Introduction

Biography

James was the son of Will­iam An­der­son, town trea­sur­er of the roy­al burgh of Crail, Fife­shire.

A gra­du­ate of Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty (MusB 1878), James be­came a Fel­low of the Roy­al Col­lege of Or­gan­ists in 1878.

In Ed­in­burgh, he served as or­gan­ist and choir mas­ter at Ni­col­son Square Cha­pel (1872–77), Ab­bey Par­ish Church (1877–79), St. Tho­mas’ Epis­co­pal Cha­pel (1879), and St. An­drew’s Par­ish Church on George Street (1881).

He taught pi­ano at the Mo­ray House Train­ing Col­lege, and in­struct­ed in har­mo­ny and coun­ter­point at St. George’s Class­es in Ed­in­burgh.

He con­trib­ut­ed to ma­ny hymn­als, and rev­ised the har­mo­nies of the Black­burn Tune Book and The Pres­by­ter­ian Hym­nal for the Young.