Born just outside London, he was a pupil of Vincent Novello.
He spent his early career earning a living as a piano teacher.
Impressed with his skills as a writer on music, the owner of The Atlas hired him as a music critic where he remained for many years.
In 1849 he immigrated to the United States where he spent the last ten years of his life working as an editor and music critic.
His other works include The Life of Mozart (1845), Life of Purcell, for Novello's Sacred Music, and Analytical and Thematic Index of Mozart's Piano-works.