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W. H. Jude

British composer (1851-1922)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 13, 2026
Entity authorityQ5893512
Source-derived summary

William Herbert Jude (1851– 8 August 1922), usually credited as W.H. Jude, was an English composer and organist. Born in Westleton, Suffolk, in September 1851, his parents later moved to Norfolk. He was a precocious child, and attended Wisbech Grammar School where records note that by the age of eight he was composing incidental music for school plays. He later attended Liverpool Organ School and Liverpool College of Music, also becoming college principal for a while.

By 1881, Jude was listed in the census as living at 33 Oxford Street, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, with his wife Catherine. At this time, he was organist for the Blue Coat Hospital and Stretford Town Hall, near Manchester, as well as being a lecturer and teacher. As a recitalist, he was asked to "open" more than 1000 new organs across the UK, Ireland and Australia. He was frequently referred to as "the most brilliant organist of the day".

Christian texts and topics appear frequently in Jude's compositions. He was an admirer of the British evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, and published a collection of Gipsy Smith's Favourite Solos in 1903.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “W. H. Jude” as british composer (1851-1922). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1851, 1922, 1881, 1000—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Jude, British and composer can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as british composer (1851-1922). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5893512. The first chronological checks are 1851, 1922, 1881 and 1000.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “W. H. Jude”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow W. H. Jude primary sources, W. H. Jude archive and Jude research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “W. H. Jude”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from W. H. Jude” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.