Monk, William Henry

- Bernarr Rainbow
Extract
( b London, March 16, 1823; d London, March 18, 1889). English church musician and composer . He was a pupil of Thomas Adams, J.A. Hamilton and G.A. Griesbach, and began his career in 1841 as organist of St Peter’s, Eaton Square. After holding similar posts at St George’s, Albemarle Street (1843), and St Paul’s, Portman Square (1845), he was appointed choirmaster (1847) and organist (1849) at King’s College, London. While at King’s he came under the influence of William Dyce, professor of fine arts, whose recent scholarly investigation of the principles of plainchant had prepared the way for its use in the Anglican service. Monk assisted in that development by contributing the first articles on the subject to the journal of the Tractarian Society for Promoting Church Music, the Parish Choir (1846–51), of which he later became musical editor....