George Theophilus Miles FRCO was born in Pangbourne

Pangbourne

Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

 on 23 February 1913 and died in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

 on 26 March 1988. He was an English organist and Organ Teacher based in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

.

Education

He was educated at King's School, Canterbury and the Royal College of Music

Royal College of Music

The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...

.

He studied with Karl Straube

Karl Straube

Montgomery Rufus Karl/Carl Siegfried Straube was a German church musician , organist, and choral conductor, famous above all for championing the abundant organ music of Max Reger. He studied organ under Heinrich Reimann in Berlin from 1894 to 1897 and became a widely respected concert organist...

 at the Kirchenmusikalisches Institut in Leipzig

Leipzig

Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

.

Career

From the 1930s, through recitals and in particular broadcasts, he was virtually alone in representing the continental style of organ playing in Britain, especially in Bach.

He was consulted by Ralph Downes

Ralph Downes

Ralph William Downes CBE was an English organist, organ designer, teacher and music director, and was formerly Professor of Organ of the Royal College of Music....

 on the design of the new organ for the Royal Festival Hall

Royal Festival Hall

The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...

.

Soon after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 he became established as a devoted and respected teacher through his hundreds of pupils from Birmingham University and the Birmingham School of Music.

He was organist at St. Peter's Church, Harborne

St. Peter's Church, Harborne

-Background:There has been a church on the site since Saxon times and St Chad is even thought to have preached there. The base of an early preaching cross was found in the mid-1980s during work at the back of the church...

 from 1946 to 1988.

Personal life

He was the son of Canon Joseph Henry Miles (Curate of Castlerea

Castlerea

Castlerea is located in the west of County Roscommon, Ireland. It is the second largest town in the county with a population of 3,055 . Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea can mean Brindled Castle or King's Castle...

 1882 - 1883, Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland...

 1883 - 1896, Rector of Pangbourne

Pangbourne

Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...

 1896 - 1913, Curate of West Teignmouth

Teignmouth

Teignmouth is a town and civil parish in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon, situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign about 14 miles south of Exeter. It has a population of 14,413. In 1690, it was the last place in England to be invaded by a foreign power...

 1918 - 1919, Benenden

Benenden

Benenden is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald six miles to the west of Tenterden...

 1919-1922, Chaplain of Faversham Almshouses

Faversham Almshouses

-History:Almshouses for six widows were founded and endowed by Thomas Mendfield in 1614.In 1721 Thomas Napleton founded and endowed houses for six men....

 1922 - 1930) and Helen J Kolb. His half brother Harry Godfrey Massy-Miles

Harry Godfrey Massy-Miles

Captain Harry Godfrey Massy-Miles MC. LRCP. was an officer assigned to the Royal Army Medical Corps who was awarded the Military Cross for valour in the First World War.-Family:...

 died in the First World War.

He married Margarete Böhm.