Henry Wylde - Youth

Youth

When aged thirteen young Henry was organist of Whitchurch, St Lawrence, Little Stanmore, near his parents' house at Stone Grove, Edgeware on the edge of the small park that 100 years earlier had held the mansion of Cannons. Cannnons was the short-lived house of James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, where Handel had been house composer 1717-1719. While Handel was at Cannons the ducal chapel was still being constructed, but Brydges had already rebuilt the local parish church, St Lawrence, Whitchurch, to his baroque taste. Here Handel's church music was performed, the Chandos Te Deum and the Chandos Anthems. At the east end of the church is the organ used by Handel, the organ case carved with cherubs and pea pods and attributed to Grinling Gibbons.

When a boy, Henry Wylde was educated privately and at Westminster School. He became a pupil of Ignaz Moscheles at the age of sixteen and studied under Cipriani Potter at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was later appointed Professor of Harmony.

From 1844 to 1846 he was organist at the Wren church, St Anne and St Agnes, in Gresham Street. He resigned in order to take up his teaching post at the Royal Academy of Music.

Wylde had previously been admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge and his degree of Doctor of Music was conferred on 4 April 1851.