Thomas Wingham


Thomas Wingham was an English composer, known as a teacher and for his time at Brompton Oratory.

Life

Thomas Wingham was born in London on 5 January 1846 and became organist of St Michael's Mission Church, Southwark, London in 1856. In 1863 he began to study at Wylde's London Academy and was appointed organist of All Saints' Paddington, London in 1864. In 1867 he entered the Royal Academy of Music, London, studying under William Sterndale Bennett for theory and Harold Thomas for piano. Further appointments included a piano professorship at the Royal Academy in 1871, a professorship at the Guildhall School of Music, London, and musical director at the Oratory, Brompton, London, in 1882. He commissioned the Mass in G, Op.46 from Charles Villiers Stanford, who dedicated the score upon publication in 1892 to Wingham "in sincere regard", although the first performance did not take place until 26 May 1893 at the Brompton Oratory following Wingham's death: he died in London on 24 March 1893.
An early highlight of his career was the performance of his large-scale Mass Regina Coeli in Antwerp Cathedral in 1876. Reviewing the vocal score published by Novello, Ewer & Co. in 1878, The Musical Times judged it as
Several of Wingham's large-scale works were heard at the Crystal Palace, London. The first performance there of his Concert Overture No.4 led The Musical Times to describe Wingham as
Substantial orchestral scores by Wingham were programmed at the Brighton Festival in 1879 and the Leeds Festival in 1880: assessing the Concert Overture No.5, The Musical Times noted that
The same journal reported of Wingham's Concert Overture No.6 that
In 1885 Wingham secured a prestigious first performance of his Serenade in E flat under the auspices of the Philharmonic Society, London, a rendition again reviewed by The Musical Times which described him as
After his death, very little of Wingham's music was ever heard again, although Dan Godfrey later played the Symphony No.2 twice at Bournemouth.
An obituary by his friend Louis N. Parker was published in The Musical Times:
Following his death, the following letter appeared in The Musical Times:

Works

Opera

  • ''Nala and Damayanti''

    Orchestral

  • 1869 - Symphony No.1 in D minor
  • 1872 - Symphony No.2 in B flat
  • 1872 - Festal Overture, Concert Overture No.1 in C
  • 1873 - Symphony No. 3 in E minor
  • 1875 - Elegy on the death of Sterndale Bennett
  • 1875 - Eros, Concert Overture No.2
  • 1878 - Fair laughs the morn , Concert Overture No.4 in F
  • 1879 - Love took up the glass of time , Concert Overture No.5 in A
  • 1880 - Mors Janua Vitae, Concert Overture No.6 in D
  • 1883 - Symphony No.4
  • 1885 - How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank , Serenade in E flat
  • Symphony in D, Op.4

    Instrumental soloist and orchestra

  • 1875 - Andante and Allegro Capriccioso for piano and orchestra, Op.5
  • 1885 - Concert Capriccio in E minor for piano and orchestra

    Choral and vocal

  • 1873 - Symphony No.3 in E minor for chorus and orchestra
  • 1876 - Regina Coeli, mass in D for voices and orchestra, Op.14
  • 1877 - Concert Overture No.3 in D for voices, orchestra and organ
  • 1884 - Te Deum for voices, orchestra and organ
  • 1887 - Mass

    Chamber music

  • 1885 - Hommage à Gounod, serenade for cello with piano and organ obligati, Op.17
  • 1889 - String Quartet in G minor
  • String Quartet in B flat
  • Septet for piano, strings and wind

    Scores and manuscripts

Concert Overture No.1 and Symphony No.2 were published as piano duets by Lamborn Cock, London, together with a piano solo arrangement of the Elegy on the death of Sterndale Bennett. Novello, Ewer & Co., London, published the Serenade in E flat as a piano duet. Alfred Hays, London, published a reduction of the Concert Capriccio. Novello, Ewer & Co., London, issued vocal scores of the Mass Regina Coeli and the Te Deum.
The autograph full score of Concert Overture No.4, together with autograph orchestral parts of Symphony No.1, the Elegy on the death of Sterndale Bennett, Symphony in D, Op.4, the Andante and Allegro Capriccioso for piano and orchestra, Concert Overture No.4, Concert Overture No.6 and Concerto Overture No.1 / XX) are held by the Library of the Royal Academy of Music, London.