Obadiah Shuttleworth (died 1734), English composer, violinist and organist, was the son of Thomas Shuttleworth of

Spitalfields Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...

in London. Thomas was a professional music copyist and harpsichord player.Hawkins, John (1776/1963). ''A General History of the Science and Practice of Music''. New York: Dover, 791 The exact date of Shuttleworth's birth is uncertain. Shuttleworth was an excellent violinist and in the early 18th century he took part in the influential public concerts arranged by the London coal merchant

Thomas Britton Thomas Britton (14 January 1644 – 27 September 1714) was an English charcoal merchant best known as a concert promoter. Biography Born in Rushden, Northamptonshire, Britton moved to London at a young age and apprenticed himself to a small co ...

(known as 'the musical small coal man') at his business premises in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

to which musical professionals and amateurs from all ranks of London society were drawn. Shuttleworth also led concerts that were later established about 1728 at the Swan Tavern, Cornhill. The 18th-century musical historian,

Sir John Hawkins Sir John Hawkins (also spelled Hawkyns) (1532 – 12 November 1595) was a pioneering English naval commander, naval administrator and privateer. He pioneered, and was an early promoter of, English involvement in the Atlantic slave trade. Hawki ...

, wrote of him that he 'played the violin to such a degree of perfection, as gave him a rank among the first masters of his time'.Hawkins, John (1776 1963). ''A General History of the Science and Practice of Music''. New York: Dover, 826 In January 1724, according to the newspaper the ''

British Journal The ''British Journal'' was an English newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide va ...

'' (11 January 1724), Shuttleworth was made organist at the church of

St Michael, Cornhill St Michael, Cornhill, is a medieval parish church in the City of London with pre-Norman Conquest parochial foundation. It lies in the ward of Cornhill. The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London, and replaced by the present bui ...

, having previously been the organist at St Mary's, Whitechapel. On 4 May 1729 the London newspaper ''The London Evening Post'' announced his appointment as organist of the

Temple Church The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...

.Newspaper references are taken from Computer Register of Musical Data in London Newspapers, 1660-1800, edited by Professor Rosamund McGuinness, and held at Royal Holloway, University of London According to Hawkins, Shuttleworth was 'celebrated for his fine finger on the organ, and drew numbers to hear him, especially at the

where he would frequently play near an hour after evening service'. He retained both organist appointments until his death on 2 May 1734. A widow and two daughters survived him.Dawe, Donovan (1993). Organists of the City of London 1666-1850. Padstow: Dawe, 143-44. While several works by Shuttleworth (concertos, sonatas, solos, and cantatas) are known from various sources, the only extant works by him are two ''

concerti grossi The concerto grosso (; Italian language, Italian for ''big concert(o)'', plural ''concerti grossi'' ) is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the ''#Concertino, concertino'') and full orc ...

,'' for two solo violins and string orchestra, arranged from the opus 5 solo sonatas by

Arcangelo Corelli Arcangelo Corelli (, also , , ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of ...

(1653–1713), that were published in London in 1726. If, as some leading scholars now believe, Francesco Geminiani's 1726 concerto arrangements from the same set of Corelli sonatas were probably the first to be published in England that required two violin soloists,Holman, Peter & Maunder, Richard, "The Accompaniment of Concertos in 18th-century England", ''Early Music'' 28 (4): 637-650, ISSN 0306-1078 then Obadiah Shuttleworth has the distinction of being the first Englishman to publish such concertos, in a form that would come to dominate English string concertos of the early 18th century.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shuttleworth, Obadiah English Baroque composers English classical composers English classical violinists British male violinists English classical organists British male organists Year of birth missing 1734 deaths 18th-century keyboardists 18th-century classical composers 18th-century British male musicians English male classical composers Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England Male classical violinists Male classical organists

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