John Weldon (musician)

John Weldon ( born January 19, 1676 in Chichester, † May 7, 1736 in London) was an English composer and organist.

Life

His musical career began as a chorister at Eton before he was taught by Henry Purcell personally. In 1694 he received an appointment as organist at New College, Oxford University. Through his talent as an organist and his first composition work ( the setting of Masquen ) he was soon on everyone's lips. In 1701 he went to London to the competition set to music by William Congreve's libretto The Judgement of Paris ( German: The Judgment of Paris ) to participate. Despite the not impartial competition committee, he managed to prevail finger thanks to its modern compositional style against opponents such as Daniel Purcell, the younger brother of Henry Purcell, John Eccles and Gottfried. In the same year he was appointed Gentleman of the Chapel Royal.

After its successful establishment as a composer in London, he settled there, from now on to write music for the theater. Until the 1960s it was believed that the music for The Tempest, could originate a work of Shakespeare, from the pen of Henry Purcell. Apparently, it was a commissioned work Weldon for the Drury Lane Theatre in 1712. In his personal style can be seen clearly influenced by Henry Purcell, but he is also influenced by Italian and "modern" French forms of composition, which were very popular at that time.

In the last years of his life he devoted himself almost exclusively to church music, including orders of the Chapel Royal, where he found employment as an organist under the direction of John Blow. 1715 he was appointed second composers William Croft. From 1714 he was organist at the two London churches of Saint Bride's in Fleet Street and Saint Martin in the Fields. On May 7, 1736 he died in London and was buried in Saint Paul 's Cathedral in Covent Garden.

Operas

• The Judgement of Paris (6 May 1701)
• Orpheus and Euridice (about 1701)
• Britain's Happines (1704)
• The Tempest ( 1712)

• Composer ( Baroque)
• Composer ( church music )
• Composer ( opera )
• Composer
• Born in 1676
• Died in 1736
• Man