Thomas Attwood (1765-1838) became a chorister at the Chapel Royal at the age of nine. At the age of sixteen he was presented to the Prince of Wales (who later became George IV) who was impressed enough to send him on a course of study abroad in Naples and then in Vienna where he became a pupil of Mozart. Attwood enjoyed considerable royal patronage (his father had been a trumpeter in the King’s Band) and when he returned to England he became tutor to the Duchess of York and the Princess of Wales. In 1796 he was appointed organist of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Despite his modest attainments in the field of composition—which include thirty-two operas—Attwood will be remembered not just for his association with Mozart, but also for his friendship with Mendelssohn who dedicated his Three Preludes and Fugues for organ to him. Attwood was a founder member of the Philharmonic Society and became one of the first professors at the Royal Academy of Music on its foundation in 1823. By all accounts he was a charming fellow who had many friends; he did not set out to impress, and yet he had a subtle but profound influence upon the English music scene in the nineteenth century. The anthem Come, Holy Ghost has taken its place in the English church music repertoire. Its appeal is in its simplicity.

from notes by William McVicker © 1992