George Linley

Who was George Linley?

George Linley, was an English verse-writer and musical composer. The son of a tradesman, he was born at Leeds in 1798, and partly educated at Eastbury's Quaker school. Linley contributed verses to the local newspapers, and published some pamphlets before leaving Leeds in early life. After a residence in Doncaster and Edinburgh, he finally settled in London, where he made some reputation as the writer and composer of songs and ballads.

Linley wrote and composed several hundred songs between 1830 and 1865. Among his most fashionable and popular ballads, composed between 1830 and 1847,were, Thou art gone from my gaze, Song of the roving gipsey, Constance; and later, between 1852 and 1862, with a stronger vein of melody, Minnie, Old friends at home, and the Robert Burns poem, The Jolly Beggars. Linley wrote the English words to "God Bless the Prince of Wales", completed and performed in 1863. The opening lyrics are:

Linley's flowing style of composition was little suited to the stage, and his musical pieces produced at London theaters had small measure of success. The musical play, Franceses Doria, for which he wrote the songs and the music, was produced at the Princess's Theatre, London, on 3 March 1849, and published in the same year. The Toymakers, an operetta, was brought out at Covent Garden Theatre by the English Opera Company on 19 November 1861. Law versus Love, comedietta in one act, by him, was performed at the Princess's Theatre on 6 December 1862.