Born in Burton-upon-Trent, died in South Carolina

Greatorex, Henry Wellington (December 24, 1813–September 10, 1858) was born in Burton-upon-Trent in England. He was the son of Thomas Greatorex, an organist of Westminster Abbey and from whom Henry received his musical education. Henry was an organist at St. Mary-le-bone Church in London before going to the United States in 1839. He served in churches in New York City, Hartford, Conn., and Charleston, S.C. as an organist. He was married twice and had several children. His second wife was Eliza Pratt (1819–1897), an artist who acquired a reputation through her pen-and-ink sketches. Greatorex died in Charleston of yellow fever, and is buried at Saint Philips Episcopal Church Cemetery, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina. The tune Manoah first appeared in Henry W. Greatorex’s Collection of Church Music, published in 1851, which included 37 of his tunes and arrangements. In the Bible, Manoah is the father of Samson, and is probably the source of the title.It is often disputed whether the tune Manoah is derived from a theme Gioacchino A. Rossini or Francis Joseph Haydn. The Sacred Harp, Fourth Edition, includes the note “From Rossini”. Other tunes by Greatorex include Bemerton, Grostete, Leighton, and Seymour.

487a    Manoah