Cummings William Hayman, *22 August 1831 Sidbury (Devonshire), †6 June 1915 London, English singer (tenor), teacher, composer, organiser of musical life, writer and music antiquarian. Before 1838, he sang in the boys’ choir at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and subsequently at Temple Church, where he studied music under the organist E.J. Hopkins and where, in 1847, he took part in the London premiere of Mendelssohn’s Elijah conducted by the composer. That same year, he became organist at Waltham Abbey, subsequently performing as a singer at Temple Church, the Royal Chapel, and at numerous English festivals; he also undertook tours of the USA, including one in 1871. At the same time, as early as around 1850, he began compiling a collection of music documentation. Having retired from the stage around 1880, Cummings devoted himself to organisational and teaching work; between 1879 and 1896 he was a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music and other London music schools; from 1882 to 1885 he was choirmaster, and from 1885 to 1888 conductor of the Sacred Harmonic Society. Between 1896 and 1910 he was one of the directors of the Guildhall School of Music. He was also one of the founders of the Musical Association and the Purcell Society, demonstrating great organisational talent; the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Philharmonic Society and the Royal Society of Music also entrusted him with their affairs for many years. At the same time, from 1884, he was a member of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1900, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Trinity College, Dublin.
Between 1860 and 1880, Cummings was regarded as one of the finest English tenors; he gained particular renown for his performances of oratorios and cantatas (A.S. Sullivan dedicated the cantata Kenilworth to him). In later years, he was chiefly esteemed as the author of a series of monographs and treatises on the history of English music, covering musical life, the activities of musical institutions, and specific issues relating to the performance of early music. These works were based on source research, drawing on Cummings’s vast music library, which included, amongst other things, a number of valuable autographs (letters, manuscripts); this collection, comprising nearly 4,500 items, was dispersed shortly after the owner’s death. Cummings’s compositions (the cantata The Fairy Ring (1873), songs, glees, anthems and others) bear witness to his fascination with Mendelssohn’s music and are of marginal significance.
Literature: Mr William Hayman Cummings, “Musical Times” XXXIX, 1898; Catalogue of the Famous Musical Library… of the late William Hayman Cummings, London 1917; Catalogue of the William Hayman Cummings Collection in the Nanki Music Library, Tokio 1925, reprint 1977–78; A.H. King Some British Collectors of Music c. 1600–1690, Cambridge 1963.
The Rudiments of Music, London 1877
Purcell, London 1881, 2nd edition 1911
Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, London 1892, edition revised by W. McNaught titled Dictionary of Musicians, London 1934
God Save the King. The Origin and History of the Music and Words of the National Anthem, London 1902
Handel, London 1904
Dr Ame and “Rule Britannia”, London 1912
articles:
On the Formation of a National Musical Library, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” IV, 1877–78
Music Printing, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” XI, 1884–85
Some observations on Music in London in 1791 and 1891, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” XVII, 1890–91
The Art of Clavier Playing. Past and Present, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” XX, 1893–94
Music during the Queens Reign, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” XXIII, 1896–97
Organ Accompaniments in England in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” XXVI, 1899–1900
Dr John Blow, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” XXXV, 1908–09
Matthew Locke. Composer for the Church and Theatre, “International Musical Society Congress Report” IV, London 1909
The Lord Chamberlain and Opera in London 1700 to 1741, “Proceedings of the Musical Association” XL, 1913-14
Handel. The Duke of Chandos and the Harmonious Blacksmith, “Musical News” 1915
editions:
editions of H. Purcell’s works in The Works of Henry Purcell, London 1878–1965: The Yorkshire Feast Song, vol. 1, 1878; Dido and Aeneas, vol. 3, 1889; Duke of Gloucesters Birthday Ode, vol. 4, 1891.
