The Barnby Boys

 

 

The name of ‘Mr Barnby’ was a well-known one in Victorian cathedral and concert music, due to the activities of one family: five brothers.

Joseph Barnby

 

The five were the sons of Thomas Barnby (b York 29 January 1792; d Chapterhouse Street, York 23 October 1860) and his wife Barbara née Robinson (b York 3 July 1791; d York 13 May 1856) who were married in that city on 9 October 1814.  Six sons and three daughters, born over a period of twenty years, survived to adulthood.

 

The Dictionary of National Biography (for one son has earned his place therein), tells us that Thomas was an organist. Well, he may have been a musician for pleasure, as was the widespread custom of the times, but music was not his profession. The 1841 census confirms that he was a ‘shoemaker’, and the 1851 document confirms, more loftily, that he was a ‘boot and shoe manufacturer’. At his death, it was reported that he was ‘much respected’ in the city, so he possibly ended up a man of some substance.

 

He clearly had some interest and connection with music, however, for five of his sons in turn were sent to Matthew Camidge, the organist of York Minster, for musical education at a young age, and all five became, in their turn, boy choristers at the Cathedral.

 

The first son, William, (b Girdler Gate, York, x 29 December 1816; d St Mary’s House, York 24 February 1895) was to make his whole career in York. After his stint as ‘Master Barnby’, he became a counter tenor chorister at the Minster. Over the years, he was also organist at St Crux, music master at St Peter’s School, connected with St Olave’s Church in various capacities and, most notably, music master at the Yorkshire School from the Blind. The School was founded in 1835, and, in December of the year, teenaged William became its first music teacher, a position he held for the whole of his career. At his death, he was succeeded by his son, Louis Hague Barnby.

 

Robert BARNBY (b York, 28 October 1820; d 9 St George’s Square, London, 1 June 1875) followed his brother from the ranks of boys, to a place as a counter tenor at the Minster, and was active in local music making until February 1841, when he won an appointment to the choir of St Paul’s Cathedral. He went quickly into action as a public singer: on 24 May 1841, he was a tenor soloist in the concert of the Sacred Harmonic Society. Thereafter, he followed the career of a successful church musician in London, singing with glee parties and such groups as the Purcell Club and the Round, Catch and Glee Club, he appeared in the semi-chorus at the Norwich Festival on the occasion of the English premiere of Spohr’s Last Judgement, he sang in the concerts of Ancient Music for a number of years, and in supporting alto roles in oratorio. In 1845, he was appointed a lay vicar at Westminster Abbey, and in 1847 a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. In 1850, while appearing at the Gloucester Festival, he was called upon to sing the contralto music of an ailing Charlotte Dolby.

Robert Barnby

For the next quarter of a century Robert Barnby was seen regularly featured in part-music and choral situations: at the wedding of the Princess Royal, in Edward Land’s group at the Surrey Garden, at the Mansion House at many a banquet, for the Royal Society of Musicians, the Royal General Theatrical Fund and other ‘royal’ occasions, in line with his position at the Chapel Royal, St James’s. Shortly before his death, he could be seen appearing as counter-tenor with a group including Montem Smith, G T Carter, Horscroft/Hilton and William Winn, at the Albert Hall and the Crystal Palace.

 

Third son Thomas (1822-1894) preferred initially to follow his father into the boot and shoe business, but ended up a baker and grocer in Berkshire, but fourth son Henry BARNBY (b Swinegate, York 14 September 1826; d Slough 2 April 1885) put things back on a musical footing.

Henry performed as a soloist as a boy, and featured, from 1839, in the concerts of the York Choral Society as well as at the Cathedral. As an adult, he bucked the family’s falsetto trend and became a bass, leaving York Minster for, successively, Carlisle Cathedral, Armagh Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and ultimately for St George’s Chapel Windsor, where he would remain for twenty-eight years. 

During the 1850s, Henry performed with the Sacred Harmonic Society, the London Sacred Harmonic Society, at the oratorios at St Martin’s Hall, seconding such as Lewis Thomas, Weiss, Santley and Belletti in St Paul, Elijah, Israel in Egypt etc . He took part in the 1852 (‘a voice of good quality .. correct’) and 1855 Hereford Festivals, and the 1861 Choral Festival at Westminster Abbey, but in the 1860s performed largely his duties in chapel and concert in Windsor and Eton.

Henry married (9 December 1853) Charlotte [Icely] WARMAN (b Lower Road, Deptford 14 June 1835; d Windsor ?30 July 1877), a young vocalist, ‘pupil of George Smart’. As Mrs Henry Barnby, she would come into her own in the 1860s, singing in concert with the Barnby family, the principal soprano music (with her husband in the title-role) in Elijah, oratorio in Oxford, and even guesting at the prestigious Boosey Ballad concerts in London, before her early death.

 

While the other Barnby brothers stayed in Britain, and mostly found long-secure jobs within the musical (or grocery) establishment, Frederick BARNBY (b York, 26 September 1828; d Montreal, Canada, 30 September 1865) had a less steady life. Frederick started off as a Minster chorister and ‘pupil of Dr Camidge’, and shows up, from 1845, as organist, variously, at Pontefract Church, Lower Mitton Church in Stourport, Kirkgate Chapel in Bradford, Holywood Church, Belfast  -- and after an inglorious bankruptcy – in 1858 he was appointed to St Paul’s, Birmingham. Once again, he did not stay long. In June 1859, he quit wife and family and sailed for Canada, where he was engaged at the Protestant Cathedral, Montreal. Like everyone else, Canada liked him (‘the first church organist in Canada … his taste and skill are unequalled in this country’) or his talents, but not for very long. Frederick died in Canada, aged 38.

 

James BARNBY (b York 29 April 1832; d West Coker, Yeovil, December 1916) became a lay vicar at Hereford Cathedral, before taking on a similar post at St Paul’s Cathedral, where he remained as a vicar choral and, latterly, dean. His son Sidney Percy BARNBY(b Hereford 1854; d 9 Stracey Road, Harlesden, 31 October 1907) carried on the family tradition, spending thirty-three years with the St Paul’s choir as an alto.

Joseph Barnby

The last son of Thomas and Barbara’s family was the one that earned the family its place in the reference books. Joseph BARNBY (b York 12 August 1838; d 20 St George’s Square, London 28 January 1896) won his laurels not as a vocalist, but as a conductor and composer. He instituted a choral association in 1867, and held an important place in the oratorio concert-world of London when, for some seasons, he led the Royal Albert Hall oratorio concerts. He ended his career as principal of the Guildhall School of Music. He was knighted for his well-recorded musical deeds (which I, thus, have no need to record), a few years before his death.