John Milton (1562–1647) was an English composer and father of poet

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

.(requires a subscription) His compositions were mostly religious in theme. A financial worker by trade, he also wrote poetry. He lived in

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 ...

for most of his life.

Biography

Early in his life he converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and his own Roman Catholic father, Richard Milton, subsequently disowned him. He moved to

around 1583 to work as an apprentice

scrivener A scrivener (or scribe) was a person who, before the advent of compulsory education, could literacy, read and write or who wrote letters as well as court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying w ...

. His work largely pertained to business matters; often working as a

moneylender In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the debt ( ...

or a financial

broker A broker is a person or entity that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller. This may be done for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither ...

. He registered with the Company of Scriveners on 27 February 1599. Soon after this he started a family, marrying Sara Jeffrey (c. 1572–1637) and living in

Bread Street Bread Street is one of the 25 Wards of the City of London, wards of the City of London, the name deriving from its principal street, which was anciently the city's bread marketplace, market; already named ''Bredstrate'' (to at least 1180) for by ...

, with her parents. Records show the couple had six children, three of whom reached adulthood. The three surviving children were Anne,

(the poet) and Christopher Milton (a judge who was later awarded a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

). Similar to his first son of the same name, Milton wrote poetry. Two poems are known to have existed: a sonnet and a poem dedicated to John Lane—both unpublished. Milton's main creative outlet, however, was composing music. Twenty musical compositions are verified as belonging to Milton. All but one of his compositions contained a religious theme. Milton succeeded in publishing his works in

Thomas Morley Thomas Morley (1557 – early October 1602) was an English composer, music theory, theorist, singer and organist of late Renaissance music. He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School. Referring to the strong Italian inf ...

's ''

The Triumphs of Oriana ''The Triumphs of Oriana'' is a book of English madrigals, compiled and published in 1601 by Thomas Morley, which first edition has 25 pieces by 23 composers (Thomas Morley and Ellis Gibbons have two madrigals) for 5 and 6 voices. The first 14 m ...

'' (1601), William Leighton's '' The Tears or Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soul'' (1612) and Thomas Ravenscroft's '' The Whole Book of Psalms'' (1621), amongst others. Other works survived as manuscripts under the care of John Browne, a Parliamentary clerk, and Thomas Myriell, a personal friend of the composer. During a visit of Otto, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel to London in the summer of 1611, Milton composed a song in four parts, for which the landgrave presented him with a gold medal.Parker, William Riley. ''Milton: The life'', Clarendon Press, 1996, p. 10
Milton's work made the family so prosperous that they could afford to employ private tutors of

classical languages According to the definition by George L. Hart, a classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large body of ancient written literature. Classical languages are usually extinct languages. Those that are still ...

for their sons and later send them to school and university. This affluence also meant that his eldest son,

, never had to work and thus spent his time focusing on writing. Milton also ensured that his eldest son was thoroughly educated in music. In 1631 Milton and his family moved from Bread Street to

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

where he resided until his retirement in 1636. Thereafter he moved with his wife to Horton, Buckinghamshire. However, Sara died shortly after on 3 April 1637 and she was buried in the aisle of the parish church. Milton moved to

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

in 1641 to live with his youngest son but after the Siege of Reading he moved back to London, living with his eldest son, John Milton. After his son reconciled with his wife the family moved to the

Barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

. He remained there until his death and was buried on 15 March 1647 in St Giles Cripplegate.

References

*Ernest Brennecke Jr., ''John Milton the Elder and His Music''. Octagon Books New York, 1973.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Milton, John 1562 births 1647 deaths English classical composers English Baroque composers 16th-century English composers 17th-century English composers 16th-century Protestants 17th-century Protestants English Protestants Writers from London 17th-century English poets 17th-century English male writers 16th-century English poets 16th-century English male writers 17th-century English classical composers English male poets English male classical composers 17th-century male musicians