William Horsley: music master at Miss Black’s boarding‐school for young ladies, 1828–1840

Abstract

William Horsley (1775–1858) was active in London from the late 1790s. A founder member of the Philharmonic Society, Horsley was at the heart of the musical establishment, working as a composer, organist, commentator and teacher. His teaching career spanned over 50 years, during which time he took private pupils, trained choristers and organists and taught at many boarding‐schools for young ladies. In 1809 Miss Ann Black took up residence at 37 Kensington Square, where she opened a boarding‐school and engaged Horsley as music master in 1828. Her school prospectus and surviving correspondence offer an insight into the difficulty of sustaining a viable school business in a competitive market. Horsley’s papers shed light on the business dealings between masters and school proprietors, both depending on income from pupils to sustain them. Through his correspondence and published work we learn more of Horsley’s teaching method and of his working relationships with his pupils.