Page:Pen, pencil, baton and mask; biographical sketches (IA penpencilbatonma00blaciala).pdf/23

Rh found one at the exact sum as organist of St. Michael's, Queenhithe. I had not enjoyed that princely income more than three months before I was offered a new appointment with an additional 10l, at St. James the Less, which you can almost see from this window. I had never contemplated much success, but,' he adds softly, after a pause, 'in going through life I have been uniformly lucky.' After a period of ten months the first great opening came. The young musician was appointed organist and director of the choir at St. Andrew's, Wells Street, where he worked a complete reformation. Hitherto the music in churches had been of the antiquarian type, while its performance was often discreditable; indeed, Sir Joseph remembers on his first visit to St. Paul's Cathedral only two choirmen were present, both altos, and one of these was an old man who evidently thought himself one too many, as he sat down and took no part in the service. But another state of things was speedily brought about. Gathering around him good men, among whom was Edward Lloyd, who remained with him for four years, the new organist and director introduced Gounod's sacred music for the first time with orchestral instruments. Just about that time he received an offer from Messrs. Novello to act as their musical adviser, and these two events enabled him to begin the development of modern cathedral music, for which the world owes him a deep debt of gratitude. In a year or two, at the suggestion of the Novellos, and with their assistance, he organised the famous Barnby choir, and began a series of concerts every year at St. James's Hall. Sims Reeves, who had sung at some of them, pressed the idea of turning it into an oratorio choir, and so began that wonderful series of oratorio concerts that became known all over the country. In one evening alone Beethoven's ninth Choral Symphony and the great Mass in D' were given, and in the same series Sir Joseph Barnby resuscitated the 'Great Passion' of Bach, together with innumerable other works. As time