William Beale | |
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 Portrait (1815), watercolour on ivory, of William Beale (1784–1854) by Charles John Robertson (born 1779?) | |
| Born | William Beale (1784-01-01)1 January 1784 |
| Died | 3 May 1854(1854-05-03) (aged 70) |
| Occupations | Composer andbaritone |
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| Relatives | Henry Wolfgang Amadeus Beale |
William Beale (1 January 1784 – 3 May 1854) was anEnglishcomposer andbaritone.
Beale was born inLandrake,Cornwall. He first served as achorister atWestminster Abbey underSamuel Arnold until his voice broke. He then served as amidshipman onHMSRévolutionnaire from 1799 to 1801. During this period he was nearly drowned by falling overboard in Cork Harbour.[1]
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 anorganist and composer ofglees andmadrigals.[1]
Around 1816 he was appointed gentleman of the Chapel Royal, St.James Palace and was living inWestminster.[1] In 1818 he was a founding member of theRegent’s Harmonic Institution; a music publishing firm established with the intent of raising funds for theRoyal Philharmonic Society and its restoration of theArgyll Rooms.[2] 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 gleesCome let us join the roundelay andThe Humble Tenant.[1]
Beale was twice married. Firstly to Miss Charlotte Elkins, a daughter of theGroom of the Stole to George IV (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.[1]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1885). "Beale, William (1784-1854)".Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 4. London:Smith, Elder & Co.
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