William Boyce

William Boyce (1711-1779) was England's most significant native-born composer in the eighteenth century, alongside Thomas Arne, though he was still strongly influenced by his older contemporary, Handel. Best remembered for his Eight Symphonies, Opus 2, Boyce can be seen as an early figure in the development of Classical symphonic form, but of less influence than his contemporaries on the European continent. Boyce also composed a large body of anthems and edited a collection of sacred music that is still used by the Anglican Church today, but most of his works fell into obscurity until they were rediscovered in the 1930s.