William Parsons (composer and musician) should not be confused with William Parsons (composer and copyist).
| Honorific Prefix: | Sir |
| William Parsons | |
| Nationality: | British |
| Occupation: | Music Composer |
Sir William Parsons (1745/6–1817) was an English composer and musician who was Master of the King's Musick under George III between 1786 and 1817.
Originally a chorister at Westminster Abbey as a pupil of Benjamin Cooke,[1] he developed a reputation as a fine tenor, but was passed over for another musician at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and thus went to Europe to seek employment.[2] Returning to England, he was an assistant director at the George Frideric Handel commemorations in Westminster Abbey and the Pantheon in 1784, and composed a number of anthems for royal usage.[2] He was an assistant director of the festival with many other prominent English composers at the time, such as Thomas Sanders Dupuis, Samuel Arnold, and his teacher, Benjamin Cooke.[1] He gained a doctorate in music at Oxford University in 1790. In his spare time, he acted as a magistrate for the jurisdiction near his house in Portman Square.[3]
He was knighted by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, John Jeffreys Pratt, second Earl Camden in 1795, thus becoming the first British musician honoured with a knighthood.[3] An unremarkable composer and musician, he gained the title more through tutoring the king's family and his contacts than any merit, being a friend of several members of the royal family and composers such as Joseph Haydn. Few of his compositions survive.[2]