Elvey was born in Canterbury on the 27th of March 1816. He was a chorister at Canterbury cathedral under Highmore Skeats, the organist. Subsequently he became a pupil of his elder brother, Stephen, and then studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Cipriani Potter and Dr. Crotch. In 1834 he gained the Gresham prize medal for his anthem, "Bow Down Thine Ear", and in 1835 was appointed organist of St. George's chapel, Windsor, a post he filled for 47 years, retiring in 1882. He took the degree of Mus B. at Oxford in 1838, and in 1840, that of Mus D. Anthems of his were commissioned for the Three Choirs Festivals of 1853 and 1857, and in 1871 he received the honour of knighthood. He died at Windlesham in Surrey on the 9th of December 1893. His works, which are nearly all for the Church, include two oratorios, a great number of anthems and services, and some pieces for the organ. A memoir of him, by his widow, was published in 1894.
Both The Canadian Psalter and The Anglican Chant Psalter contain chants by Elvey, and Common Praise contains two of his hymn tunes. His "St. George's, Windsor" is the traditional tune for the hymn "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come".
http://16.1911encyclopedia.org/E/EL/ELVEY_SIR_GEORGE_JOB.htm
The following links let you hear the Elvey chant, played by the computer on a synthesised organ.
It will play twice, and clicking on the link again will cause it to repeat.
You might need to click Refresh on your browser, or press F5 before playing, as the chant files change regularly.
| Soprano | Alto | Tenor | Bass | |
| Hear the part | Soprano only | Alto only | Tenor only | Bass only |
| Karaoke | No Soprano | No Alto | No Tenor | No Bass |
Go back to Psalm of the Week.
J. Malton
June 10, 2004
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