(b York, 3 Aug 1779; d York, 11 Dec 1837). English amateur musician, grandfather of Alan Gray. He was a central figure in the transformation of parish church music during the first half of the 19th century. He belonged to a prominent York family. A lawyer by profession, and an alderman of York, he was involved in many local issues, in politics (as a supporter of Pitt and Wilberforce), and in the evangelical party of the Church of England. He was gifted in literature, architecture, astronomy and music. From about 1810 he played the organ at the popular Sunday evening services at St Saviour's, York. He founded the Yorkshire Gazette in 1819 and wrote some of its musical articles. He was a prominent member of the York Musical Society from 1811, and in 1833 was elected the first president of the York Choral Society.
Gray believed that the old-fashioned metrical psalmody was inadequate as an expression of evangelical religion. He used his very considerable influence to introduce congregational chanting of the prose psalms, and hymns with uplifting texts and inspiring tunes. With his legal knowledge he was able to contest successfully the argument that the Old and New Versions were the only verses authorized for use in church. He added his own selection of hymns (York, 1817) to William Richardson's 1788 collection of metrical psalms in use in most churches of York and the neighbourhood, and promoted the use of new tune selections by two York organists, Matthew Camidge and Philip Knapton. To encourage the novel practice of congregational psalm chanting, he devised, with Camidge, a method of pointing the psalms which was introduced in the 1820s and was the first to be widely used. His pointing showed a much greater sensitivity to verbal accent than most of its Victorian successors.
Gray visited the Continent several times, and published Letters in which he reported on social, administrative and musical conditions. They contain useful and perceptive eyewitness accounts of the church music in various parts of northern Europe.
Letter in Christian Observer, xvii (1818), 152–9
Letters Written from the Continent during a Six Weeks' Tour in 1818 and Afterwards Published in the ‘York Chronicle’ (York, 1819)
An Inquiry into Historical Facts Relative to Parochial Psalmody (York, 1821)
Twenty-Four Chants, to which are Prefixed Remarks on Chanting (London and York, 1834)
J. Graham: Letter in The Harmonicon, x (1832), 55
Obituary, York Chronicle (20 Dec 1837)
J. Graham: A Sermon Preached in St Saviour's Church, York … on the Occasion of the Death of Jonathan Gray, Alderman (York, 1838)
J.W. Knowles: A List of York Musicians from Early Times to Present Day (MS, 1924, York City Library, Y927.8)
Mrs E.[A.] Gray: Papers and Diaries of a York Family, 1764–1839 (London, 1927)
N. Temperley: Jonathan Gray and Church Music in York, 1770–1840 (York, 1977)
N. Temperley: The Music of the English Parish Church (Cambridge, 1979/R)
NICHOLAS TEMPERLEY