Henry Houseley

Background

Henry Houseley was born on 20 September 1851 in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.

Education

In London Henry Houseley studied at the Royal College of Organists, earning an Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.

Career

He received his musical education in Nottingham and London from James Turpin, and Edmund Hart Turpin. He served as organist at Saint Luke’s Church, Derby, England. Saint Thomas’ Church, Nottingham.

Furthermore, he was also organist to the Nottingham Harmonic Society and music lecturer at the college in Nottingham.

Being in England, he wrote most of his piano and organ music He moved to Denver, Colorado in 1888.

From 1888 to at least 1901 he lived there. In 1892, he succeeded John Gower as organist of Saint John's Episcopal Cathedral.

He was also organist of the Temple Emmanuel church in Denver for 30 years.

Houseley also directed a men’s chorus called the Apollo Club, played the organ at the Oakes Home (an old age home run by the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado), was on the faculties of the Denver Conservatory of Music and the University of Colorado, and was on the board of the Musical Society of Denver. Living in Colorado, He was a prolific composer: he wrote anthems, pieces for mixed chorus, arrangements for women's voices, men’s voices, songs, piano works, organ pieces, and six operas, including Native Silver and Juggler. Houseley started writing operas when he had moved to Colorado.

He died on 13 March 1925 in Denver, Colorado and his ashes were interred in the east wall of the choir at Saint John's Episcopal Cathedral.

Organist at Saint Matthew"s Church, Nottingham ???? - 1870 Organist at Saint Luke"s Church, Derby 1870 - 1882 Organist at Saint Thomas" Church, Nottingham 1882 - 1888 Assistant Organist of Saint John's Episcopal Cathedral, Denver 1888 - 1892 Organist of Saint John's Episcopal Cathedral, Denver 1892 - 1925 Organist of the Temple Emmanuel church in Denver 1895?-1925?.

Achievements

• Outside of church commitments, he was for 25 years music director at the Rocky Mountain and Colorado Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasons, director of the Denver Symphony Orchestra, and director of the Denver Choral Society, which won a $1,000 prize in a Denver competition in 1896, and first prize at the Saint Louis World’s Fair in 1904. He was a Founder of the American Guild of Organists.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Omar Khayyam: A Dramatic Cantata For Soli, Chorus And Orchestra From The Text Of Edward Fitzgerald...

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • Omar Khayyam: A Dramatic Cantata, For Soli, Chorus, And Orchestra (1917)

    (This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)

  • Omar Khayyam. A Dramatic Cantata for soli, chorus & orchestra, from the text of E. Fitzgerald