Edward Taylor

Edward Taylor (1784–1863) was an English singer, writer on music, and Gresham Professor of Music from 1837. Life The son of John and Susannah Taylor, he was born at Norwich on 22 January 1784. From 1808 to 1815 Edward Taylor was in business at the corner of Rampant Horse Street, Norwich. He was Sheriff of Norwich in 1819. In 1825, he moved to London, and joined his brother Philip Taylor and his cousin John Martineau as civil engineers at York Place, City Road. Want of success in the business led him to enter music in 1827, when he was 43. His early musical education had been disconnected: he had taken lessons from John Christmas Beckwith, organist of Norwich Cathedral, and on the flute and oboe from William Fish. For the first anniversary Norwich musical festival of 1824, he had trained the chorus, the band, and singers, and made out the programme. His early successes were as singer. He sang at the festival of 1827, and conducted those of 1839 and 1842. For the festival of 1830 he translated Louis Spohr's Last Judgment, which was then performed for the first time in England. He was on good terms with Spohr, who was his guest at 3 Regent Square, King's Cross, in 1839 and 1847. He visited Spohr at Cassel in 1840. In addition to the Last Judgment, he translated Spohr's Crucifixion, or Calvary (1836), Fall of Babylon (1842), and Christian's Prayer, all of which were produced at Norwich Festivals.