From the Archives: William Frye Parker

William Frye Parker, 10 September 1855 – 20 February 1919 [Member 00466]

This month, we look at an album presented to the Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain by Frederick G. Lyon in 1874. Frederick Galliard Lyon (20 January 1818 – April 1887) was elected a Member on 2 June 1839 and was a Governor in the year he donated this volume.

The principal part of the volume lists all his concert career and travels and is likely constructed by him leafing through his lifetime of diaries. It provides an interesting shapshot of a working orchestral musician’s lifetime of performances and the amount of travel involved. 

Donated by the author’s daughter, Miss Ada Ann Parker (1884-1957), in 1952. 

Parker’s death was noted in the periodical The Musical News, an extract of which was included in his RSM Membership file.