John Broderip facts for kids

John Broderip (1719–1770) was an English organist. An organist is someone who plays the pipe organ, often in a church or cathedral.

Life as an Organist

John Broderip was the son of William Broderip, who was also an organist at Wells Cathedral. His father passed away in 1726.

In 1740, John Broderip started his career as an organist in Minehead. Later that year, on December 2, 1740, he began working at Wells Cathedral. He was admitted as a "vicar choral" on a trial basis for one year. A vicar choral was a member of the church choir who also helped with other duties.

On April 1, 1741, John officially became the organist of Wells Cathedral. He had been filling in for the position after the previous organist, Mr. Evans, died. Later that year, on September 30, he was fully appointed as the organist and also became the master of the choristers. This meant he was in charge of teaching and leading the cathedral's choirboys. He earned £20 a year as organist and £7 a year as master of the choristers.

In December 1741, he became a permanent vicar choral. Towards the end of his life, in 1769, he was also appointed as a sub-treasurer for the cathedral. In his later years, John Broderip also served as the organist for the church in Shepton Mallett, Somerset.

His Musical Works

Between 1766 and 1771, John Broderip published a collection of his music. This collection was called Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. He dedicated this work to Lord Francis Seymour, who was the Dean of Wells at the time.

After John Broderip passed away, some more of his musical settings for the Psalms were included in a publication by Robert Broderip of Bristol.