William Henry Kearns facts for kids

William Henry Kearns (born 1794 – died 28 December 1846) was a talented Irish musician. He was a violinist, a conductor (someone who leads an orchestra), and a composer (someone who writes music). He spent most of his career in England.

Who Was William Henry Kearns?

William Henry Kearns was born in Dublin, Ireland. Like many Irish people at the time, he moved to England. He settled there around 1817. We don't know much about how he learned music.

His Early Career in London

In London, Kearns became a violinist in the orchestra at the Covent Garden opera house. He was even a main violinist for a season. He also worked as an organist at the Verulam Episcopal Chapel in Lambeth.

On 16 July 1817, his first operetta (a short, light opera) called Bachelor's Wives, or The British at Brussels was performed. It was shown at the English Opera House (EOH) and became very popular. Even though he didn't write more operas, he later became a musical advisor at the EOH. He helped the directors, Samuel James Arnold and William Hawes.

Leading the Orchestra

Kearns was also a conductor for important performances. He led shows like Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz, Louis Spohr's Zemire und Azor, and Giacomo Meyerbeer's Robert le diable. In 1827, William Hawes even gave Kearns a special copy of the overture (the opening music) to Weber's opera Oberon. This was a sign of their friendship.

Kearns continued to play the violin too. For example, he performed at the Royal Musical Festival held at Westminster Abbey in 1834.

His Musical Contributions

William Henry Kearns helped adapt music by other famous composers. For instance, he wrote the piano parts for George Smart's version of a Spohr opera in 1831. He did the same for a London performance of Joseph Haydn's The Seasons in 1839. In 1837, he worked on August Ferdinand Haeser's oratorio (a large musical work for orchestra and voices) called The Triumph of Faith.

In 1845, Kearns adapted a piece from Mozart's opera La clemenza di Tito. He turned it into a hymn called The Young Protestant's Hymn, which was also known as "We won't give up the bible". He also added extra wind instrument parts to Handel's famous works, Messiah and Israel in Egypt.

Kearns also helped create a music book. He was a co-editor, along with Henry John Gauntlett, of The Comprehensive Tune Book, which was published in London in 1846. William Henry Kearns passed away in London.