William Henry Gill (composer)

For other people named William Gill, see William Gill.

William Henry Gill (24 October 1839 – 27 June 1923) was a Manx musical scholar who wrote and composed the anthem of Isle of Man, "Arrane Ashoonagh Dy Vannin".^[2]

William Henry Gill
Born	24 October 1839 Marsala, Sicily
Died	27 June 1923 (aged 83) Angmering, Sussex, England[1]

Life and career

Gill was born at Marsala, Sicily to Manx parents, and he was educated at King William's College.^[3] He lived in London, England most of his life but remained interested in his roots. The anthem is a traditional Manx ballad. Gill's words were published as "Eaisht oo as Clash-tyn" ("Listen and Hear") in Manx National Songs in 1896. "The Manx Fisherman's Evening Hymn" and "Peel Castle."^[4] Gill also collected and arranged material in England, particularly that associated with Sussex.^[1]

Gill also published A Manx Wedding and Other Songs.^[5]

References

1. Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Vol. 1-, Volume 2. ABC-CLIO. p. 810.
2. Grove, George; Stanley Sadie (1980). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Macmillan Publishers, ISBN 978-0-333-23111-1
3. Telford, John (1934). The New Methodist Hymn-book Illustrated In History and Experience. The Epworth Press
4. Watson, J. R.; Timothy Dudley-Smith (2003) An Annotated Anthology of Hymns. Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-926583-1
5. Gill, William Henry (1900). A Manx Wedding and Other Songs. William H. Hooke