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William Boyce
Person · male · Kingdom of Great Britain · London · born 1711 · died 1779 · recording since 1987
English composer and organist (1711-1779)
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Also known as 威廉·博伊斯
Timeline
17 events▣ Album 14◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1710s
1770s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: Peleus and Thetis and other theatre music
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2000s
2010s
Biography
English biography961 words · 3 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1375771317
Biography
William Boyce (baptised 11 September 1711 – 7 February 1779) was an English composer and organist. Like Beethoven later on, he became deaf but continued to compose. He knew Handel, Arne, Gluck, J. C. Bach, Abel, and a very young Mozart, all of whom respected his work.
Life
Boyce was born in London, at Joiners' Hall, then in Lower Thames Street, to John Boyce, at the time a joiner and cabinet-maker, and beadle of the Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers, and his wife Elizabeth Cordwell. He was baptised on 11 September 1711 and was admitted by his father as a choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral in 1719. After his voice broke in 1727, he studied music with Maurice Greene.
His first professional appointment came in 1734 when he was employed as an organist at the Oxford Chapel in central London. He went on to take a number of similar posts before being appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1757 (he had applied for the post on the death of Maurice Greene in 1755) and becoming one of the organists at the Chapel Royal in 1758. He also gave lessons, his daughter telling the composer R. J. S. Stevens that both Thomas Linley the elder and Thomas Linley the younger had been his pupils in counterpoint in the period 1763–1768.
His work as a composer began in the 1730s, writing songs for Vauxhall Gardens. In 1736 he was named as composer to the Chapel Royal and wrote the oratorio David's Lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. He was engaged as conductor to the Three Choirs Festival in 1737; many of his works, including the Worcester Overture (today known as his Symphony no. 8), will have been premiered at the Festival over the succeeding years. The 1740s saw his opera Peleus and Thetis, the serenata Solomon, and his Secular Masque, to a libretto by John Dryden. In 1749 he wrote an ode and the anthem O be joyful to celebrate the installation of the Duke of Newcastle as Chancellor of Cambridge University, and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music. In 1747 he had published his first purely instrumental composition, a set of "Twelve Sonatas for Two Violins and a Bass" and these proved popular. English music historian Charles Burney wrote that they were "not only in constant use, as Chamber music, in private concerts ... but in our theatres, as act-tunes [i.e. intermezzi] and public gardens, as favourite pieces, during many years."
In the 1750s Boyce supplied David Garrick with songs and other music for many productions at the Drury Lane Theatre. These included his own operas The Chaplet and The Shepherd's Lottery, both to libretti by Moses Mendez, and for Garrick's 1759 pantomime Harlequin's Invasion which contained what became Boyce's most famous song, Heart of Oak.
As Master of the King's Musick Boyce had the responsibility of writing music for royal occasions including funerals, weddings and coronations. He, however, refused to make a new setting of Zadok the Priest for the coronation of George III and Charlotte in 1761 on the grounds that Handel's setting of the anthem was unsurpassable – as a consequence of which Handel's setting has been performed at every subsequent British coronation. However, that coronation is the only one recorded where a single musician wrote nearly all the music, Boyce having composed a total of eight anthems specifically for the event.
By the year 1758, his deafness had increased to such an extent that he was unable to continue in his organist posts. He resolved to give up teaching and to retire to Kensington, and devote himself to editing the collection of church music which bears his name. He retired and worked on completing the compilation Cathedral Music that his teacher Greene had left incomplete at his death. This led to Boyce editing works by the likes of William Byrd and Henry Purcell. Many of the pieces in the collection are still used in Anglican services today.
On 7 February 1779 Boyce died from an attack of gout, aged 67. He was buried under the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. His only son, also William Boyce (25 March 1764 – 1824), was a professional double bass player.
Legacy
Boyce was largely forgotten after his death and he remains a little-performed composer today, although a number of his pieces were rediscovered in the 1930s, and Constant Lambert edited and sometimes conducted his works. Lambert had already launched the early stages of the modern Boyce revival in 1928, when he published the first modern edition of the Eight Symphonies (Bartlett and Bruce 2001). The great exception to this neglect was his church music, which was edited after his death by Philip Hayes and published in two large volumes, Fifteen Anthems by Dr Boyce in 1780 and A Collection of Anthems and a Short Service in 1790 (Bartlett 2003, 54).
Church choral music saw a revival in the 1830s and 1840s, under the influences of the Tractarians, the Cambridge Camden Society, and the financial changes carried out under the "Dean and Chapter Act" (the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act 1840). A new edition of Boyce's works as Cathedral Music, edited by Joseph Warren, appeared in 1849.
The first movement (Allegro) of Boyce's Symphony No. 1 in B-flat was the first piece of music played during the procession of the bride and bridegroom at the conclusion of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. His coronation anthem The King Shall Rejoice, initially composed for the coronation of George III in 1761, was also performed at the coronation of Charles III in 2023.
Boyce's portraits were painted by Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Hudson. He was drawn and engraved by John Keyse Sherwin, and a vignette made by Drayton after Robert Smirke.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 30 | 90.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 14 | 84.5th |
| Studio albums | 14 | 94th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | -208 | 3.2th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (14 release groups · 14 studio albums)
Albums · 14
Peleus and Thetis and other theatre music
1987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 34 tracks · 1:08:07
1Peleus and Thetis: No 1, Overture: Allegro3:032Peleus and Thetis: No 2, Overture: Largo1:113Peleus and Thetis: No 3, Overture: Gabot - Larghetto - Gavot4:124Peleus and Thetis: No 4, Recitative: Condemned On Caucasus To Lie (Peleus/Prometheus/Thetis)3:095Peleus and Thetis: No 5, Air: To Love And To Languish (Peleus)2:586Peleus and Thetis: No 6, Recitative: Accursed Jealousy! (Thetis)0:357Peleus and Thetis: No 7, Air And Chorus: But See, The Mighty Thunderer's Here (Thetis)1:148Peleus and Thetis: No 8, Recitative: Presumptuous Slave, Rival To Jove (Jupiter)0:389Peleus and Thetis: No 9, Air: Armed With Love, And Thetis By (Peleus)4:1810Peleus and Thetis: No 10, Trio: Bring Me Lightning! Give Me Thunder! (Jupiter/Peleus/Thetis)1:2211Peleus and Thetis: No 11, Air: Thy Love, Still Armed With Fate (Thetis)2:1312Peleus and Thetis: No 12, Recitative: Son Of Saturn, Take Advice (Prometheus)0:2213Peleus and Thetis: No 13, Air: The Prophecy (Prometheus)1:2814Peleus and Thetis: No 14, Recitative: Shall Then The Son Of Saturn Be Undone? (Jupiter)0:4715Peleus and Thetis: No 15, Air: The Fatal Blessing I Resign (Jupiter)2:2516Peleus and Thetis: No 16, Recitative: Heaven Had Been Lost, Had I Been Jove (Peleus)0:1617Peleus and Thetis: No 17, Air: And Thou, The Stars' Interpreter (Jupiter)1:4518Peleus and Thetis: No 18, Air: Fly, Fly, Fly To My Arms (Peleus)1:4919Peleus and Thetis: No 19, Duet: But To Gaze (Pelelus/Thetis)5:1320Peleus and Thetis: No 20, Chorus: When The Storm Is Blown Over1:5021Music for Florizel and Perdita: No 1, Trio: Get You Hence, For I Must Go (Shepherd/Dorcas/Mopsa)2:3422Music for Florizel and Perdita: No 2, Recitation: Music For Animating The Statue (Paulina/Leontes)2:5623Music for Florizel and Perdita: Allegro0:4624Music for Florizel and Perdita: Vivace1:3025Coydon and Miranda: No 1, Recitative: It Must Be So (Miranda)0:2026Coydon and Miranda: No 2, Air: If Cupid Once The Mind Possess (Miranda)2:1627Coydon and Miranda: No 3, Recitative: But See, He Comes – I'll Wear A Short Diguise (Miranda/Corydon)0:5628Coydon and Miranda: No 4: In Vain, Miranda, You Complain (Corydon)3:0229Coydon and Miranda: No 5, Recitative: Well, Would You Ease My Breast And Peace Restore (Miranda/Corydon/Marcella)0:4430Coydon and Miranda: No 6, Air: The Silver Rain, The Pearly Dew (Marcella)2:2131Coydon and Miranda: No 7, Recitative: Away, Away, Nor Ever See Me More (Corydon/Marcella)1:0032Coydon and Miranda: No 8, Air: Rise, Tempests, Rise, Cloud The Skies! (Marcella)3:2533Coydon and Miranda: No 9, Chorus: Joy Were No Joy, And Pleasure Vain1:0034The Dirge From Romeo And Juliet (Rise, Rise, Heart-breaking Sighs)4:291987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 1:00:04
1Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 1: I. Allegro2:442Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 1: II. Moderato e dolce2:373Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 1: III. Allegro2:024Symphony in A major, op. 2 no. 2: I. Allegro assai3:385Symphony in A major, op. 2 no. 2: II. Vivace1:076Symphony in A major, op. 2 no. 2: III. Presto (Allegro)1:267Symphony in C major, op. 2 no. 3: I. Allegro2:438Symphony in C major, op. 2 no. 3: II. Vivace1:179Symphony in C major, op. 2 no. 3: III. Tempo di Minuetto1:2110Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 4: I. Allegro3:1411Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 4: II. Vivace ma non troppo1:3112Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 4: III. Gavot: Allegro2:0413Symphony in D major, op. 2 no. 5: I. Allegro ma non troppo - Adagio ad lib - Allegro assai4:2614Symphony in D major, op. 2 no. 5: II. Tempo di Gavotta1:4015Symphony in D major, op. 2 no. 5: III. Tempo di Minuetto1:5016Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 6: I. Largo - Allegro - Largo4:1717Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 6: II. Larghetto2:3618Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 7: I. Andante - Spirituoso4:3919Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 7: II. Moderato2:4620Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 7: III. Jigg: Allegro assai1:5821Symphony in D minor, op. 2 no. 8: I. Pomposo - Allegro4:5622Symphony in D minor, op. 2 no. 8: II. Largo (Andante)1:5723Symphony in D minor, op. 2 no. 8: III. Tempo di Gavotta (Risoluto)3:151988 · studio album
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Tracklist · 26 tracks · 56:16
1Symphony no. 1 in B flat major: Allegro2:572Symphony no. 1 in B flat major: Moderato e dolce1:523Symphony no. 1 in B flat major: Allegro2:144Symphony no. 2 in A major: Allegro assai2:215Symphony no. 2 in A major: Vivace0:586Symphony no. 2 in A major: Presto (Allegro)1:247Symphony no. 3 in C major: Allegro2:368Symphony no. 3 in C major: Vivace0:589Symphony no. 3 in C major: Tempo di Minuetto1:2110Symphony no. 4 in F major - Allegro2:2211Symphony no. 4 in F major: Vivace ma non troppo1:0912Symphony no. 4 in F major: Gavotte2:1013Symphony no. 6 in F major: Largo1:2114Symphony no. 6 in F major: Allegro2:2315Symphony no. 6 in F major: Larghetto2:4416Symphony no. 5 in D major: Allegro ma non troppo1:1217Symphony no. 5 in D major: Allegro assai2:2818Symphony no. 5 in D major: Tempo di Gavotta1:3819Symphony no. 5 in D major: Tempo di Minuetto1:4820Symphony no. 7 in B flat major: Andante2:1921Symphony no. 7 in B flat major: Spirituoso2:5322Symphony no. 7 in B flat major: Moderato1:4223Symphony no. 7 in B flat major: Jig (Allegro assai)2:0524Symphony no. 8 in D minor: Pomposo6:0125Symphony no. 8 in D minor: Largo (Andante)2:1426Symphony no. 8 in D minor: Tempo di Gavotta3:061990 · studio album
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Tracklist · 31 tracks · 1:16:12
1Solomon: Part I. Ouverture: Largo - Allegro - Larghetto6:122Solomon: Part I. "Behold, jerusalem, behold thy king"4:263Solomon: Part I. "From the mountains, lo! He comes"0:274Solomon: Part I. "Tell me, lovely shepherd"3:215Solomon: Part I. "Fairest of the virgin throng"2:176Solomon: Part I. "As the rich apple, on whose boughs"0:207Solomon: Part I. "Beneath his ample shade I lay"2:478Solomon: Part I. "Who quits the lily's fleecy white"0:349Solomon: Part I. "Balmy sweetness, ever flowing"5:4910Solomon: Part I. "Let not my prince his slave Despise" / "Ah simple me! my own, more dear"4:1811Solomon: Part I. "Fair and comely is my love"3:4012Solomon: Part I. "Forbear, O charming swain, forbear!"1:1213Solomon: Part I. "Fill with cooling juice the bowl!"3:2714Solomon: Part II. Sinfonia2:4715Solomon: Part II. "The cheerful spring begins today" / "Arise, my fair, and come away"4:0316Solomon: Part II. "Together let us range the fields"4:0017Solomon: Part II. "How lovely art thou to the sight"0:2518Solomon: Part II. "Let me, love, thy bole ascending"2:1619Solomon: Part II. "O, that a sister's specious name"0:4020Solomon: Part II. "Soft, I adjure you, by the fawns"1:2621Solomon: Part II. "My fair's a garden of delight"0:2322Solomon: Part II. "Softly rise, O southern breeze!"5:0423Solomon: Part III. "Arise, my fair, the doors unfold"3:4224Solomon: Part III. "Obedient to thy voice I hie"0:4325Solomon: Part III. "Ye blooming virgins, as ye rove"1:4726Solomon: Part III. "Who is thy love, O charming maid!"0:4027Solomon: Part III. "On his face the vernal rose"2:0528Solomon: Part III. "This, O ye virgins"0:3829Solomon: Part III. "Sweet nymph, whom ruddier charms addorn"0:4230Solomon: Part III. "O take me! stamp me on thy breast!"0:4631Solomon: Part III. "Thou soft invader of the soul!" / "In vain we trace the globe"5:15The 3 Concerti Grossi / Overtures 10-12
1992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 51:51
1Concerto Grosso in B-flat major: Moderato - Allegro - Adagio - Allegro -Gavotte11:072Concerto Grosso in B minor: Staccato - Largo - Allegro - Adagio - Minuet10:023Concerto Grosso in E minor: Largo - Allegro - Alla Siciliana - Allegro11:334Overture no. 10 in F major: Allegro - Dolce Moderato - Allegro assai6:065Overture no. 11 in D major: Larghetto - Allegro - Larghetto - Tempo di Minuetto6:596Overture no. 12 in G major: Allegro - Vivace - Allegro assai6:041993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 59:21
1Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major: I. Allegro2:482Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major: II. Moderato e dolce2:183Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major: III. Allegro1:594Symphony no. 2 in A minor: I. Allegro assai3:335Symphony no. 2 in A minor: II. Vivace1:166Symphony no. 2 in A minor: III. Presto Allegro1:297Symphony no. 3 in C major: I. Allegro2:298Symphony no. 3 in C major: II. Vivace1:339Symphony no. 3 in C major: III. Tempo di minuetto1:1910Symphony no. 4 in F major: I. Allegro3:0911Symphony no. 4 in F major: II. Vivace ma non troppo1:4212Symphony no. 4 in F major: III. Gavot (Allegro)2:0613Symphony no. 5 in D major: I. Allegro ma non troppo — Allegro assai4:0514Symphony no. 5 in D major: II. Tempo di gavotta1:3915Symphony no. 5 in D major: III. Tempo di minuetto1:4116Symphony no. 6 in F major: I. Largo — Allegro3:5717Symphony no. 6 in F major: II. Larghetto2:4218Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major: I. Andante — Spirituoso4:0719Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major: II. Moderato2:4820Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major: III. Jigg (Allegro assai)1:5021Symphony no. 8 in D minor: I. Pomposo — Allegro5:1722Symphony no. 8 in D minor: II. Largo Andante1:3623Symphony no. 8 in D minor: III. Tempo di gavotta3:581994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 50:46
1Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major5:332Symphony no. 2 in A major4:513Symphony no. 3 in C major5:124Symphony no. 4 in F major5:055Symphony no. 5 in D major7:246Symphony no. 6 in F major5:577Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major6:598Symphony no. 8 in D minor9:451994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 1:00:43
1Symphony no. 3 in C: I. Allegro2:372Symphony no. 3 in C: II. Vivace1:173Symphony no. 3 in C: III. Tempo di Minuetto1:194Symphony no. 6 in F: I. Largo - Allegro4:385Symphony no. 6 in F: II. Larghetto2:386Symphony no. 1 in B-flat: I. Allegro2:547Symphony no. 1 in B-flat: II. Moderato e dolce2:588Symphony no. 1 in B-flat: III. Allegro2:139Symphony no. 7 in B-flat: I. Andante - Spirituoso4:5110Symphony no. 7 in B-flat: II. Moderato2:3511Symphony no. 7 in B-flat: III. Jigg Allegro assai2:0412Symphony no. 8 in D minor: I. Pomposo - Allegro5:4613Symphony no. 8 in D minor: II. Largo (Andante)1:5414Symphony no. 8 in D minor: III. Tempo di Gavotta3:0415Symphony no. 5 in D: I. Allegro ma non troppo - Allegro assai4:2616Symphony no. 5 in D: II. Tempo di Gavotta1:4217Symphony no. 5 in D: III. Tempo di Minuetto1:5018Symphony no. 2 in A: I. Allegro assai2:2819Symphony no. 2 in A: II. Vivace1:1020Symphony no. 2 in A: III. Presto (Allegro)1:3121Symphony no. 4 in F: I. Allegro3:1222Symphony no. 4 in F: II. Vivace ma non troppo1:3023Symphony no. 4 in F: III. Gavot (Allegro)2:061996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 29 tracks · 1:01:48
1Sonata #1 in A minor - Largo1:572Sonata #1 in A minor - Fuga (Allegro)2:103Sonata #1 in A minor - Allegro ma non troppo1:314Sonata #2 in F Major - Andante vivace2:155Sonata #2 in F Major - Adagio1:426Sonata #2 in F Major - Allegro2:217Sonata #2 in F Major - Allegro ma non troppo (Giga)2:118Sonata #3 in A Major - Largo1:529Sonata #3 in A Major - Fuga (Allegro assai)1:0710Sonata #3 in A Major - Adagio2:0911Sonata #3 in A Major - Tempo di minuetto2:2512Sonata #4 in G minor - Gratioso2:1213Sonata #4 in G minor - March (Grave)3:0514Sonata #4 in G minor - Tempo di gavotta1:3815Sonata #5 in D Major - Allegro3:0816Sonata #5 in D Major - Largo1:3017Sonata #5 in D Major - Fuga (Allegro assai)2:0418Sonata #6 in Bb Major - Adagio1:0519Sonata #6 in Bb Major - Vivace (Allemanda)1:4220Sonata #6 in Bb Major - Adagio1:2521Sonata #6 in Bb Major - Affetuoso3:0422Sonata #7 in D minor - Andante2:1223Sonata #7 in D minor - Fuga (Allegro)1:2924Sonata #7 in D minor - Adagio2:0225Sonata #7 in D minor - Allegro (Giga)2:5726Sonata #8 in Eb Major - Largo2:1527Sonata #8 in Eb Major - Allegro (Allemenda)3:1828Sonata #8 in Eb Major - Siciliana2:2029Sonata #8 in Eb Major - Tempo di minuetto (Allegro)2:421997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 55:20
1Symphony no. 1: Allegro2:412Symphony no. 1: Moderato2:003Symphony no. 1: Allegro2:134Symphony no. 2: Allegro assai3:195Symphony no. 2: Vivace0:506Symphony no. 2: Tempo di Minuetto1:207Symphony no. 3: Allegro2:428Symphony no. 3: Vivace0:599Symphony no. 3: Tempo di Minuetto1:1810Symphony no. 4: Allegro2:5411Symphony no. 4: Vivace ma non troppo0:5412Symphony no. 4: Allegro1:4813Symphony no. 5: Allegro ma non troppo4:0714Symphony no. 5: Tempo di Gavotta1:5215Symphony no. 5: Tempo di Minuetto1:3616Symphony no. 6: Largo. Allegro4:0917Symphony no. 6: Larghetto2:3918Symphony no. 7: Andante - Spirituoso4:1319Symphony no. 7: Moderato2:1620Symphony no. 7: Allegro assai1:5821Symphony no. 8: Pomposo - Allegro4:3622Symphony no. 8: Largo1:2723Symphony no. 8: Tempo di Gavotta3:291999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 59:37
1Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major: Allegro - Moderato e dolce - Allegro7:272Symphony no. 2 in A major: Allegro assai - Vivace - Presto (allegro)5:333Symphony no. 3 in C major: Allegro - Vivace - Tempo di Minuetto5:114Symphony no. 4 in F major: Allegro - Vivace ma non troppo - Gavor (Allegro)6:015Symphony no. 5 in D major: Allegro ma non troppo - Allegro assai - Tempi di Gavotta - Tempo di Minuetto7:406Symphony no. 6 in F major: Largo - Allegro - Larghetto6:447Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major: Andante - Spirituoso - Moderato - Jigg (allegro assai)9:308Symphony no. 8 in D minor: Pomposo - Allegro - Largo (andante) - Tempo di Gavotta (Risoluto)11:312000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 30 tracks · 1:17:54
1Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 1. Overture: I Vivace - Adagio - Allegro3:342Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 1. Overture: II Gavot: Andante1:383Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 1. Overture: III Minuetto allegro1:404Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 2. Chorus. See the fam'd Apollo and the Nine3:205Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 3. Duet. Immortal Love, with tuneful lyres6:396Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 4. Recitative. Aloft the strains melodious swiftly fly0:467Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 5. Aria. What a tender, virtuous passion3:178Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 6. Recitative. Hark the loud trumpet calls a youth to arms0:499Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 7. Aria. The hero whom a fair one fires4:4810Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 8. Recitative. Ah! say, could Painting, could the weeping muse0:3411Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 9. Aria. What cruel pangs the lover feels3:5612Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 10. Recitative. Thus, whilst the Muse Love's boundless influence sings0:1413Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 11. Chorus. Sprung from Gods, immortal Love1:4514Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 12. Overture. Largo - Allegro3:2215Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 13. Chorus. Hail, Harmony!4:2216Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 14. Aria. Glorious Power, to thee we owe1:2617Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 15. Recitative. At Music's sacred name0:4318Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 16. Aria. With celestial glory crown'd3:2519Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 17. Recitatative. Mortals, in hymns of tuneful joy4:5820Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 18. Aria. Music, gently soothing Power5:5821Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 19. Recitative. Pleas'd the celestial visitant surveys0:4722Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 20. Duet. As nature with the sun revives3:3823Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 21. Aria. The captive, bound in rankling chains6:1824Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 22. Recitative. The melting theme transports each mortal breast0:3025Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 23. Aria. Music can the passions raise1:3626Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 24. Recitative. Now the ætherial lyrist sweeps the strings0:1427Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 25. Aria. Mortals, scorn the boasted Nine2:2428Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 26. Recitative. Leave transient joys, and raise the theme1:3329Ode for St Cecilia's Day: Allegro. Thus will your hymns, like incense, rise0:2330Ode for St Cecilia's Day: No. 27. Chorus. Display His goodness, Hail His might3:172005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 1:01:41
1Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 1: I. Allegro2:562Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 1: II. Moderato e dolce2:353Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 1: III. Allegro2:074Symphony in A major, op. 2 no. 2: I. Allegro assai3:195Symphony in A major, op. 2 no. 2: II. Vivace1:046Symphony in A major, op. 2 no. 2: III. Presto (Allegro)1:317Symphony in C major, op. 2 no. 3: I. Allegro2:358Symphony in C major, op. 2 no. 3: II. Vivace1:509Symphony in C major, op. 2 no. 3: III. Tempo di Minuetto1:3210Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 4: I. Allegro3:2811Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 4: II. Vivace ma non troppo1:4012Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 4: III. Gavot: Allegro2:1713Symphony in D major, op. 2 no. 5: I. Allegro ma non troppo - Allegro assai3:5714Symphony in D major, op. 2 no. 5: II. Tempo di Gavotta1:3715Symphony in D major, op. 2 no. 5: III. Tempo di Minuetto1:4616Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 6: I. Largo - Allegro4:1717Symphony in F major, op. 2 no. 6: II. Larghetto3:1718Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 7: I. Andante - Spirituoso4:0419Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 7: II. Moderato3:0120Symphony in B-flat major, op. 2 no. 7: III. Jigg: Allegro assai2:0421Symphony in D minor, op. 2 no. 8: I. Pomposo - Allegro4:5622Symphony in D minor, op. 2 no. 8: II. Largo (Andante)1:4323Symphony in D minor, op. 2 no. 8: III. Tempo di Gavotta4:052017 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 1:00:55
1Symphony no. 5 in D major, op. 2, "St. Cecilia's Day Ode": I. Allegro ma non troppo — Adagio — Allegro assai4:052Symphony no. 5 in D major, op. 2, "St. Cecilia's Day Ode": II. Tempo di gavotta2:013Symphony no. 5 in D major, op. 2, "St. Cecilia's Day Ode": III. Tempo di minuetto2:024Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major, op. 2, "New Year Ode": I. Allegro2:405Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major, op. 2, "New Year Ode": II. Moderato e dolce2:256Symphony no. 1 in B-flat major, op. 2, "New Year Ode": III. Allegro2:117Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 2, "Solomon": I. Largo — Allegro4:068Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 2, "Solomon": II. Larghetto2:309Symphony no. 3 in C major, op. 2, "The Chaplet": I. Allegro2:2810Symphony no. 3 in C major, op. 2, "The Chaplet": II. Vivace1:5311Symphony no. 3 in C major, op. 2, "The Chaplet": III. Tempo di menuetto1:2812Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major, op. 2, "Pythian Ode": I. Andante4:5113Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major, op. 2, "Pythian Ode": II. Moderato2:4614Symphony no. 7 in B-flat major, op. 2, "Pythian Ode": III. Jigg (Allegro assai)2:0115Symphony no. 2 in A major, op. 2, "Birthday Ode": I. Allegro assai3:1316Symphony no. 2 in A major, op. 2, "Birthday Ode": II. Vivace1:2017Symphony no. 2 in A major, op. 2, "Birthday Ode": III. Presto — allegro1:2918Symphony no. 4 in F major, op. 2, "Shepherd's Lottery": I. Allegro3:1119Symphony no. 4 in F major, op. 2, "Shepherd's Lottery": II. Vivace ma non troppo1:2720Symphony no. 4 in F major, op. 2, "Shepherd's Lottery": III. Gavot: allegro2:1621Symphony no. 8 in D minor, op. 2, "Worcester Overture": I. Pomposo — allegro4:5822Symphony no. 8 in D minor, op. 2, "Worcester Overture": II. Largo — andante1:5523Symphony no. 8 in D minor, op. 2, "Worcester Overture": III. Tempo di gavotta3:39
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put William Boyce head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 30 | 90.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 14 | 84.5th |
| Studio albums | 14 | 94th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | -208 | 3.2th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Boyce.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/031af119-8cdf-4745-95fe-2a9aa6adbd75discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/031af119-8cdf-4745-95fe-2a9aa6adbd75core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313152genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313152seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Boyce_%28composer%29biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Boyce_%28composer%29
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: historic figure (30 language versions, career ended)
Image: Attributed to Mason Chamberlin · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q313152 · MusicBrainz: 031af119-8cdf-4745-95fe-2a9aa6adbd75
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