Introduction

Biography

Thomas was the son of An­tho­ny Great­or­ex (or­gan­ist at what lat­er be­came Lei­ces­ter Ca­thed­ral), and fa­ther of Hen­ry Well­ing­ton Great­or­ex.

He stu­died with Ben­ja­min Cooke, or­gan­ist of West­min­ster Ab­bey, and was a pro­té­gé of the Earl of Sand­wich.

For four years he played the or­gan at Car­lisle Ca­thed­ral, then went to live and work in It­aly, where he became a friend of Charles Ed­ward Stu­art, or Bon­nie Prince Char­lie. When the pre­ten­der died in 1788, he left some of his mu­sic books to Great­or­ex, who re­turned to Lon­don the same year.

He was soon in much de­mand as a mu­sic teach­er, and suc­ceed­ed Jo­ah Bates as con­duct­or of the Con­certs of An­cient Mu­sic. He al­so di­rect­ed mu­sic fes­tiv­als at Birm­ing­ham, York and Der­by.

In 1819, he suc­ceed­ed George Eb­en­ezer Will­iams as or­gan­ist of West­min­ster Ab­bey.