William Horsley
Biography
William Horsley (November 18, 1774–June 12, 1858), was an English musician.
In 1790 he became the pupil of Theodore Smith, an indifferent musician of the time, who however, taught him sufficiently well to obtain in 1794 the position of organist at Ely Chapel, Holborn. This post he resigned in 1798, to become organist at the Asylum for Female Orphans, and assistant to John Wall Callcott, with whom he had long been on terms of personal and artistic intimacy, and whose eldest daughter, Elizabeth Hutchins Callcott (1809-72), he married.
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In 1802 he became his friend's successor upon the latter's resignation. Besides holding this appointment he became the organist of Belgrave Chapel, Halkin Street in 1812 and of the Charter House in 1838.
Horsley's compositions are numerous, and include amongst other instrumental pieces three symphonies for full orchestra. Infinitely more important are his glees, of which he published five books (1801-1807) besides contributing many detached glees and part songs to various collections. His glees, "By Celia's Arbour", "O, Nightingale", "Now the storm begins to lower" and others, are amongst the finest specimens of this peculiarly English class of compositions. Perhaps his best-known hymn tune is "There is a green hill far away".
The Horsley family were friendly with Mendelssohn and, according to L T C Rolt, were the first to hear his music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, played by him on the piano at their home at No 1 High Row (now 128 Church Street) in Kensington.
Horsley's son Charles Edward also enjoyed a certain reputation as a musician. Another son John Callcott was a painter. Horsley's eldest daughter Mary Elizabeth (b. 1813) married the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.