# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Young, William (fl.1653)

Contains subarticle Anthony Young (fl. 1700–1720).
​YOUNG, WILLIAM (fl. 1653), musician, of unknown parentage and education, was a distinguished performer on the viol. He took service as a household musician with the Count of Innspruck. J. Rousseau, a Parisian violist, describing how the English had carried the art of playing and composing for the viols into other countries, names Walderan at the Saxon court, ‘Boudler’ (Henry Butler, mentioned by Wadsworth) at the Spanish court, ‘Preis’ (John Price) at Vienna, ‘Joung auprès du Comte d'Inspruk’ [cf. Brade, William, and Simpson, Thomas, fl. 1620)], as distinguished examples of these musical missionaries. Playford included an ‘Allmaine’ and sarabande by William Young among the lessons in tablature for the lyra-viol which constitute the first part of ‘A Musical Banquet,’ 1651; and reprinted them in ‘Recreations for the Lyra-Viol,’ 1652. The edition of 1661 contains a third piece by Young, an ‘Ayre;’ later editions only two. On the edition of 1669 is advertised ‘Fantasies for Viols of three parts,’ by William Young. Walther says that Young published a collection of sonatas for three, four, and five instruments, Innspruck, 1653, dedicated to the Archduke Ferdinand Charles. No copy of either collection is now known. Some of Young's pieces are among the manuscripts in the Music School, Oxford. Wood (Lives of English Musicians, Wood MSS. 19 D iv. in the Bodleian Library) says only that Young was a violist, and published ‘Fancies’ in 1669. In the sale catalogue of Thomas Britton [q. v.] Young's sonatas are mentioned (Hawkins, History of Music, c. 166); and in a catalogue of Henry Playford, 1691 (Bagford's cuttings, Harleian MSS. 5936), ‘Mr. Young's second set of select songs for five and six voices, 4to.’
Anthony Young (fl. 1700–1720), organist of St. Clement Danes, Strand, may have been related to William Young. He published a set of songs in 1707, and some suites for harpsichord or spinet. The composition of the national anthem was ascribed to Anthony Young by the Rev. Mr. Henslowe in 1849, with the assertion that Cecilia Arne [q. v.], Young's daughter, had received a pension from George III in recognition of the fact (Chappell, Popular Music of the Olden Time, p. 692). But Hawkins (History of Music, c. 170) says Mrs. Arne and Mrs. Lampe [see under Lampe, John Frederick] were daughters of Charles Young, organist of Allhallows, Barking; and though Burney (ib. iv. 663) calls their father Anthony Young, he states that he was organist of St. Catharine Cree by the Tower. Henslowe's pamphlet does not appear in the catalogues of the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries; and no other evidence has ever been discovered in support of his assertion. The oldest known version of the tune (Harmonia Anglicana, c. 1742) is inferior to the present version.
[Jean Rousseau's Traité de la Viole, Paris, 1687, p. 18; Walther's Musicalisches Lexicon, Leipzig, 1732, art. ‘Young;’ Davey's History of English Music, pp. 286, 352, 402; John Playford's and Anthony Young's publications in the British Museum, Royal College of Music, and Bodleian Libraries.]
H. D.