Bishop, (Sir) Henry (Rowley)

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Bishop, (Sir) Henry (Rowley) (b London, 1786; d London, 1855). Eng. composer and conductor. Went to Newmarket to train as a jockey but was physically unsuitable. His patron paid for his musical education in London. Engaged in 1810 as mus. dir., CG. Founder member and dir., London Phil. Soc., 1813. Left CG 1824, becoming mus. dir. Drury Lane. In 1831 married his pupil the soprano Anna Riviere, touring the provinces with her and the harpist Nicolas Bochsa, with whom she eloped to the Continent in 1839. ‘Adapted’ other composers’ operas for Eng. stage, incl. Mozart's Figaro and Don Giovanni. Prof. of mus. Edinburgh Univ. 1841–3, Oxford Univ. 1848–55. Knighted 1842. Of his large output only 2 songs effectively survive, Home, Sweet Home and Lo, Here the Gentle Lark.

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Sir Henry Rowley Bishop

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