Barnabas Gunn (c. 1680 – 6 February 1753) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. Gunn's date and place of birth are unknown, but he was appointed organist of the newly built St Philip's Church (now

St Philip's Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip, also called the Birmingham Cathedral, is a Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church in the Baroque style by Thomas Archer, it was consecrated in 1715. Loc ...

) in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

in 1715. He spent nine years as the organist of

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

from 1730, returning to Birmingham as organist of both St Philip's and

St Martin in the Bull Ring St Martin in the Bull Ring is a Church of England parish church in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is the original parish church of Birmingham and stands between the Bull Ring Shopping Centre and the markets. The church is ...

in 1740, remaining there until his death. Gunn's compositions included

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...

s and instrumental music for

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. In 1751 a thinly veiled attack appeared in an anonymous pamphlet (attributed to William Hayes) entitled "''The Art of Composing Music by a Method Entirely New ... Suited to the Meanest Capacity''", suggesting that Gunn composed using a ''Spruzzarino'' - a fictional device that squirted random dots of ink onto manuscript paper. Gunn responded in good humour by naming a 1752 publication of his music "''12 English Songs, by the newly invented method of composing with the Spruzzarino''". Gunn's compositions were in fact highly successful - his 1742 "''2 Cantatas and 6 Songs''" had 464 subscribers, including the composer

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

. Gunn promoted concerts at Birmingham's

Moor Street Theatre The Moor Street Theatre was the first regular theatre – as distinct from earlier booths and converted barns for strolling players – to be established in Birmingham, England. Located in a back yard between Moor Street and Park Street north of th ...

from 1740, and from 1748 until his death in 1753 also organised regular concerts between early May and mid-August in Duddeston Gardens,

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...

, featuring artists from as far away as

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. These are the earliest recorded organised classical music concerts in Birmingham's history and featured repertoire including Handel, Gunn himself and fellow local composer John Alcock.

Printed works

*''Two Cantatas and Six Songs'' (Gloucester, 1736) *''Sun, Moon and Stars, Praise the Lord - a lyric poem by I.Watts'' (Birmingham, 1742) *''Six Solos for Violin, Cello and Harpsicord'' (Birmingham, 1745) *''Twelve English Songs... by the New-invented method of composing with the spruzzarino'' (London, c.1750) *'' Six Setts of Lessons for the Harpsicord'' (London, n.d. but probably 1750)

References

Bibliography

* Article "Barnabas Gunn", in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition'', ed. Stanley Sadie. 29 vols. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 2001. *J. Sutcliffe Smith, ''The Story of Music in Birmingham'', Cornish, 1945

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunn, Barnabas 1680 births 1753 deaths English composers English classical organists English cathedral organists Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands English male classical organists