Frederick Ouseley

Biography

Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley, 2nd Baronet (12 August 1825 – 6 April 1889), was an English composer, organist, musicologist and priest.

Biography

Frederick Ouseley was born in London, the son of Sir Gore Ouseley, and manifested an extraordinary precocity in music, composing his first piece at the age of three, and writing hundreds more in the following years. He composed two youthful operas, the first of which (Tom and His Mama) was written at the age of seven. His next opera (L'Isola disabitata) was written at the age of eight years and is frequently cited as the most advanced of his juvenilia. In 1844 he succeeded to the baronetcy. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1843, where he graduated BA in 1846 and MA in 1849. He was ordained in the latter year, and, as curate of St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, served the parish of St Barnabas, Pimlico until 1851. He studied composition and the theory of music under Dr. Stephen Elvey at Oxford.
Throughout his life, Ouseley experienced a social conflict between his aristocratic heritage and his interest in the performance of Anglican church music, an activity which was seen as beneath someone of his stature. In 1850 he took the degree of Mus.B. at the University of Oxford, and four years afterwards that of Mus.D., his exercise being the oratorio The Martyrdom of St Polycarp. He was Heather Professor of Music at Oxford from 1855 to 1889. In 1856, Ouseley both founded and endowed with his own funds St Michael's College on the outskirts of Tenbury Wells, a choir school intended to serve as a model for Anglican church music. Ouseley was clear that the standard of music in the English church was lacking and through his foundation at Tenbury, he would help to change that. As well as being the college founder, he became the school's first warden.

Death

Ouseley died in Hereford, where he had been precentor at Hereford Cathedral since 1855.

Choral

[unfinished]

Anthems:
All the kings of the earth
And there was a pure river of Water of life
And there was a war in heaven
Ascribe ye greatness
Awake, thou that sleepest
Behold, how good and joyful
Behold now, praise the Lord
Be merciful unto me
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
Blessed be Thou
Blessed is he whose unrighteousness
Blessed is the man
Christ is risen from the dead
Except the Lord build the house
From the rising of the sun
Give thanks, O Israel
Great is the Lord
Happy is the man
Haste Thee, O God
How goodly are the tents
Is it nothing to you
It came even to pass
Jerusalem on high
O Saviour of the world
Oratorios
St Polycarp (1854)
Hagar (Hereford Festival, 1873)
Services
Evening Service in B flat
Evening Service in E flat
Miscellaneous
Gloria in D
Te Deum in D
Te Deum in F
Hymn tunes
Contemplation (When all thy mercies, O my God)
Hereford (When wounded sore the stricken heart)
Bewdley (Children of the heavenly King)
St Gabriel.