Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Warren, Joseph
WARREN, JOSEPH (1804–1881), musician, was born in London on 20 March 1804. He first studied the violin, afterwards the pianoforte and organ under J. Stone. At an early age he conducted a society of amateurs, for whom he wrote two symphonies and many other vocal and instrumental pieces (Fétis, Biographie Universelle des Musiciens). In 1843 he was appointed organist of St. Mary's Roman catholic church, Chelsea; several masses and smaller works were composed for and performed at the services, but remain in manuscript. Some pianoforte pieces of Warren's were published. In 1840 he entered into relations with the firm of Cocks & Co., and edited or arranged a large quantity of music for them, including a collection of chants, thirty of Bach's choral-harmonisings (1842), a ‘Chorister's Handbook’ (1856), and very many arrangements for the pianoforte and the concertina. Warren also wrote a number of useful short treatises upon composition, orchestral writing, organ-playing, and madrigal-singing, and a method for the concertina which was very successful. He took an active part in the revival of early English music which distinguished the Oxford movement, and in November 1843 projected a new edition of Boyce's ‘Cathedral Music,’ which was published in 1849. As an antiquary Warren was far more accurate and trustworthy than Edward Francis Rimbault [q. v.]; and the two, once intimate friends, became estranged, and sneered in their prefaces at each other's publications. Late in life Warren fell into poverty; his valuable library, which included some of the most important early English manuscripts, was parted with piece by piece. Finally he became paralysed, and was saved from destitution by Mr. W. H. Cummings. He died at Bexley on 8 March 1881. Warren is remembered by his splendid edition of Boyce, which is far more valuable than the original; he added a complete organ accompaniment, and inserted extra services by Creyghton and Tomkins, movements from services by Blow, Child, and Aldrich, Parsons's ‘Burial Service’ from Low's ‘Short Directions for the performance of Cathedrall Service’ (1661), anthems by Gibbons, Byrd, Blow, Tallis, and Tomkins, with some chants, and the symphonies to the anthems by Pelham Humfrey and Blow. A life of Boyce and lives of the composers represented are prefixed; and the accuracy, discrimination, and taste shown in the editing have always been warmly praised by English and foreign critics. Warren, in conjunction with John Bishop of Cheltenham, also began in 1848 to issue a similar selection of Early Italian, German, and Flemish music for the catholic church, under the title of ‘Repertorium Musicæ Antiquæ,’ but only two parts appeared. They were equally good models of editing, as was also the collection of Hilton's ‘Fa-las’ (London, 1844, fol.), which Warren edited for the Musical Antiquarian Society.
[Grove's Dict. of Music and Musicians, iv. 383; Musical Times, February 1898; Warren's Works and prefaces to publications.]