Robert Birchall facts for kids
Robert Birchall (born around 1750 – died December 19, 1819) was an English businessman. He sold music, published musical works, and dealt in musical instruments. He played an important role in sharing music with the public during his time.
Robert Birchall's Life
Robert Birchall was born in London. Some experts first thought he was born around 1760. However, a document from 1772 shows he was about 22 years old then. This means he was likely born closer to 1750.
By 1771, he might have started training with William Randall. Randall was a printer and related to another famous printer, John Walsh. This training helped Birchall learn the music publishing business.
In 1783, Birchall started his own partnerships. First, he worked with "T. Beardmore" in a company called Beardmore & Birchall. Later that same year, he teamed up with Hugh Andrews. They published music under names like Birchall & Andrews. This partnership ended in May 1789. After that, Birchall continued his business alone from his shop on Bond Street.
Working with Famous Composers
Robert Birchall became well-known for working with famous composers. One of his most important partnerships was with Ludwig van Beethoven. This began in May 1805. Birchall published Beethoven's Violin Sonata in A major (Op. 47).
He also published the first English versions of several other Beethoven works. These included the piano version of Wellington's Victory (Op. 91) and the Violin Sonata in G Major (Op. 96). He also published the Piano Trio in B flat major (Op. 97). In 1815, Birchall bought the rights to publish these four pieces directly from Beethoven. This meant he had the official permission to print and sell them.
Birchall and Beethoven talked about other projects later on. However, these plans did not happen. This was partly because Beethoven asked for high fees. Also, Birchall's health started to decline.
Besides Beethoven, Birchall published music by other great composers. He printed works by George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1810, he released the first English edition of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. This important work was edited by Samuel Wesley and Charles Frederick Horn. Birchall also printed many other types of music. These included glees, which are songs for several voices, and country dance books. He also published Italian vocal music.
After Robert Birchall passed away in 1819, his employee Christopher Lonsdale took over the business. Birchall's work helped spread the music of his time to many people.
