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Arthur Phillips

1605 – 1695

English organist and composer

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About Arthur Phillips

Lived 1605 – 1695 (aged 90). Arthur Phillips was an English organist and composer.

Arthur Phillips (1605 – 27 March 1695) was an English musician and composer. He was organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, and Heather Professor of Music at the University of Oxford. He converted to Catholicism and resigned his positions in 1656 to travel to France to become organist to Queen Henrietta Maria, widow of the executed King Charles I.

Life and career Arthur Phillips, from Winchester, Hampshire, was admitted to New College, Oxford, aged 17 in 1622. He was appointed organist of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1639 (following an appointment as organist of Bristol Cathedral the previous year) and gained his Bachelor of Music degree in 1640.

Phillips joined the Catholic Church and resigned from his Oxford positions in 1656. After the monarchy was restored in 1660, he returned to England to live in Harting, Sussex, where he owned some land; he died there on 27 March 1695.

Compositions Phillips wrote instrumental and vocal music. His surviving instrumental music, held in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, consists of some variations for keyboard, and some ensemble pieces.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Positions held
Heather Professor of Music

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Arthur Phillips's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Arthur Phillips?

English organist and composer

When was Arthur Phillips born?

Arthur Phillips was born on 17 January 1605 in Winchester.

When did Arthur Phillips die?

Arthur Phillips died on 17 January 1695.

What was Arthur Phillips's occupation?

Arthur Phillips was an organist and composer.

What nationality was Arthur Phillips?

Arthur Phillips was English.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Arthur Phillips

· Wikidata: Q18756600

· DBpedia: Arthur Phillips (musician)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Arthur Phillips. https://biography.guide/arthur-phillips/

MLA: "Arthur Phillips." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/arthur-phillips/.

Chicago: "Arthur Phillips." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/arthur-phillips/.

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