Michael Maybrick (31 January 1841 - 26 August 1913) was an English composer and singer, best known under his pseudonym Stephen Adams as the composer of "The Holy City," one of the most popular religious songs in English.
Early life
Born at 8 Church Alley, Liverpool, the fourth of the seven sons of William Maybrick (1815–1853?), an engraver, and his wife, Susannah (1815?–1883?), both his grandfather and father served as parish clerk at St Peter's, Liverpool, and were minor composers. His uncle Michael Maybrick (1799–1846) was organist at St Peter's, wrote sacred music, and conducted the Liverpool Choral Society. Having become proficient on the piano by the age of eight, the young Maybrick studied the organ with W. T. Best and at the age of fifteen became organist of St Peter's; he also wrote anthems and had a work performed in London.
Musical career
In 1865 Maybrick went to Leipzig to study keyboard and harmony with Carl Reinecke, Ignaz Moscheles, and Louis Plaidy, but later decided to train as a baritone with Gaetano Nava in Milan. After gaining experience in Italian theatres, he appeared with great success in London on 25 February 1869 in Mendelssohn's Elijah. Further success came as Telramund in Wagner's Lohengrin led to appearances with Charlotte Sainton-Dolby, including her farewell concert on 6 June 1870, and to regular engagements at the English festivals and with the Carl Rosa Opera Company. He appeared as a baritone at all the leading concert venues in London and the provinces, as well as in English opera.[2][3]
By the early 1870s Maybrick was singing his own songs, beginning with 'A Warrior Bold’. Published under the pseudonym Stephen Adams and mostly with lyrics by Fred Weatherly, his songs achieved extraordinary popularity. His early sea song ‘Nancy Lee’ sold more than 100,000 copies in two years. Maybrick penned other sea songs including ‘The Tar's Farewell’, ‘They All Love Jack’, and ‘The Midshipmite’, sentimental songs such as ‘Your Dear Brown Eyes’, romanctic numbers like ‘The Children of the City’, and sacred songs like ‘The Blue Alsatian Mountains’, ‘The Star of Bethlehem’, and the well-loved ‘Holy City’. In 1884 he toured the United States performing his own songs. His friends spoke of his charming personality, but others thought him arrogant and vain.
Retirement
Maybrick was a keen amateur sportsman, being a cricketer, a yachtsman and a cyclist, and a Captain in the Artists Rifles. On 9 March 1893 he married his forty-year-old housekeeper, Laura Withers, and settled with her at Ryde on the Isle of Wight. They were joined there by the two children of his brother, James Maybrick, a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case, and whose wife Florence was the lead suspect and convicted of his suspicious murder in 1889 (A re-examination of her case resulted in her release in 1904). Maybrick became chairman of the Isle of Wight Hospital, was a magistrate and was five times mayor of Ryde. He was also a Freemason. He had been at Buxton for three weeks being treated for periodic gout when he died in his sleep of heart failure on 26 August 1913. He was buried four days later at Ryde. (Hide extended text) ... (Read all)
Source of the extract of the biography : Wikipedia
Interest : Skill level : You have the wrong composer
biography. Stephen Adams
was a pseudonym of Michael
Maybrick. Check wiki under
Michael Maybrick.
Jeff/Mississippi
Interest : Skill level : Level would be high
intermediate
just exactly the arrangement
and key I coud not locate but
remember most from my youth.
Perfect for piano and solo or
duet! Thanks!
Interest : Skill level : I was looking for sheet music
in two parts for women and
this is perfect. We have an
intrumental by Phil Coulter
that we can use as
accompaniment. We're a small
choir and have limited funds.
So grateful to have free
access.
Interest : Skill level : This beautiful song has been
an important part of our
family's Easter music since I
was a small child. My mother
would play as I sang or played
my flute with her. I will be
singing this in church in her
honor.
Comment posted the 2010-11-26, by Gbenga (visitor)
Interest : Skill level : I, too, want an easy
arrangement of "the Holy City"
by Stepham Adams, so that we
can sing it in church----or
that I can play it for an
offertory in our small church.
Comment posted the 2010-01-06, by ME CURTIS (visitor)
Interest : Skill level : need a simple arrangement for
The Holy City by Stephen Adams
to use in church. Not this one
which is about 12 pages long.
Help
Interest : Skill level : Very very nice old difficult
to get ahold of melody
although in the original
french and older sheet music
the third verse was eperated
out as it had a different tune
but great thanks for the
opportunity to compare notes
and practice.
Member account
Royaume-Uni
Adams, Stephen : Songs of Grace and Glory Volume 1 N ° 403 (choral)
Adams, Stephen : Songs of Grace and Glory Volume 1 N ° 403
Adams, Stephen : Holy City, The
