Voluntary for the Third Sunday after Easter on Ouseley's Anthem "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob"

Charles William Pearce (1856-1928) was born in Salisbury, and was a chorister at St. Martin's Church there. He was a pupil of W. S. Hoyte (All Saint's Church, Margaret St., London) and of the famous E. J. Hopkins (Temple Church, London), and received his doctorate from Cambridge in 1884.

He was organist of St. Clement's, Eastcheap, London. He was a professor of harmony, counterpoint and composition at Trinity College in London, and an active member of the Royal College of Organists. He later became Dean of Trinity College and Honorary Treasurer to the London Section of the Incorporated Guild of Church Musicians.

He was very active in the field of publishing as an editor, and worked closely with Charles Vincent.

"Voluntary for the Third Sunday after Easter on Ouseley's Anthem 'How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob'" is the first in the collection, "Hymn Voluntaries in the Church Year," published by Vincent in 1907.

The "Ouseley" referred to is Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley, 2nd Baronet (12 August 1825 – 6 April 1889) an English composer, organist, musicologist and priest.

Throughout his life, he experienced a social conflict between his aristocratic heritage and his interest in the performance of Anglican church music, an activity which was seen as beneath someone of his stature. In 1850 he took the degree of Mus.B. at the University of Oxford. He was Heather Professor of Music at Oxford from 1855 to 1889. In 1856 Ouseley both founded and endowed with his own funds St Michael's College on the outskirts of Tenbury Wells, a choir school intended to serve as a model for Anglican church music. He also became the school's first Warden. Ouseley died in Hereford, where he had been precentor at Hereford Cathedral since 1855. Probably his most notable student was Sir John Stainer.

It was a great loss that St. Michael's closed about 20 years ago, although the buildings are still in use.

The score & photos are attached.

Please see FIRST COMMENT for musical notes.