Charles Henry Wilton facts for kids
Charles Henry Wilton (born 1761, died 1832) was a talented English musician. He was a violinist, a singer, a composer (someone who writes music), and a teacher. He taught both violin and piano.
About Charles Wilton
Charles Wilton was born in Gloucester, England, on June 15, 1761. He passed away in Southport, England, on August 15, 1832. You can find short stories about his life in music books like The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Gloucester is famous for the Three Choirs Festival, a big music event. When Charles was young, he studied the violin there. His teacher was a famous violinist named Felice Giardini. In the late 1770s, Charles and his teacher even performed together in London.
Charles continued his music studies in Italy. When he came back in 1784, he took over from Giardini as the main violinist (called the "leader") for the Three Choirs Festival orchestra. He also worked in London. For example, he led the orchestra for a show called Judith in 1785.
Later, Charles made his home in the north-west of England. He was a popular leader for orchestras in cities like Liverpool, Manchester, and York for many years. Around 1805, he lived in Brentford for a while. By 1812, it seems he stopped playing the violin professionally. Instead, he focused on teaching piano, especially in the Liverpool area.
His Music
Charles Wilton wrote many pieces of music. The British Library in London keeps many of his original music scores. Here are some of the types of music he wrote:
- Opus 1: Six Duets for violin and viola (a string instrument like a violin, but bigger).
- Opus 2: Six Duets for two violins.
- Opus 3: Six Solos for violin with a keyboard instrument (like a harpsichord).
- Opus 3d: Twelve easy Duets for two violins.
- Opus 5: Eighteen Lessons for piano or harpsichord.
- Opus 6: Three Duets for two violins that included Scottish folk tunes.
- Opus 9: Six Sonatas for piano.
- He also wrote a collection of short and simple pieces for the organ.
- A piece called Sonatina in C.
- Coolun, an Irish folk tune with variations for piano or harpsichord.
- 100 Psalm & Hymn Tunes with Chants (music for church songs).
He also wrote many other songs.
Music You Can Hear Today
Some of Charles Wilton's music has been recorded, so you can listen to it!
- Three of his six duets from Opus 2 have been recorded. They are played by three instruments instead of two, with an extra bass instrument added. You can find these recordings from a company called Forgotten Records.
- A setting of Psalm 12 (a church song) that he wrote is part of a collection by the Choir of King's College Cambridge.
- One of his Piano Sonatas is included in a popular music book series called Classics to Moderns. You can even find a free copy of the music score online. This piece is quite popular, and there are many videos of people playing it on YouTube! (, )
