William Thomas Best

William Thomas Best ( born August 13, 1826 in Carlisle, † May 10 1897 in Liverpool ) was an English organist.

The son of a solicitor had organ lessons with the organist of the cathedral of his native town, and then worked as an organist, inter alia, at the Pembroke Chapel, Liverpool ( 1840), in which Liverpool Philharmonic Society (1848 ) and in London in the Panopticon in Leicester Square and the Church of St. Martin-in -the-Fields ( 1854-55 ).

After his return to Liverpool he became famous with his weekly concerts as organist of St George's Hall, where he introduced a wide range of organ works by Bach to contemporary composers. In addition, he was the solo organist at the annual Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace, the great organ he dedicated in 1871. In 1890 he gave concerts in the Town Hall from Sydney / Australia. In 1894, he sat down for health reasons to rest.

Best's own works were published under the title Organ Pieces for Church Use. In his memory, a body set up by Conrad Dressler bust was placed on the organ of St George's Hall.