Editing Joseph Barnby (section)

==Life==
Barnby was born at [[York]], as a son of Thomas Barnby, who was an [[organist]]. Joseph was a [[choir|chorister]] at [[York Minster]] from the age of seven. His voice broke at the age of fifteen and he studied for two to three years at the [[Royal Academy of Music]] under [[Cipriani Potter]] and [[Charles Lucas (musician)|Charles Lucas]]. He was narrowly beaten by Arthur Sullivan in competition for the Mendelssohn Scholarship.{{sfnp|Woolacott|1895|p=4}} In 1862 he was appointed organist of [[Wells Street#St Andrew's church|St Andrew's, Wells Street]], London,<ref>St Andrew's Wells Street was moved to north London in 1933 and is now St Andrew's Church, Kingsbury. See [http://www.brent.gov.uk/media/3023983/Kingsburys%20Recycled%20Church.pdf Kingsbury’s Recycled Church] by Brent Council.</ref> where he raised the services to a high degree of excellence.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Barnby, Sir Joseph|volume=3|page=412}}</ref> It was at St Andrew's that in 1864, Barnby and the choir performed two [[anthem]]s by [[Alice Mary Smith]]; this is believed to be the first time that [[Anglican church music|liturgical music]] composed by a woman was performed in the [[Church of England]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/images/9/93/The_Complete_Sacred_Choral_Music_of_Alice_Mary_Smith.pdf |title=ALICE MARY SMITH: The Complete Sacred Choral Music |editor-last=Sanderman |editor-first=Leonard |date=2019 |website=cpdl.org |publisher=University of York |access-date=6 December 2020 }}</ref>

He was conductor of "Barnby's Choir" from 1864, at first giving concerts at St James's Hall and afterwards at Exeter Hall.{{sfnp|Woolacott|1895|p=4}} In 1871 he was appointed, in succession to [[Charles Gounod]], conductor of the [[Royal Choral Society|Royal Albert Hall Choral Society]], a post he held till his death. Meanwhile, he had left St Andrew's for a similar position at St Anne's, Soho.{{sfnp|Woolacott|1895|p=4}} In 1875, he was precentor and director of music at [[Eton College]], and in 1892 became principal of the [[Guildhall School of Music]], receiving the honour of [[Knight Bachelor|knighthood]] in July of that year. His works include an [[oratorio]] ''Rebekah'', ''The Lord is King'' ([[Psalm 97]]), many [[Service (music)|services]] and [[anthem]]s, and 246 [[hymn tune]]s (published in 1897 in one volume), as well as some [[partsongs]] and songs (among them, ''Now The Day Is Over'', and the popular lullaby using [[Alfred, Lord Tennyson]]'s words ''Sweet and Low'') and some pieces for the [[pipe organ]].<ref name="EB1911"/>

Barnby was an advocate of J.S. Bach's music, and proposed to Dean Stanley the 1870 performance of St John's Passion, with full orchestra and choir of 500 voices.{{sfnp|Woolacott|1895|p=4}} He was largely instrumental in stimulating the love for Gounod's sacred music among the less educated part of the [[London]] public, although he displayed little practical sympathy with [[opera]]. On the other hand, he organized a remarkable concert performance of ''[[Parsifal]]'' at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London in 1884. He conducted the Cardiff Festivals of 1892 and 1895. He died in London and, after a special service in [[St Paul's Cathedral]] was buried in [[West Norwood Cemetery]].<ref name="EB1911"/>

Discussing English composers, Barnby said: "Sullivan, of course, has done his work in a straightforward way, and gained all the success he could have hoped for. With regard, however, to men bitten with a desire to produce advanced music, the result so far has been scarcely so satisfactory."{{sfnp|Woolacott|1895|p=4}}

A possibly apocryphal story about him got as far as New Zealand: A young contralto at the end of a Handel solo put in a high note instead of the less effective note usually sung. The conductor, Barnby, was shocked, and asked whether Miss – thought she was right to improve on Handel. "Well, Sir Joseph, said she, I’ve got an 'E' and I don’t see why I shouldn’t show it off". "Miss –," rejoined Barnby, "I believe you have two knees, but I hope you won’t show them off here".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WDT18970819.2.4 |title=Local and General|work=Wairarapa Daily Times|page=2|date=19 August 1897|accessdate=18 June 2013}}</ref>