__NOTOC__ John Mainwaring (1724 – 15 April 1807) was an English theologian and the first biographer of the composer

Georg Friedrich Händel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well-known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

in any language. He was a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of St. John's College, Cambridge, and parish priest, and later a professor of Divinity at Cambridge.

Life

He was the son of Gilbert Mainwaring of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, and attended schools in

Marlborough, Wiltshire Marlborough ( , ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English Counties of England, county of Wiltshire on the A4 road (England), Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath, Somerset, Bath. Th ...

and

Tamworth, Staffordshire Tamworth (, ) is a market town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Staffordshire, England, north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and south, Lichfield District, Lichfield to the north, south- ...

. He matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge in 1742, graduating B.A. in 1746, M.A. in 1750, and B.D. in 1758. It has been suggested that his university friendship with

Sir Edward Littleton, 4th Baronet Sir Edward Littleton of Pillaton Hall, 4th Baronet, (c. 1727–1812) was a long-lived Staffordshire landowner and MP from the extended Littleton/Lyttelton family, who represented Staffordshire in the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliam ...

, who matriculated in 1744, was significant in the genesis of his Handel biography: Fisher Littleton, Edward's brother, introduced him to

John Christopher Smith John Christopher Smith (born Johann Christoph Schmidt; 1712, Ansbach, Germany3 October 1795, Bath) was an English composer who, following in his father's footsteps, became George Frideric Handel's secretary, student and amanuensis. Life John Ch ...

Benjamin Stillingfleet Benjamin Stillingfleet (1702–1771) was an English botanist, polymath, and author. Life Benjamin Stillingfleet was born in 1702 in Wood Norton, Norfolk to Mary Ann and Edward Stillingfleet. He was one of four children, and the only son.I. ...

and

Richard Price (1717–1761) Richard Price (23 February 1723 – 19 April 1791) was a British moral philosopher, Nonconformist minister and mathematician. He was also a political reformer and pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the Fre ...

who were enthusiastic for the project. Mainwaring became a Fellow of St John's in 1748, in which year he was ordained, continuing for 40 years until he became

Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity The Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity is a senior professorship in Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church of the University of Oxford. The professorship was founded from the benefaction of Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443–1509), mother of Henry ...

. He was rector of

Church Stretton Church Stretton is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, south of Shrewsbury and north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671.

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

from 1749, and died there on 15 April 1807.

Biographer

In 1760, one year after Handel was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, Mainwaring published anonymously a biography ''Memoirs of the Life of the Late George Frederic Handel''. It is not only the first biography of Handel in any language, but is claimed to be the first full length biography of any composer to appear. More than half of this biography is focused on the years before 1712, when Handel moved to London. Therefore, it is supposed he received information from Handel himself on his early lifeDonald Burrows. ''Handel.'' 1994, p. 3. or from John Christopher Smith. The ''Catalogue'' and the ''Observations'' are additions to the Memoirs by other authors.

Charles Jennens Charles Jennens (1700 – 20 November 1773) was an English landowner and art patron. As a friend of Handel, he helped author the libretti of several of his oratorios, most notably ''Messiah''. Life Jennens was brought up at Gopsall Hall in L ...

owned a copy of the Memoirs, and provided the book with critical remarks on

Semele Semele (; ), or Thyone (; ) in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysus and Semele ...

and

Benedetto Pamphili Benedetto Pamphili (often with the final ''long i'' orthography, Pamphilj) (25 April 1653 – 22 March 1730) was an Italian cardinal, patron of the arts and librettist for many composers. Life Pamphili was born in Rome on 25 April 1653 int ...

. In 1761

Johann Mattheson Johann Mattheson (28 September 1681 – 17 April 1764) was a German composer, critic, lexicographer and music theorist. His writings on the late Baroque and early Classical period were highly influential, specifically, "his biographical and the ...

published an extended translation with sharp remarks on the biography of Mainwaring. Facsimile reprints of the "Memoirs" were published in 1964 and 1975.

Bibliography

''Memoirs of the Life of the Late George Frederic Handel: To which is Added a Catalogue of His Works and Observations Upon Them''
R. and J. Dodsley, 1760.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mainwaring, John English biographers English theologians 1735 births 1807 deaths Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Lady Margaret's Professors of Divinity