John Eliot Gardiner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir John Eliot Gardiner
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Gardiner in rehearsal, 2007
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| Born | 20 April 1943 Fontmell Magna, Dorset, England
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| Education | Bryanston School |
| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge King's College London |
| Occupation | Conductor of classical music |
| Years active | 1964–Present |
| Spouse(s) |
Elizabeth Wilcock
(m. 1981; div. 1997)Isabella de Sabata
(m. 2001; div. 2019) |
| Children | 3, including Francesca Gardiner |
| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | Alan Gardiner (grandfather) Margaret Gardiner (aunt) Martin Bernal (cousin) Howard Hodgkin (cousin) |
Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is a famous English conductor. He is especially known for performing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. One of his biggest projects was the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000. During this, he performed Bach's church songs (called cantatas) in churches across Europe and New York City. He did this with his Monteverdi Choir and recorded the performances right where they happened.
Contents
Life and Career
Early Musical Journey
John Eliot Gardiner was born in Fontmell Magna, a village in Dorset, England. His father was Rolf Gardiner. John's love for music started early, singing with his family and in a local church choir. As a child, he grew up with a famous painting of Johann Sebastian Bach. This painting was kept safe at his parents' home during World War II.
Gardiner taught himself music and also played the violin. He began learning to conduct when he was 15 years old. He went to Bryanston School and then studied history at King's College, Cambridge.
Founding Ensembles
While at Cambridge, Gardiner started his conducting career. He led a performance of Monteverdi's Vespers in 1964. This led to him creating the Monteverdi Choir. He made his first London conducting appearance with this choir in 1966.
After finishing his studies, Gardiner continued learning music in London and Paris. In 1968, he formed the Monteverdi Orchestra. Later, in 1977, this orchestra started using older, "period" instruments. Because of this, they changed their name to the English Baroque Soloists in 1978.
Gardiner also started conducting opera. His first opera was Mozart's The Magic Flute in 1969. In 1977, the English Baroque Soloists performed their first opera with him. This was Handel's Acis and Galatea, using period instruments.
Major Projects and Recordings
In 1989, the Monteverdi Choir celebrated its 25th anniversary. They went on a world tour, performing famous works like Handel's Israel in Egypt. In 1990, Gardiner formed another new orchestra called the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. This group plays music from the 19th century using instruments from that time.
From the 1990s onwards, Gardiner and his groups toured the world a lot.
- In 1993, the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique toured Europe. They performed a newly found work by Hector Berlioz called Messe solennelle.
- In 2000, Gardiner began his famous Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. For 52 weeks, he performed all of Bach's sacred cantatas in churches across Europe and the United States.
- In 2004, he toured France and Spain with the Monteverdi Choir. They performed ancient music from the Codex Calixtinus in churches along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
Gardiner has recorded over 250 albums. Many of these were released by major record labels. He also has his own label, Soli Deo Gloria, which features his recordings.
Conducting Styles and Orchestras
Gardiner is most famous for playing Baroque music. He uses period instruments with his Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists. However, he also conducts many other types of music. With the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, he performs Classical and Romantic music. This includes works by Berlioz and all of Beethoven's symphonies.
He has also been a guest conductor for many major orchestras around the world. These include the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2013, Gardiner wrote a book called Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven. From 2014 to 2019, he was the President of the Leipzig Bach Archive. During his time there, the Archive helped create the Bach 333 box set. This set includes all of Johann Sebastian Bach's recorded works.
In 2023, Gardiner conducted his Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists. They performed at Westminster Abbey before the Coronation of King Charles III.
Honours and Awards
Sir John Eliot Gardiner has received many awards and honours for his contributions to music:
- He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1990.
- He became an Honorary Fellow of King's College London and King's College, Cambridge.
- He was knighted in 1998, becoming Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
- He has won several Grammy Awards for his recordings.
- He received the Bach Medal in 2005.
- He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2005.
- He received the Bach Prize of the Royal Academy of Music in 2008.
- He was voted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame in 2012.
- He was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 2011, a high honour from France.
- He received several honorary doctorates from universities.
Personal Life
Family and Interests
John Eliot Gardiner is the son of Rolf Gardiner. His grandfather was the Egyptologist Alan Gardiner. His mother, Marabel Hodgkin, came from a well-known Quaker family. The artist Sir Howard Hodgkin was his cousin.
Gardiner was married to violinist Elizabeth Wilcock from 1981 to 1997. They have three daughters, including the writer Francesca Gardiner. He was later married to Isabella de Sabata from 2001 to 2019.
In his free time, Gardiner runs a farm called Springhead. It is near Fontmell Magna in Dorset. This farm was started by his great-uncle, the composer Henry Balfour Gardiner. His work on the farm has even earned him the nickname 'Uphill Gardiner'.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach, by Elias Gottlob Haussmann, which was in Gardiner's childhood home
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Gardiner in rehearsal, 2007
See also
In Spanish: John Eliot Gardiner para niños
- Soli Deo Gloria record label
