John William Glover facts for kids

John William Glover (born June 19, 1815 – died December 19, 1899) was a talented Irish musician. He was a composer, conductor, organist, violinist, and teacher. He played a big role in classical music in Dublin during the mid-1800s.

A Musical Life in Dublin

John William Glover was born in Dublin, Ireland. He started his music career very young, becoming an orchestral violinist by 1830. In 1848, he became the organist at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. He also taught music at the Central Model Schools.

Glover was a skilled conductor of choirs. In 1851, he started the Choral Institute of Dublin. He also organized special "National Concerts" in 1853 to honor the poet Thomas Moore. Later, he helped organize and conduct large music shows for the 100-year celebrations of Daniel O'Connell in 1875 and Thomas Moore in 1879.

Glover as a Composer

Glover was one of the few Irish composers who helped classical music grow in Dublin in the mid-1800s. He was friends with famous composers like Michael William Balfe and William Vincent Wallace. Like them, he was interested in writing operas.

His most important opera was The Deserted Village. It had three acts and was based on a novel by Oliver Goldsmith. It was performed in Dublin in 1880. People said Glover's music was direct and good at matching words. He sometimes used traditional Irish music in his works.

Other big pieces he wrote include the oratorio St Patrick at Tara (1875). This was for the O'Connell Centenary. He also wrote the cantata One Hundred Years Ago (1879) for the Moore Centenary. He even wrote a violin concerto, but we don't know exactly when.

Expert in Irish Traditional Music

Glover was also very knowledgeable about Irish traditional music. He gave many talks on this topic in Dublin, London, and Paris. He helped publish one of the first collections of Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies with his own piano music in 1859. He also worked with Patrick Weston Joyce, adding piano parts to Joyce's Ancient Irish Music in 1873.

John William Glover passed away in Dublin. His grandson, Jimmy Glover, also became famous in music. He was the director of music at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane from 1893 to 1920.

Selected Works

Stage Music

• St. Patrick at Tara (Dublin, 1875), a cantata (a piece for singers and instruments)
• One Hundred Years Ago. Ode to Thomas Moore (1879), another cantata
• The Deserted Village (1880), an opera in 3 acts

Sacred Music

• First Mass for Four Voices, for voices and organ (around 1860)
• Ave Maria (Duetto-coro) (1864)
• Sixth Mass for Four Voices (1872)

Piano Music

• Brilliant Fantasia on Airs from Donizetti's Opera Don Pasquale (1860)
• A Planxtae, an Irish dance tune (1870)
• The Cruiskeen Lawn, a descriptive fantasia (1870)

Organ Music

• Professor Glover's Organ Book (1870)
• Voluntaries for the Organ (1892)

Songs

• Old Erin's Lovely Girls (1864)
• The Heart that Loves Me Dearest (1864)

Folk-Song Arrangements

• Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies (1859)
• Ancient Irish Music, collected by Patrick Weston Joyce (1873)