Biography
Gauntlett added thousands of widely sung hymn melodies to the existing body of musical writings. One of those melodies, the tune “Irby,” supplied the basis for the Christmas carol “Once in Royal David’s City” and remains embedded in it. At the age of ten his father installed him as organist in Buckinghamshire, yet barred lessons with Attwood in favor of legal studies that culminated in qualification as a solicitor in 1831. Throughout that period Gauntlett held the post of organist at St. Olave’s in Southwark while receiving instruction from Samuel Wesley. He also helped bring the C organ from the European mainland to England. Mendelssohn played several of Bach’s works on the organ at Christ Church in Newgate and later invited Gauntlett to take the organ bench for a performance of “Elijah.” Working alongside Allon, Gauntlett compiled the “Congregational Psalmist,” after which the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Music. His service as contributor and editor to numerous journals and periodicals revealed an encyclopedic grasp of subjects that stretched from music history to the principles of acoustics. The range of styles that interested him ran from Bach to Gregorian chant.