William Gardiner (English composer)
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William Gardiner (15 March 1770, in Leicester – 16 November 1853) was an English composer who is best known for his hymns. He published two collections of his works: Sacred Melodies (1808) and Music and Friends (1838).[1] Gardiner's promotion of Ludwig van Beethoven led to the first performances of Beethoven's music in England in 1794.[2][3]
In his Music and Friends, Gardiner told the story of how the first work of Beethoven became known in Britain after arriving in a violin case of a priest fleeing the French Revolutionary army.[4]
