a small person, with a great opinion of himself and a harsh voice. 2 vols of his works were published, Leipzig, 1821.
[ G. ]
KING, Charles, Mus. Bac., born at Bury St. Edmunds in 1687, became a chorister of St. Paul's under Dr. Blow and Jeremiah Clark. He was next a supernumerary singer in the choir at the small annual stipend of £14. On July 12, 1707, he graduated as Mus. Bac. at Oxford. On the death of Clark, whose sister he had married, he was appointed almoner and master of the choristers of St. Paul's. In 1708 he became also organist of St. Benet Fink, Royal Exchange. On Oct. 31, 1730, he was admitted a vicar choral of St. Paul's. King composed several services and anthems, some of which are printed in Arnold's 'Cathedral Music,' and others in Page's 'Harmonia Sacra'; and there are some in the Tudway Collection (Harl. MSS. 7341 and 7342). Although his compositions evince no originality they are vocal and not without spirit, they long continued in frequent use in choirs, and some of them, particularly his services in F and C, are still performed. They have justified the joke of Dr. Greene, that King was a serviceable man. Six of them in all are published by Novello, besides five anthems. Hawkins intimates that his inferiority was the result rather of indolence than want of ability. He died March 17, 1748.
[ W. H. H. ]
KING, Matthew Peter, born in 1773, studied composition under Charles Frederick Horn. His first productions were 'Three Sonatas for the Pianoforte,' 'Eight Songs and a Cantata,' and other Pianoforte Sonatas. In 1796 he published 'Thorough Bass made easy to every capacity,' and in 1800 'A General Treatise on Music,' etc., a work of repute, with 2nd edition 1809. Between 1804 and 1819 he composed several dramatic pieces, chiefly for the English Opera House, Lyceum. In 1817 his oratorio, 'The Intercession,' was produced at Covent Garden. One of the songs in it 'Must I leave thee, Paradise?' (known as 'Eve's Lamentation') became very popular, and long found a frequent place in programmes of sacred music. King was also the composer of several glees and of numerous pianoforte pieces. His dramatic pieces were 'Matrimony,' 1804; 'The Invisible Girl,' 1806; 'False Alarms' (with Brahain); 'One o'clock, or The Wood Demon' (with Kelly) [App. p.690 "1811"]; and 'Ella Rosenberg,' 1807; 'Up all night,' 1809; 'Plots' and 'Oh this Love,' 1810; 'The Americans' (with Braham), and 'Timour the Tartar,' 1811; and 'The Fisherman's Hut' (with Davy), 1819. He died in Jan. 1823.
His son, C. M. King, published in 1826 some songs which were favourably received.
[ W. H. H. ]
KING, Robert, Mus. Bac., was one of the band of music to William and Mary and Queen Anne. He graduated at Cambridge in 1696. He was the composer of many songs published in 'Choice Ayres, Songs and Dialogues,' 1684; 'Comes Amoris,' 1687–93; 'The Banquet of Musick,' 1688–92; 'The Gentleman's Journal,' 1692–94; and 'Thesaurus Musicus,' 1695–96. He composed the songs in Crowne's comedy, 'Sir Courtly Nice,' which were printed in 'The Theater of Music,' Book ii, 1685. In 1690 he set Shadwell's Ode on St. Cecilia's day, 'O Sacred Harmony.' In 1693 he set an Ode 'on the Rt. Hon. John Cecil, Earl of Exeter, his birthday, being the 21 of Sept.' commencing 'Once more 'tis born, the happy day,' the words by Peter Motteux. A collection of 24 songs by him entitled 'Songs for One, Two, and Three voices, composed to a Thorough Basse for ye Organ or Harpsicord,' engraven on copper, was published by the elder Walsh. The date of his death has not been ascertained. He was living in 1711.
[ W. H. H. ]
KING, William, born 1624, son of George King, organist of Winchester Cathedral, was admitted a clerk of Magdalen College, Oxford, Oct. 18, 1648. He graduated as B.A. June 5, 1649, and in 1650 was promoted to a chaplaincy at Magdalen College, which he held until Aug. 25, 1654, when he became a probationer-fellow of All Souls' College. On Dec. 10, 1664, he was appointed successor to Pickover as organist of New College. He composed a service in B♭ and some anthems, and in 1668 published at Oxford 'Poems of Mr. Cowley [The Mistress] and others, composed into Songs and Ayres, with a Thorough Basse to the Theorbo, Harpsicon, or Basse Violl.' He died Nov. 17, 1680.
[ W. H. H. ]
KING CHARLES THE SECOND, a comic opera in 2 acts; words adapted by Desmond Ryan from a comedy of Howard Payne's; music by G. A. Macfarren. Produced at the Princess's Theatre, Oct. 37, 1849. Payne's comedy had before been turned into a ballet-pantomime, 'Betty,' music by Ambroise Thomas, and produced at the Grand Opéra, Paris, July 10, 1846.
[ G. ]
KING'S BAND OF MUSIC, THE. The custom of the kings of England to retain as part of their household a band of musicians, more or less numerous, is very ancient. We learn that Edward IV. had 13 minstrels, 'whereof some be trompets, some with shalmes and smalle pypes.' Henry VIII.'s band in 1526 consisted of 15 trumpets, 3 lutes, 3 rebecks, 3 taborets, a harp, 2 viols, 10 sackbuts, a fife, and 4 drumslades. In 1530 his band was composed of 16 trumpets, 4 lutes, 3 rebecks, 3 taborets, a harp, 2 viols, 9 sackbuts, 2 drumslades, 3 minstrels, and a player on the virginals. Edward VI. in 1548 retained 8 minstrels, a player on the virginals, 2 lutes, a harper, a bagpiper, a drumslade, a rebeck, 7 viols, 4 sackbuts, a Welsh minstrel, and a flute player. Elizabeth's band in 1581 included trumpets, violins, flutes, and sackbuts, besides musicians whose instruments are not specified; and 6 years later it consisted of 16 trumpets, lutes, harps, a bagpipe, 9 minstrels, 2 rebecks, 6 sackbuts, 8 viols, and 3 players on the virginals. Charles I. in 1625 had in his pay 8 performers on the hautboys and sackbuts, 6 flutes, 6 recorders, 11
