Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SMITH SMITH 487
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always clear and her ideas free from ecoentrieity
her sympathies were evidently with the classic
rather than with the romantic school.' G.
SMITH, Chakles, born in London in 1786,
was in 1796 admitted a chorister of the Chapel
Eoyal under Dr. Ayrton, but was withdrawn
from the choir in 1798 and became a pupil of
John Ashley. In 1 800 he sang at the Oratorios,
Ranelagh, etc. Upon the breaking of his voice
in 1803 he acted as deputy organist for Knyvett
and Stafford Smith at the Chapel Royal, and
soon afterwards became organist of Croydon
Church. In 1807 he was appointed organist
of Welbeck Chapel. He composed the music
for the following dramatic pieces : Yes or No,'
1809 ;
'
The Tourist Friend,' and Hit ' or Miss,'
1810 ; 'Anything New,' 1811 ; 'How to die
for Love
'
' ; Knapschou, or the Forest Fiend,'
Lyceum, 1830. In 1815 he appeared, with
success, at the Oratorios as a baritone singer.-
In the next year he settled in Liverpool, where
he resided for many years. He composed many
songs and ballads, the best of which is The
'
Battle of Hohenlinden. ' He published in 1844
a work called Ancient Psalmody,' consisting '
of
adaptations from music of Ravensoroft, Morley,
etc. He ultimately retii'ed to Crediton, Devon,
where he died Nov. 22, 1856. w. H. H.
SMITH, Edward Sydney, bom at Dorchester,
July 14, 1839, received his first musical
instruction from his parents, and at the age
of sixteen went to Leipzig, where he studied the
piano under Moscheles and Plaidy ; the violouT
cello under Grlitzmacher ; harmony and counterpoint
under Hauptmann, Eichter, and Papperitz
and composition under Rietz. He returned to
England in 1858, and in the following year he
settled in Loudon, where he long enjoyed considerable
reputation as a teacher. His compositions,
which are confined to PF. pieces,
were extremely popular with the numerous class
of performers whose tastes are satisfied by a
maximum of brilliance combined with a minimum
of difficulty. The most successful of
his many pieces were La Harpe Eolienne,
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Le Jet d'Eau,' 'The Spinning Wheel,' and a
'
Tarantella ' in E minor, whioli (like most of
his compositions) have been published, and met
with the same popularity on the Continent as in
England. Hedied inLondon, March 3, 1889, and
was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, w. b. s.
SMITH, FATHER, the usual appellation of
Bernard Schmidt, a celebrated organ-builder,
bom in Germany about 1630, who came to
England in 1660 with two nephews, Gerard and
Bernard, his assistants. To distinguish him
from these and express the reverence due to his
abilities, he was called Father Smith. His first
organ in this country was that of the Royal
Chapel at Whitehall, which Pepys mentions in
his Diary as having heard on July 8, 1660.
Subsequently he built one for Westminster
Abbey, one for St. Giles's4n-the-Fields (1671),
and one for St. Margaret's, Westminster (1675),
of which in the following year he was elected
organist at a salary of £20 a year. He was
now rapidly acquiring fame and was appointed
Organ-maker in ordinary to the King, apartments
in Whitehall being allotted to him, called
in the old plan 'The Organ -builder's Workhouse.
'
In 1682 the treasurers of the societies of the
Temple had some conversation with Smith respecting
the erection of an organ in their church.
Subsequently Renatus Harris, who had warm
supporters amongst the Benchers of the Inner
Temple, was introduced to their notice. It was
ultimately agreed that each artist should set up
an organ in the church, and in 1684 both
instruments were ready for competition. In
1685 the Benchers of the Middle Temple made
choice of Smith's organ [which was played by
Henry Purcell] ; but those of the Inner Temple
dissented, and it was not until 1688 that Smith
received payment for his instrument, namely,
£1000.
In 1683 he contracted for the organ of Durham
Cathedral. In consequence of the reputation
he had acquired by these instruments, he was
made choice of to build an organ for St. Paul's
Cathedral, then in course of erection. This
instrument was opened on Dec. 2, 1697. Smith
became Court organ-builder to Queen Anne, and
died 1708. [His portrait is in the Music School
Collection at Oxford.]
According to Hawkins and Burney the two
nephews of Schmidt, as above mentioned, were
named Bernard and Gerard. But Horace
Walpole alters Bernard's name to Christian.
These two are very little known, although they
built several fine instruments.
In 1755a Mr. Gerard Smith was organ-repairer
to Chelsea Hospital. This was probably a grandnephew
of Father Smith, since from the date he
could hardly have been his nephew. v. de p.
SMITH, George Townshend, son of Edward
Woodley Smith (born May 23, 1775, chorister
of St. Paul's Cathedral, afterwards lay vicar of
St. George's Chapel, Windsor, from 1795 until
his death, June 17, 1849), was born in the
Horseshoe Cloisters, Windsor, Nov. 14, 1813.
He received his early musical education as a
chorister of St. George's, Windsor. On quitting
the choir he became a pupil of Highmore Skeats,
the Chapel organist, and afterwards came to
London and studied under Samuel Wesley. He
next obtained an appointment as organist at
Eastbourne, whence he removed to King's Lynn
on being chosen organist there. On Jan. 5,
1843, he was appointed organist of Hereford
Cathedral. As such he became, ex officio, conductor
of the Meeting of the Three Choh-s at
Hereford, besides discharging the duties of which
office he voluntarily undertook the laborious
office of honorary secretary to' the festival, and
by his untiring and energetic exertions, in the