Nathaniel Giles

Who was Nathaniel Giles?

Nathaniel Giles was an English Renaissance organist and composer. He was the organist for Worcester Cathedral and wrote Anglican anthems. While Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal he took over Blackfriars Theatre in a business arrangement with producer Henry Evans and there he worked with Ben Jonson on a children's company. He was also a master of the Choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle and an organist at Westminster Abbey.

His Te Deum has instructions for the organist to play an octave lower than written, and one assumes this is to give the 'dark' sonority of a 10 ft organ stop rather than the everyday colour of the standard 5 ft Principal stop of the Tudor organ.

His son, Nathaniel Giles became a Canon of Windsor.