| Name |
Other Names |
Birthyear |
Deathyear |
Notes |
| Wesley-Smith, Martin |
|
1945 |
|
Australian composer who taught composition and electronic music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he founded and directed its Electronic Music Studio. He is a pioneer in Australia of audiovisual composition. |
| Wesley-Smith, Peter |
|
1945 |
|
Australian librettist who outside of scholarly publishing and editing has written lyrics and libretti (music by brother Martin Wesley-Smith) and also written poetry for children |
| Wesley, Charles |
|
1707 |
1788 |
English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Methodist founder John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley the Younger. He was father of musician Samuel Wesley and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Charles Wesley is mostly remembered for the over 6,000 hymns he wrote |
| Wesley, Garrett Colley |
Mornington, 1st Earl of; Viscount Wellesley |
1735 |
1781 |
Anglo-Irish politician and composer, best known today for fathering several distinguished British military commanders and politicians. As a composer he is remembered chiefly for glees such as "Here in cool grot" (lyrics by William Shenstone) and for a double Anglican chant. It was the future Duke of Wellington who, alone of his children, inherited something of his musical talent. |
| Wesley, Samuel Sebastian Jr. |
|
1810 |
1876 |
English organist and composer. Famous in his lifetime as one of his country's leading organists and choirmasters, he composed almost exclusively for the Church of England. His better-known anthems include Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace and Wash me throughly. |
| West, John Ebenezer |
|
1863 |
1929 |
London organist and composer. He received lessons from Frank Bridge, his uncle Ebenezer Prout and his father William West. He was a prolific composer and editor with nearly 500 published pieces to his name. He was a pioneer in the field of editing, especially choral and organ music from earlier centuries. |
| West, Stanley C. |
|
|
|
British songwriter of light music in early 20th Century |
| Westbrook, William Joseph |
|
1831 |
1894 |
Musician and editor |
| Westenburg, Richard |
|
1932 |
2008 |
American choral conductor. He notably founded the Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra in 1964, serving as its director until 2007. Westenburg also served on the faculties of several universities. He taught choral music and conducting |
| Westermann, Clayton |
|
|
|
Music editor and transcriber. Professor of music at Hunter College, City University of New York |
| Wethered, Henry |
|
|
|
Early 20th century lyricist |
| Wetzler, Robert |
|
1932 |
|
American organist for both Thiel College’s chapel and the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Greenville, Pennsylvania for about one year. Then, he was Chapel Organist for Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary for three years before he assumed the position there of Choirmaster. Robert held the Composer in Residence position at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and for each consecutive year since 1967, he has been honored to receive the composer Award from ASCAP. |
| Whalum, Wendell P. |
|
1931 |
1987 |
African American gospel musician, educator and minister. |
| Wheeler, Alfred |
|
1865 |
1949 |
English born composer. lyricist and an Anglican priest. He arrived in Australia in 1891. |
| Wheeler, Janet |
|
|
|
21st century British composer and conductor |
| Wheeler, John |
|
|
|
Wheeler was a staff writer at the ABC and author of some highly successful verse plays and penner of many songs. There is not much biographical information on Wheeler, but of the carols that he helped produce between 1948 and 1957, he is quoted as saying: ''Just as the carols of the old world owe so much to the local colour of the countries which produced them, so it was felt that the new land of Australia - where Christmas is celebrated in high summer - should have its own carols with their d |
| Whelan, Bill |
|
1950 |
|
Irish composer and musician |
| Whelan, Bill |
|
1950 |
|
Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, Riverdance, was a seven-minute display of traditional Irish dancing |
| Whitacre, Eric |
|
1970 |
|
American composer best known for his choral works |
| Whitbourn, James |
|
1963 |
|
British composer known on both sides of the Atlantic the greater part of whose compositional output is in vocal and choral music |
| White, Bergen |
|
1939 |
|
Bergen White is best known for a long and successful career as a Nashville arranger. He also recorded one of the Holy Grails of soft pop: 1970's lush, melancholy For Women Only |
| White, David |
|
1939 |
|
American singer and songwriter who wrote the Rock and Roll anthem, "Rock and Roll is Here to Stay" and co-wrote a number of other hit songs, including "At the Hop," "You Don't Own Me" |
| White, H. Temple |
Temple, Harold |
1881 |
1972 |
New Zealand music teacher, conductor, organist and composer. He was born in Laceby, Lincolnshire, England, in 1881, and resided in Wellington for much of his life. |
| White, J. N. |
White, Jack Noble |
1938 |
|
American composer and lyricist. In 1966 he joined the staff at St. Paul's Episcopal church Alabama as organist/choirmaster and minister of youth. He then became Headmaster of St. Paul's Episcopal Church school. He composed sacred music for choir and organ |
| White, Leonard J. |
|
1910 |
1973 |
English composer, organist and choirmaster who was for many years Deputy Head of St Andrew’s School, Willesdon Green. He lived with his sister, within walking distance of the church, which had a fine musical tradition, and was Choirmaster until his death in the 1970’s. |
| White, Maude Valerie |
|
1855 |
1937 |
French-born English composer who became one of the most successful songwriters (in the English serious genre) of the Victorian period. |
| White, Maurice |
|
|
|
Member of American musical group Earth, Wind and Fire |
| White, Phyllis Aleta Wolfe |
White, Phillis Aleta; Wolfe, Phyllis Aleta |
|
|
American composer and teacher on the staff of Oakland University since 1987 as a Special Lecturer in music theory and aesthetics |
| White, Raymond Wilding |
Ray Wilding-White |
1922 |
2001 |
English born composer of contemporary classical music and electronic music whom moved to USA in 1940. White composed over 100 works. He was influenced by the work of John Cage |
| White, Robert |
Whyte, Robert |
1535 |
1574 |
Catholic English composer whose liturgical music to Latin texts is considered particularly fine. His surviving works include a setting of verses from Lamentations, and instrumental music for viols. |