Philip Hayes

Who was Philip Hayes?

Philip Hayes was an English composer, organist, singer and conductor.

Hayes was born in Oxford. His early musical education was overseen by his father William Hayes. He was awarded the degree of B.Mus in 1763 for the masque Telemachus and received his doctorate in 1777. He sang at the Chapel Royal in London from 1767, but returned to Oxford in 1776 to take up the post of organist at New College and to assist his ailing father, whom he succeeded as professor of music in 1777. He also replaced him as organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, and the University Church, and added the post of organist at St John’s College in 1790. His professorial ‘lectures’ took the form of specially composed odes and oratorios which were performed in the Oxford Music School. In 1780 he was appointed conductor of the annual Festival of the Sons of the Clergy held at St Paul’s Cathedral, and in 1791 he presided over Haydn’s visit to Oxford. As a conductor, he was one of the first English musicians to use a roll of paper with which to beat time. But he was best known for his difficult personality and corpulence. His frequent trips to London in a post chaise did not go unnoticed by the Oxford wags who had little difficulty in punning a nickname from 'Phil Hayes' -- thus he was fondly known as 'Fill Chaise'. A cartoon of him, entitled simply '--- From Oxford', was etched by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg in 1790.