Sir John Goss (27 December 1800 – 10 May 1880) was an English organist, composer and teacher.

He was born to a musical family and was a boy chorister of the Chapel Royal, London, and later a pupil of Thomas Attwood, organist of St Paul's Cathedral. After a brief period as a chorus member in an opera company he was appointed organist of a chapel in south London, later moving to more prestigious organ posts at St Luke's Church, Chelsea and finally St Paul's Cathedral, where he struggled to improve musical standards.

As a composer, he wrote little for the orchestra but was known for his vocal music, both religious and secular. Among his best-known compositions are his hymn tunes ‘Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven’ (1869) and ‘See, Amid the Winter's Snow’ (1871). The music critic of The Times described him as the last of the line of English composers who confined themselves almost entirely to ecclesiastical music.

From 1827 to 1874, he was a professor at the Royal Academy of Music, teaching harmony. He also taught at St Paul's. Among his pupils at the academy were Arthur Sullivan, Frederic Cowen and Frederick Bridge. His best-known pupil at St Paul's was John Stainer, who succeeded him as organist there.

He was knighted on his retirement, and, together with Sullivan, he received an honorary doctorate in music at the University of Cambridge in 1876.

A memorial was erected in his honour in St Paul's in 1886. A century after his death the Fareham Society added a blue plaque to his former home.

‘Praise My Soul the King of Heaven’ was the opening hymn at the funeral service of US President George H. W. Bush. It was also used in 1947 during the royal wedding of H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was also used as the opening hymn at the 2018 funeral of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

‘Praise My Soul the King of Heaven’ is featured on this week’s show, with a brass band arrangement by Dutch composer and arranger Jacob de Haan.