John Milton (composer) facts for kids

John Milton (1562–1647) was an English composer who lived a long time ago. He was also the father of a very famous poet, also named John Milton. Most of the music he wrote was about religious topics. Besides being a musician, he worked with money and also wrote some poetry. He spent most of his life living in the big city of London.

Who Was John Milton?

Early in his life, John Milton decided to become a Protestant. Because of this, his own father, Richard Milton, sadly disowned him. Around 1583, John Milton moved to London. There, he started working as an apprentice scrivener. A scrivener was someone who wrote out documents, often for business. Milton often worked as a moneylender or a financial broker. This meant he helped people borrow or invest money.

He officially joined the Company of Scriveners on February 27, 1599. Soon after, he started his own family. He married Sara Jeffrey (who lived from about 1572 to 1637). They lived in Bread Street, London, with Sara's parents. Records show that John and Sara had six children. Only three of their children lived to be adults. These three were Anne, John Milton (who became the famous poet), and Christopher Milton. Christopher later became a judge and was even given a special honor called a knighthood.

A Talented Musician

Just like his famous son, John Milton also wrote poetry. We know of two poems he wrote: a sonnet and another poem for John Lane. However, neither of these poems were ever published. Milton's main creative passion was composing music. We know for sure that he wrote twenty musical pieces. All but one of these compositions had a religious theme.

Milton was successful in getting his music published. His works appeared in important collections like Thomas Morley's The Triumphs of Oriana (1601). His music was also in William Leighton's The Tears or Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soul (1612). Another place his music was published was in Thomas Ravenscroft's The Whole Book of Psalms (1621). Some of his other musical works were kept as handwritten copies. These were looked after by John Browne, who worked for the government, and Thomas Myriell, a close friend. In the summer of 1611, a special visitor came to London. This was Otto, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Milton wrote a song in four parts for him. The landgrave was so impressed that he gave Milton a gold medal!

Family Life and Success

John Milton's hard work and success made his family quite wealthy. They were rich enough to hire private teachers for their sons. These teachers taught them classical languages, like Latin and Greek. Later, the sons could go to school and even university. Because of this wealth, his oldest son, John Milton (the poet), never had to work. This meant the poet could spend all his time focusing on writing. John Milton also made sure his eldest son learned a lot about music.

Later Years

In 1631, John Milton and his family moved from Bread Street to Hammersmith. He lived there until he retired in 1636. After retiring, he moved with his wife to Horton, Buckinghamshire. Sadly, Sara, his wife, passed away soon after, on April 3, 1637. She was buried in the local church.

In 1641, Milton moved to Reading, Berkshire, to live with his youngest son. But after the Siege of Reading (a battle during a war), he moved back to London. He lived with his eldest son, the poet John Milton. After his son made up with his wife, the family moved to the Barbican area. John Milton stayed there until he died. He was buried on March 15, 1647, at St Giles Cripplegate church.