Maurice Greene

Composer and organist Maurice Greene was an important figure in London's musical life in the first part of the 18th century, and he and composer George Frederick Handel, slightly over ten years older, were friends. His works fall mostly into two categories: sacred works for the Anglican church and keyboard pieces. Both types are still heard today; his anthems are parts of many collections and are performed in major churches. He also composed an oratorio, Jephtha, that was recorded in 2025 by the Early Opera Company. Only basic facts about Greene's life and career have been uncovered. Greene was born in London on August 12, 1696. His father was a minister and a chaplain at the court's Chapel Royal. Greene showed musical talent and joined the choir at St. Paul's Cathedral as a choirboy. There, he came under the influence of composers Jeremiah Clarke and George King. He also studied the organ with Richard Brind, and after Brind's death, he ascended to the post of organist at St. Paul's. Another death, that of organist and composer William Croft in 1727, allowed Greene to become organist at the Chapel Royal, the chapel serving the religious needs of the king's household. In 1735, he was appointed Master of the King's Music by King George II. This post involved organizing music, not necessarily his own, for major events. He held that position for some 20 years despite worsening health. In his later years, he worked on an anthology called Cathedral Music, which continues to influence Anglican church music today; Greene's student and successor as Master of the King's Music, William Boyce, completed the volume after Greene's death in London on December 1, 1755. Greene wrote mostly sacred choral music and music for keyboard. Despite his status as an organist, little of his surviving keyboard music is for that instrument; most of his keyboard works are instructional works for harpsichord. His choral works were mostly large anthems for Anglican services; a group of them was published in 1743 in a collection. These are still performed in Anglican churches. Greene also wrote two operas, Florimel (1734) and Phoebe (1747); they remain little investigated. He also wrote oratorios, including The Song of Deborah and Barak (1732) and Jephtha (1737); these are of special interest, inasmuch as they were contemporary with Handel's earlier English-language oratorios. Some 60 of Greene's works were available on recordings as of the mid-2020s, including a new recording of Jephtha that appeared in 2025 on the Chaconne label. ~ James Manheim, Rovi