William Boyce

William Boyce was an outstanding musical figure in his day: organist, conductor, composer of sacred and secular music, scholar and publisher.

For many years his three-volume Cathedral Music was the principal published source of anthems and services of his time and earlier. These three volumes helped preserve the continuous tradition of Cathedral music by making older music available for performance.

Boyce's association with St. Paul's began when he was a chorister and subsequently an articled pupil of the organist, Maurice Greene. He succeeded Greene in 1735 as conductor of the annual Festival of the Sons of the Clergy at St. Paul's - he wrote at least two anthems for choir and orchestra for this festival - and as Master of the King's Musick.

When he died in 1779 he was buried under the dome of the Cathedral, and the combined choirs of the Chapel Royal, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral sang at his funeral.

William Boyce on Guild Music

• GMCD 7118 I have surely built Thee as house

Page revised 09.09.2000