John Andrew Stevenson facts for kids
Sir John Andrew Stevenson (born November 1761 – died 14 September 1833) was a famous Irish composer. He is best known for creating piano music for the Irish Melodies with the poet Thomas Moore. He received a special doctorate degree from the University of Dublin and was made a knight in 1802.
His Life Story
John Stevenson was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a Scottish coach builder and violinist. John's parents passed away when he was young. A kind man named Mr. Gibson, who made musical instruments, took him in.
Even though John was Irish (and at that time, only English boys were usually accepted), Mr. Gibson helped him become a choirboy at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin in 1771. There, he learned to play the piano from Richard Woodward and Samuel Murphy.
- In 1775, he started working at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
- He also worked at Christ Church Cathedral starting in 1781.
- In 1783, he became a "vicar choral" at St. Patrick's. This meant he was a singer in the choir who also helped with church services.
- He became a vicar choral at Christ Church Cathedral in 1800.
The University of Dublin gave him an honorary Doctor of Music degree in 1791. This was a special award for his musical talents. He also taught music to uilleann piper Edmund Keating Hyland in 1800.
John Stevenson was made a knight on 27 April 1803 by Philip Yorke, who was the leader of Ireland at the time. This is why he is called "Sir John." In 1814, he became the first organist and music director at the new Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle.
Sir John Stevenson passed away on 14 September 1833. A special monument was built for him in Christ Church Cathedral in 1843. In 1864, a beautiful stained glass window was placed in St. Patrick's Cathedral to honor him.
His Music
Sir John Stevenson wrote many different kinds of music. These included operas, songs, and arrangements of traditional tunes. He was made a knight partly because of his song You Ladies of our Lovely Isle. He was very famous for writing "glees," which are songs for several voices.
- In 1775, he won an award for his glee One Night When All the Village Slept.
- Other popular glees he wrote include "Alone on the Sun-Beaten Rock" and Buds of Roses.
- He also wrote a fun song called Come Buy my Cherries, also known as The Dublin Cries.
Stevenson wrote music for a play called Dead Alive in 1780. He also composed songs like Faithless Emma and Dearest Ellen. He wrote music for comic operas, including Love in a Blaze in 1799. One of his glees was even performed in Boston, USA, in 1815.
Sir John Stevenson is probably most famous for working with the poet Thomas Moore. They created the Irish Melodies (ten books published from 1808 to 1834). Stevenson wrote the piano music for Moore's poems. They also worked on The Sacred Melodies and National Airs. Even though they had some disagreements later on, Thomas Moore wrote a poem to remember Stevenson after he died.
By 1825, Stevenson had composed a lot of church music. This included many anthems and service settings. An anthem is a special song sung by a choir in church. His church music was popular in cathedrals in Ireland and England for many years.
