William Beale
Encyclopedia
William Beale was an English
composer
and baritone
.
Beale was born in Landrake
, Cornwall
. He first served as a chorister at Westminster Abbey
under Dr. Arnold until his voice broke. He then served as a midshipman
on HMS Révolutionnaire
from 1799 to 1801. During this period he was nearly drowned by falling overboard in Cork Harbour.
On leaving the Navy Beale first worked as a letter-sorter for the Post Office, but then quickly turned to music as a career. He became a member of the Royal Society of Musicians in 1811 and in 1813 won the prize cup of the Madrigal Society for his beautiful madrigal, ‘Awake, sweet music’. He devoted his career to music and became an organist
and composer of glees
and madrigal
s. Around 1816 he was appointed gentleman of the Chapel Royal, St.James Palace and was living in Westminster
. In 1820, he signed articles of appointment as organist to Trinity College, Cambridge but only stayed at that position for a year before returning to London and becoming organist at Wandsworth Parish Church and then St.John’s, Clapham Rise. He continued occasionally to sing in public until later in life, and in 1840 he won a prize at the Adelphi Glee Club for his glee for four voices, ‘Harmony’. He also composed the glees Come let us join the roundelay and The Humble Tenant.
Beale was twice married. Firstly to Miss Charlotte Elkins, a daughter of the Groom of the Stole
to George IV (Charles Paulet, 13th Marquess of Winchester or Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath), and secondly to Miss Georgiana Grove, of Clapham. They had one son, Henry Wolfgang Amadeus Beale, who went on to be a composer as well.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
.
Beale was born in Landrake
Landrake
Landrake is a village in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately three miles west of Saltash in the civil parish of Landrake with St Erney...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. He first served as a chorister at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
under Dr. Arnold until his voice broke. He then served as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on HMS Révolutionnaire
HMS Révolutionnaire (1794)
The Révolutionnaire , was a 40-gun Seine-class frigate of the French Navy, launched in May 1794. The British captured her in October 1794 and she went on to serve with the Royal Navy until she was broken up in 1822...
from 1799 to 1801. During this period he was nearly drowned by falling overboard in Cork Harbour.
On leaving the Navy Beale first worked as a letter-sorter for the Post Office, but then quickly turned to music as a career. He became a member of the Royal Society of Musicians in 1811 and in 1813 won the prize cup of the Madrigal Society for his beautiful madrigal, ‘Awake, sweet music’. He devoted his career to music and became an organist
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
and composer of glees
Glee (music)
A glee is an English type of part song spanning the late baroque, classical and early romantic periods. It is usually scored for at least three voices, and generally intended to be sung unaccompanied. Glees often consist of a number of short, musically contrasted movements and their texts can be...
and madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
s. Around 1816 he was appointed gentleman of the Chapel Royal, St.James Palace and was living in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. In 1820, he signed articles of appointment as organist to Trinity College, Cambridge but only stayed at that position for a year before returning to London and becoming organist at Wandsworth Parish Church and then St.John’s, Clapham Rise. He continued occasionally to sing in public until later in life, and in 1840 he won a prize at the Adelphi Glee Club for his glee for four voices, ‘Harmony’. He also composed the glees Come let us join the roundelay and The Humble Tenant.
Beale was twice married. Firstly to Miss Charlotte Elkins, a daughter of the Groom of the Stole
Groom of the Stole
Groom of the Stole in the British Royal Household is a position dating from the Stuart era but which evolved from the earlier Groom of the Stool, an office in existence until the accession of Elizabeth I. The original nomenclature derived from the chair used in the performance of the function...
to George IV (Charles Paulet, 13th Marquess of Winchester or Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath), and secondly to Miss Georgiana Grove, of Clapham. They had one son, Henry Wolfgang Amadeus Beale, who went on to be a composer as well.