MEADOW BANK

Composer: Henry Coward

Sir Henry (Harry) Coward DM United Kingdom 1849-1944. Born at Liverpool, England, the son of a pub owner and entertainer, he served an apprenticeship at Sheffield as a pen blade maker. He first learned music when a lodger at his home taught him the flute. Though uneducated, he became a teacher at Greaseborough School, and later a head teacher, earning his degrees at Oxford (DM in 1894). He married Mary Eliza Coward, and they had eight children. He conducted the Huddersfield choral society for 30 years and is credited with reviving the tonic-sol-fa method used with singers from the mills and factories who cound not read music. He conducted Whit Sunday sings in Sheffield, including a choir performance for Queen Victoria of 60,000 childr… Go to person page >