Alexander J. Ellis
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Alexander John Ellis FRS |
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| Born |
14 June 1814 Hoxton, Middlesex , England |
| Died | 28 October 1890 (aged 76) Kensington, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Shrewsbury School, Eton College |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | mathematician and philologist |
Alexander John Ellis, FRS (14 June 1814 – 28 October 1890) was an English mathematician and philologist, who also influenced the field of musicology. He changed his name from his father's name Sharpe to his mother's maiden name Ellis in 1825, as a condition of receiving significant financial support from a relative on his mother's side. He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, London.
He was born Alexander John Sharpe in Hoxton, Middlesex to a wealthy family. His father James Birch Sharpe was a notable artist and physician, who was later appointed Esquire of Windlesham. His mother Ann Ellis was from a noble background, but it is not known how her family made its fortune. Alexander's brother James Birch Sharpe junior, died at the Battle of Inkerman, during the Crimean War. His other brother William Henry Sharpe served with the Lancashire Fusiliers after moving north with his family to Cumberland, due to military work.
Alexander was educated at Shrewsbury School, Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1837). Initially trained in mathematics and the classics, he became a well-known phonetician of his time and wrote the article on phonetics for Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1887. Through his work in phonetics, he also became interested in vocal pitch and by extension, in musical pitch as well as speech and song.
Ellis is noted for translating and extensively annotating Hermann von Helmholtz's On the Sensations of Tone. The second edition of this translation, published in 1885, contains an appendix which summarises Ellis' own work on related matters.
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