John Weldon (musician) facts for kids

John Weldon's manuscript of "O be joyful". You can find it in the British Library.

John Weldon (born January 19, 1676 – died May 7, 1736) was an English composer. He wrote many different kinds of music, especially for the church.

Life of John Weldon

John Weldon was born in Chichester, a town in the south of England. He went to school at Eton College, where he sang in the choir. Later, he learned music from the famous composer Henry Purcell.

By 1694, Weldon became the organist at New College in Oxford. He became well-known in Oxford's music scene. He wrote music for plays called "masques" and also performed his duties as an organist.

Some people think Weldon wrote music for William Shakespeare's play The Tempest in 1695. However, others believe Henry Purcell wrote it.

Weldon later moved to London. In 1701, he joined a music competition. Composers had to write music for a story called The Judgement of Paris, written by Congreve.

Surprisingly, Weldon's music won the competition! He beat older and more famous composers like Daniel Purcell (Henry's younger brother), John Eccles, and Godfrey Finger. It was a big win for him. Some people thought the judges might not have been fair. But others said Weldon's music sounded more modern than the others.

In the same year he won the competition, Weldon became a "Gentleman of the Chapel Royal." This was a special group of musicians who performed for the King or Queen.

After becoming famous in London, Weldon kept writing music for plays. The music for The Tempest, which many thought was by Henry Purcell, was probably written by Weldon in 1712 for the Drury Lane Theatre. Weldon's music was influenced by Purcell. But it also had new Italian and French styles that were popular at the time.

Later in his life, John Weldon mostly worked for the Chapel Royal. He focused on writing church music. He took over from John Blow as the Chapel Royal organist. In 1715, he became the second composer under William Croft.

In 1716, six of his solo church songs, called anthems, were published. The collection was named Divine Harmony. These songs were said to be sung by a famous singer named Richard Elford.

Weldon also worked as an organist at two churches in London. These were St Bride's, Fleet Street (starting in 1702) and St Martin-in-the-Fields (starting in 1714).

John Weldon passed away when he was 60 years old, on May 7, 1736. He is buried in St. Paul's Church, Covent Garden, London.

Family of John Weldon

John Weldon's grandson, Samuel Thomas Champnes, also became a musician. He was a solo singer for the famous composer George Frideric Handel. Many of Weldon's later family members worked in the church. They often used "Weldon" as part of their name. Some of them even wrote music for hymns in Hymns Ancient and Modern.

John Weldon's Music

For a long time, people mostly knew John Weldon's music from a few published works. These included six anthems from Divine Harmony and two from Boyce's Cathedral Music.

His solo anthems are good, but some have small weaknesses. However, his anthem O God, thou hast cast us out is much more complex. It was included in Arnold's Cathedral Music. Another important anthem is Who can tell how oft he offendeth. In this song, Weldon combined the styles of Blow and Purcell with the harmony of Handel.

Weldon's best music is often found in his "verse anthems." These songs show many different feelings. He also developed new ways for groups of singers to perform together. His anthems that express joy and praise are especially strong. The parts for solo singers and groups in these anthems are very powerful. They require singers to be very skilled.

Here are some of his anthems, listed by when they were probably written:

Operas by John Weldon

Weldon also wrote music for operas and plays:

• The Judgement of Paris (May 6, 1701)
• Orpheus and Euridice (around 1701)
• Britain's Happines (1704)
• The Tempest (1712)

Other Roles and Positions