Sir John Goss (b. 1800, Fareham, Hampshire, England; d. 1880, London)

Sir John Goss was best known as a composer of English cathedral music and hymnody. Some authorities consider his anthems to be the finest examples of Victorian church music. Goss was elected a chorister of the Chapel Royal in 1811, where he studied with John Stafford Smith. When his voice changed in 1816, he began to study composition under Thomas Attwood [Atwood], organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Some of Goss’s early compositions—notably theater music and glees—were published before he was 25. They include his highly regarded five-part glee “Ossians Hymn to the Sun.” When Attwood died in 1838, Goss was appointed organist at St. Paul’s and began to write many anthems and hymn tunes for services at the cathedral. In part because he was a singer, Goss was particularly adept at writing for voices, and he had a flair for melody. Among his many anthems are “O Taste and See,” “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven,” “God So Loved the World,” and “O Saviour of the World.” He also wrote a number of Psalm settings, chants, and Christmas compositions.

In addition to performing and composing, Goss was Professor of Harmony at the Royal Academy of Music for 47 years. He received a Doctor of Music degree from Cambridge University in 1876. Soon after he resigned from his post as organist at St. Paul’s in 1872, he was knighted by Queen Victoria. He is buried at St. Paul’s Cathedral.