwards an articled pupil for the organ there. At the ago of twenty-four he was organist of a London church, continuing his studies under Dr. Pepusch. He was still quite a young man when the gravest of all calamities which can befall a musician overtook him ; he became almost deaf. In spite of that, however, ho continued his musical career with unabated enthusiasm, and for many years was one of the foremost English composers. Most of his original music is for the Church, anthems and services, but he wrote a large number of stage pieces, too, masques, and similar pieces.
There is much fine music buried in these, which would be well worth reviving; it imay bo that they owe their neglect partly to the fact that their importance was overshadowed by tho big collection of Cathedral music' to the editing of which he devoted his last years. He left eight symphonies, short works rather on the lines of the older Concerti Grossi , laid out for oboes and strings with a continue. Other winds were occasionally employed too.