A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Flowers, George

FLOWERS, George French, Mus. Doc., son of Rev. Field Flowers, Rector of Partney, Lincolnshire, born at Boston 1811, studied music in Germany under C. H. Rinck and Schnyder von Wartensee, and was for some time organist of the English Chapel in Paris. Returning home he became organist of St. Mark's Church, Myddelton Square. In 1839 he graduated as Bachelor of Music at Oxford. For a period he was the music critic of the 'Literary Gazette.' In 1848 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Professorship of Music at Oxford, as he was in 1863 for that in Gresham College. In 1851 he established 'The British School of Vocalization' for teaching singing on new principles, and in the two years following gave concerts for the purpose of exhibiting the progress made by his pupils, the most notable of whom was Miss Featherstone, now Mrs. Howard Paul. In 1865 Flowers proceeded Doctor of Music. He wrote an 'Essay on the construction of Fugue, with an Introduction containing new Rules of Harmony,' and composed Fugues in the style of Sebastian Bach, and other organ music, and Tennyson's Ode on the death of the Duke of Wellington, and other vocal pieces. He was also a copious contributor to the musical periodicals. He died of cholera, June 14, 1873.

[ W. H. H. ]