Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Gutteridge, William (1798-1872)
GUTTERIDGE, WILLIAM (1798–1872), violinist, organist, and professor, was born at Chelmsford, Essex, in 1798, and lived when a child at Tenterden in Kent, where he had lessons on the violin from a dancing-master. Further musical instruction was obtained at Brussels, where he stayed during the events of 1815, and led the band of the theatre in the park. On his return to England about 1818, Gutteridge held a similar post at the Birmingham theatre, and somewhat later that of chorus-master at the Surrey. Gutteridge became a member of George IV's band (of seventy performers, mostly Germans, under Cramer) and afterwards of William IV's private band, and was occasional organist at the Royal Chapel of the Brighton Pavilion. Gutteridge's activity in Brighton, where he resided from about 1823 to 1872, was very great. He was organist of St. Peter's Church from its opening in 1828, and in the same year helped in the re-establishment of the Old Sacred Harmonic Society; he was afterwards conductor, then leader, of the newer society of that name. He opened for a short time a music warehouse in Castle Square, and was enterprising in introducing to Brighton audiences great performers, such as Paganini, Pasta, and Braham. Gutteridge's compositions are unimportant; they include services, anthems, ballads, &c.; but it is as a violinist and organist that he is remembered. His talent secured him the direct patronage of royalty. He took part in a quartet with George IV and the two princes, who afterwards became respectively king of the Belgians and king of Hanover; he accompanied Queen Victoria (September 1837) in a song from Costa's 'Malek Adel' (sung 'in a pure, unaffected, correct, and charming manner') on the old Pavilion organ; and counted the present Duke of Cambridge among his pupils. Gutteridge was also greatly respected for his excellent personal qualities, and his reminiscences of an active life added interest to his conversation. Not the least satisfactory of his adventures was his runaway marriage (from Margate to Gretna Green) with a lady who afterwards bore him nineteen children, seven of whom survived their parents. Gutteridge died at 55 London Road, Brighton, 23 Sept. 1872, and was buried in a vault in the old churchyard of St. Nicholas, Brighton.
Another William Gutteridge (fl. 1813), military music-master and bandmaster of the
62nd regiment, published in 1824 'The Art of playing Gutteridge's Clarinet.' [Brighton Herald and other papers of September and October 1872; Musical Directories; Harmonicon, 1832; Brit. Mus. Music Library; Dict. of Music, 1827, p. 310.]