Vincent Novello facts for kids
Vincent Novello (born September 6, 1781 – died August 9, 1861) was an English musician and music publisher. He was born in London and was a talented organist, singer, conductor, and composer. However, he is most famous for bringing many important musical works, which are now very well known, to England. He also started a major music publishing company with his son.
Life of Vincent Novello
Vincent Novello was born in London. His father, Giuseppe Novello, was an Italian sweet maker who moved to London in 1771. As a boy, Vincent sang in the choir at the Sardinian Embassy Chapel. There, he learned to play the organ from Samuel Webbe.
From 1796 to 1822, Vincent became the organist at several important chapels, including the Sardinian, Spanish, and Portuguese Embassy chapels. Later, from 1840 to 1843, he was the organist at St Mary Moorfields church. He also gave private music lessons throughout his life. One of his most famous students was Edward Holmes, who became a well-known music writer.
Vincent was a founding member of several important music groups, like the Philharmonic Society. He often worked as a conductor and played music at the King's Theatre.
In 1808, Novello married Mary Sabilla Hehl. They lived in Soho, London, for many years. In 1849, they moved to Nice, France, because Mary was not well. Mary died there in 1854 from cholera. Vincent stayed in Nice and passed away in 1861, just before his 80th birthday.
Musical Achievements
Vincent Novello wrote many of his own musical pieces, especially sacred music for churches. One of his larger works was a cantata called Rosalba, which was first performed in 1834. He also wrote a cheerful song called Old May Morning, which won an award in 1832.
However, Vincent's biggest impact was helping to introduce many great classical music pieces to England. He brought works by famous composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Palestrina to a wider audience. Many of these pieces are now central to classical music.
Vincent and his wife Mary loved to host musical evenings at their home. Many famous writers, artists, and musicians came to these gatherings. Guests included writers like Charles Lamb, Leigh Hunt, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. Even the young composer Felix Mendelssohn and the famous singer Maria Malibran attended later on. These evenings were so special that Charles Lamb even wrote about them in one of his essays.
Music Publishing Business
Vincent Novello started his journey into publishing music in 1811. He created a collection of sacred music called Collection of Sacred Music. This marked the beginning of his music publishing company, Novello & Co.
After that, he published other important collections, such as Twelve Easy Masses in 1816 and The Evening Service in 1822. Between 1819 and 1824, Novello also published music by Haydn and Mozart. He made these vocal scores affordable and easy for singing groups to use for the first time.
His son, Joseph Alfred Novello (1810–1896), took over the business in 1829 when he was only 19. Alfred was a bass singer himself. He is credited with truly building the company and making music more affordable for everyone. He also changed the way music was sold, moving away from a system where people had to subscribe to get copies.
In 1861, Alfred's assistant, Henry Littleton, became a partner, and the company officially became Novello & Co. When Alfred retired in 1866, Henry Littleton became the sole owner. The company continued to grow and is still an important music publisher today.
The Novello Family
Vincent and his wife Mary had eleven children. Five of their daughters grew up to be adults, and four of them were very talented singers. Here are some of their notable children:
- Mary Victoria Cowden Clarke (1809–1898) was a writer and scholar. She edited The Musical Times for four years. She also created one of the first complete guides to all the words used in Shakespeare's plays.
- Joseph Alfred Novello (1810–1896) was a singer and music publisher. He founded The Musical Times magazine in 1844. He retired in 1866 and sold his share of Novello & Co.
- Cecilia Serle (1812-1890) was an actress and singer. She had early success on stage but retired in 1836 when she married Thomas James Serle, a playwright.
- Edward Petre Novello (1813-1836) showed great promise as a painter but sadly died young. He painted the family portrait you see here, The Novello Family, around 1830.
- Emma Aloysia Novello (1814–c. 1880) was also a painter.
- Clara Anastasia Novello (1818–1908) was a famous soprano singer. She was one of the best-known vocalists in opera and concerts from 1833 onwards. She married Count Gigliucci in 1843 but later returned to her singing career before retiring in 1860.
- Mary Sabilla Novello (1821–1904) was a singer, singing teacher, and translator.
