Jonathan Battishill facts for kids
.jpg)
Jonathan Battishill (born May 1738 – died December 10, 1801) was an English composer, a talented keyboard player, and a concert tenor singer. He started his career writing music for plays and shows. Later, he focused on being an organist and composer for the Church of England. He is known as one of the best English composers of church music from the 1700s. People still remember him today for his special seven-part anthem called Call to Remembrance. This piece is still sung by many church choirs.
Contents
Biography
Jonathan Battishill was born in London. When he was nine years old, he began singing as a choirboy at St. Paul's Cathedral. His first teacher there was the composer Charles King. After his voice changed, he studied the organ, how to compose music, and singing. His teacher was William Savage, who was in charge of the choirboys.
Battishill became a very skilled organist. He was especially good at playing music on the spot, without any sheet music. This skill is called extempore playing. His talent quickly got noticed. Soon, he was asked to help William Boyce at the Chapel Royal.
Early Career and Theatre Music
In the mid-1750s, Battishill started performing as a tenor singer in London concerts. One of his first shows was on March 16, 1756. He sang in a concert of Handel's Alexander's Feast. This concert took place at the Great Room on Dean Street.
That same year, he became the conductor and harpsichordist at the Covent Garden Theatre. While working there, he wrote songs and choruses for plays. He also created pantomime music for both Covent Garden and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. In 1758, he joined the Madrigal Society. In 1761, he became a member of the Royal Society of Musicians. He also belonged to the Noblemen and Gentlemen's Catch Club. In 1771, his song called Come bind my hair, ye wood nymphs fair won a gold medal from this club.
Organist and Later Life
In 1764, Battishill became the organist at St Clement Eastcheap. This church had recently joined with the parish at St Martin Orgar. Three years later, he also became the organist at Christ Church, Newgate Street. He worked at both churches until he passed away in 1801.
During this time, he sometimes gave organ concerts. He became well-known for playing Handel's keyboard music. He would also still sing in concerts now and then. He had an amazing memory. In one concert, he played and sang several songs from Samuel Arnold's oratorio The Prodigal Son. He did this all from memory, even though he had not heard the music in over 20 years.
From 1777 onwards, Battishill spent most of his time with his large book collection. He loved reading from a young age. Throughout his life, he collected between 6,000 and 7,000 books for his personal library. He was most interested in books about religion and works by famous classical writers. In 1801, Jonathan Battishill was buried at St Paul's Cathedral. He was laid to rest near the grave of William Boyce, just as he had wished.
Works
Most of Battishill's music was written between 1760 and 1775. This shows the many different jobs he had during that time. He started his career mainly writing music for the theatre. He composed music for plays and a pantomime called The Rites of Hecate. This pantomime first showed on December 26, 1763.
He also worked with Michael Arne, the son of Thomas Arne, to compose the music for a three-act opera called Almena. This opera premiered in 1764. The opera was not a big success in the theatre. However, critics at the time said it was because of problems with the story, not the music. Battishill also wrote several songs for London's pleasure gardens. His song Kate of Aberdeen is probably the most famous of these.
Church Music and Other Compositions
After becoming an organist in 1764, Battishill mainly composed church music. He also wrote glees, catches, madrigals, and part-songs. He wrote many Anglican chants, which are used for psalms and canticles. He also composed many hymns and anthems.
His anthems are thought to be his best work. They are admired for how beautifully different voices blend together. His anthems include O Lord, Look Down from Heaven and Call to Remembrance. The latter was even sung at his own funeral and is still performed in cathedrals today. Of his glees, I Loved Thee Beautiful and Kind is probably his most famous. His chants are also still used in churches.
