William Henry Havergal
Encyclopedia
William Henry Havergal was an Anglican clergyman, writer, composer
and hymn
writer, and a publisher of sermon
s and pamphlet
s. He was the father of the hymn-writer and poet
Frances Ridley Havergal
and the clergyman and organist Henry East Havergal
(1820–1875).
Havergal was born in High Wycombe
in Buckinghamshire
and educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
and St Edmund Hall, Oxford
, where he gained a BA
in 1815 and an MA
in 1819. He was ordained deacon
in 1816 and priest in 1817, and became rector
of Astley
in Worcestershire
in 1829, St. Nicholas, Worcester
in 1842 and Shareshill near Wolverhampton
in 1860. He died at Leamington Spa
, Warwickshire
and is buried at Astley.
, on 18 January 1793; commenced his education at Princes Risborough in 1801, and entered the Merchant Taylors' School
in July 1806. During his holidays he cultivated music, and from the age of fourteen often played the organ in his parish church. He was originally intended for the medical profession, but eventually went to Oxford, matriculating from St Edmund Hall on 10 July 1812. He graduated BA 1816, MA 1819, and was ordained 24 March 1816.
He became an assistant curate under Thomas Tregenna Biddulph, at the churches of St. James, Bristol, and Creech Heathfield. In June 1820 he became curate in charge of Coaley
, Gloucestershire
, and lecturer of Dursley
, and took pupils. On 25 June 1822 he became curate of Astley, Worcestershire
. He visited Cornwall and Yorkshire in 1826 and two following years as a deputation from the Church Missionary Society.
He became well known by his exertions for the restoration of metrical psalmody to its original purity. He published in 1844 a reprint of Ravenscroft's scarce work, "The Whole Booke of Psalmes". In 1847 he brought out the "Old Church Psalmody", Op. 43, which is the parent of most modern collections of church hymn tune
s. "A Hundred Psalm and Hymn Tunes", Op. 48, entirely his own composition, was published in 1859. Handel
and Corelli
were his models, and his aim was to preserve purity of style.
He also wrote songs, rounds, and catches for the young, besides carols, hymns, and sacred songs, for which he composed both words and music. Many of the sacred songs and carols appeared in the earlier volumes of "Our Own Fireside", and were republished under the title of "Fireside Music". His sacred song Summer Tide is Coming and his psalm tune "Evan" are widely known.
On 13 Nov. 1829 he was presented to the rectory of Astley, whence he removed in June 1845 to St. Nicholas rectory, Worcester, and was soon after appointed an honorary canon of Worcester Cathedral
. He all but lost his sight in 1832, and it was never entirely restored. For a long time he could not read printed music or decipher his own handwriting.
He also wrote, selected, harmonised, and arranged, upwards of thirty works and pieces of music.
, Francis Tebbs Havergal
and Frances Ridley Havergal
, are separately noticed. Another daughter, Maria Vernon Graham Havergal, who died 22 June 1887, wrote several books, and an autobiography which was edited by her sister, Jane Miriam Havergal, who married, October 1842, Henry Crane. Mrs. Crane also published records of her father's life.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
writer, and a publisher of sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s and pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
s. He was the father of the hymn-writer and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Frances Ridley Havergal
Frances Ridley Havergal
Frances Ridley Havergal was an English religious poet and hymn writer. Take My Life and Let it Be and Thy Life for Me are two of her best known hymns. She also wrote hymn melodies, religious tracts, and works for children.-Life:She was born into an Anglican family, at Astley in Worcestershire...
and the clergyman and organist Henry East Havergal
Henry East Havergal
Henry East Havergal was a priest in the Church of England and an organist.Havergal, eldest son of William Henry Havergal , was born at Coaley, Gloucestershire, 22 July 1820. His mother died in 1848 and his father remarried in 1851...
(1820–1875).
Havergal was born in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
and St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
, where he gained a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1815 and an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1819. He was ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in 1816 and priest in 1817, and became rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Astley
Astley, Worcestershire
Astley is a village, and a civil parish in Worcestershire, England, about seven miles south-west of Kidderminster.A range of English white wines including sparkling wines have been produced in Astley since 1983...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
in 1829, St. Nicholas, Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
in 1842 and Shareshill near Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
in 1860. He died at Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
and is buried at Astley.
Early life
Havergal, only son of William Havergal, who died 2 September 1854, by Mary, daughter of Thomas Hopkins, was born at Chipping Wycombe, BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, on 18 January 1793; commenced his education at Princes Risborough in 1801, and entered the Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
in July 1806. During his holidays he cultivated music, and from the age of fourteen often played the organ in his parish church. He was originally intended for the medical profession, but eventually went to Oxford, matriculating from St Edmund Hall on 10 July 1812. He graduated BA 1816, MA 1819, and was ordained 24 March 1816.
He became an assistant curate under Thomas Tregenna Biddulph, at the churches of St. James, Bristol, and Creech Heathfield. In June 1820 he became curate in charge of Coaley
Coaley
Coaley is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire roughly 4 miles from the town of Dursley, and 5 miles from the town of Stroud. The village drops from the edge of the Cotswold Hills, overlooked by Frocester Hill and Coaley Peak picnic site, towards the River Cam at Cam and Cambridge and...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, and lecturer of Dursley
Dursley
Dursley is a market town in Gloucestershire, England. It is under the North East flank of Stinchcombe Hill , and about 6 km South East of the River Severn. The town is adjacent with Cam which, though a village, is a community of double the size...
, and took pupils. On 25 June 1822 he became curate of Astley, Worcestershire
Astley, Worcestershire
Astley is a village, and a civil parish in Worcestershire, England, about seven miles south-west of Kidderminster.A range of English white wines including sparkling wines have been produced in Astley since 1983...
. He visited Cornwall and Yorkshire in 1826 and two following years as a deputation from the Church Missionary Society.
Music
On 14 June 1829 he was thrown out of a carriage and received concussion of the brain, which disabled him for some years. He found relief in music. His first public composition was an anthem-like setting of Heber's From Greenland's Icy Mountains, the proceeds of which (180l.) he devoted to the Church Missionary Society. In 1836 appeared Op. 36, An Evening Service in E flat and One Hundred Antiphonal Chants. One of these, a Recte et Retro chant in C, sometimes called Worcester chant, became very widely known. In the same year the Gresham prize medal was awarded him for an Evening Service in A, Op. 37. In 1841 a second medal was gained by an anthem, Give Thanks, Op. 40.He became well known by his exertions for the restoration of metrical psalmody to its original purity. He published in 1844 a reprint of Ravenscroft's scarce work, "The Whole Booke of Psalmes". In 1847 he brought out the "Old Church Psalmody", Op. 43, which is the parent of most modern collections of church hymn tune
Hymn tune
A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
s. "A Hundred Psalm and Hymn Tunes", Op. 48, entirely his own composition, was published in 1859. Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
and Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, in the current-day province of Ravenna, although at the time it was in the province of Ferrara. Little is known about his early life...
were his models, and his aim was to preserve purity of style.
He also wrote songs, rounds, and catches for the young, besides carols, hymns, and sacred songs, for which he composed both words and music. Many of the sacred songs and carols appeared in the earlier volumes of "Our Own Fireside", and were republished under the title of "Fireside Music". His sacred song Summer Tide is Coming and his psalm tune "Evan" are widely known.
On 13 Nov. 1829 he was presented to the rectory of Astley, whence he removed in June 1845 to St. Nicholas rectory, Worcester, and was soon after appointed an honorary canon of Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
. He all but lost his sight in 1832, and it was never entirely restored. For a long time he could not read printed music or decipher his own handwriting.
Final years and death
Through weakened health in March 1860 he resigned St. Nicholas and was presented to the country vicarage of Shareshill, near Wolverhampton. In 1867 increasing infirmities forced him to lay aside all regular parish work and remove to Leamington, where, with the exception of visits to the continent, he continued to reside. He died at Pyrmont Villa, Binswood Terrace, Leamington, on 19 April 1870, and was buried at Astley on 23 April.Legacy
Havergal was the author of:- ‘A Good and Satisfied Old Age. Some account of George Vaughan, a sermon,’ 1847.
- ‘Death for Murder, the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures,’ 1849.
- ‘Sermons, chiefly on Historical Subjects, from the Old and New Testament,’ 1853, 2 vols.
- ‘A History of the Old Hundredth Psalm Tune,’ with specimens, 1854; in which work he attempted to prove that William Franc was the composer.
- ‘A Wise and Holy Child. An account of E. Edwards.’ 1855.
- ‘The Faithful Servant. Two sermons on the death of the Rev. J. East,’ 1856.
- ‘Six Lectures on the Ark of the Covenant,’ 1867.
- ‘Pyrmont, an eligible place for English patients who require chalybeate or saline waters,’ edited by Mrs. C. A. Havergal, 1871.
He also wrote, selected, harmonised, and arranged, upwards of thirty works and pieces of music.
Wives and children
He married (1), 2 May 1816, Jane, fifth daughter of William Head of East Grinstead—she died 5 July 1848; and (2), on 29 July 1851, Caroline Ann, daughter of John Cooke of Gloucester—she died 26 May 1878. His children, Henry East HavergalHenry East Havergal
Henry East Havergal was a priest in the Church of England and an organist.Havergal, eldest son of William Henry Havergal , was born at Coaley, Gloucestershire, 22 July 1820. His mother died in 1848 and his father remarried in 1851...
, Francis Tebbs Havergal
Francis Tebbs Havergal
Francis Tebbs Havergal , author and editor.The youngest son of William Henry Havergal was born 27 Aug. 1829. He was a bible-clerk of New College, Oxford Francis Tebbs Havergal (1829–1890), author and editor.The youngest son of William Henry Havergal was born 27 Aug. 1829. He was a bible-clerk of...
and Frances Ridley Havergal
Frances Ridley Havergal
Frances Ridley Havergal was an English religious poet and hymn writer. Take My Life and Let it Be and Thy Life for Me are two of her best known hymns. She also wrote hymn melodies, religious tracts, and works for children.-Life:She was born into an Anglican family, at Astley in Worcestershire...
, are separately noticed. Another daughter, Maria Vernon Graham Havergal, who died 22 June 1887, wrote several books, and an autobiography which was edited by her sister, Jane Miriam Havergal, who married, October 1842, Henry Crane. Mrs. Crane also published records of her father's life.
External links
- Biography at the Cyber Hymnal