Henry Smart (organist)

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Henry Thomas Smart (born October 25, 1813 in London , † July 6, 1879 there ) was an English organist and composer.

Life

The son of the violinist Henry Smart and nephew of the conductor Sir George Smart first studied law before turning entirely to music. Building on the lessons he had as a child with his father, he trained himself as a musician and soon became a respected organist.

In 1831 he became organist at Parish Church in Blackburn , Lancashire, where his first major composition, a Reformation Anthem , was written. He then held organist positions in London at St. Philip’s on Regent Street (1838–1839), St. Luke’s on Old Street (1844–1864) and St. Pancras Church (1865–1879). In 1851 he was one of five organists invited to perform at the Great Exhibition .

Smart composed chorales and organ pieces, songs, duets and trios, cantatas and an oratorio. His opera Bertha was successfully performed at the Theater Royal Haymarket in 1855 . He edited several volumes of chorale and psalm settings, composed pieces for the hymns Ancient and Modern (1861) and Psalms and Hymns (1867) and designed the organs for the Town Hall of Leeds (1858) and St. Andrew's Hall in Glasgow (1877). He also wrote music reviews for Atlas magazine . In the last few years of his life, Smart was blind. During this time he dictated his compositions to his daughter Ellen, who was married to Joseph Joachim's brother Heinrich (Henry).

Publications

  • Chorale Book , 1856
  • Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship , 1867
  • The Presbyterian Hymnal , 1875

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Smart, Henry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smart, Henry Thomas (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English organist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1813
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1879
Place of death London