Prout, Ebenezer

Composer

b Oundle, Northants 1835, d Dalston, NE London 1909. Born in a Congregational Manse but not encouraged to pursue music seriously; after some school-teaching he took the London Univ BA in 1854). He had several appointments as chapel organist which included the Union Chapel, Islington (1861–73), and also took up music teaching in Hackney. He was Prof of Pianoforte at the Crystal Palace Sch of Art (1861– 85); Prof at the National Training Sch for Music and staff member of the RAM from 1876; GSM 1884; Prof at Trinity Coll Dublin 1895 (Hon DMus, also from Edinburgh). He promoted the recognition of Wagner’s operatic works, wrote an opera (King Alfred), and from 1871 to 1876 he was the first editor of The Monthly Musical Record. The first of several text-books was Instrumentation (1876). 3 of his hymn-tunes are in Congregational Praise (1951) and 2 in Rejoice and Sing (1991). ‘One of the most celebrated of 19th-cent English musical theorists and teachers’—Routley. No.261.