John Valentine (7 June 1730 – 10 September 1791) was an English

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist,

violist The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the v ...

and composer.

Biography

John Valentine was born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, England, the son of John Valentine and his wife Sarah. By 1759 John Valentine owned and operated a music shop on New Bond Street in Leicester, which he later moved to other locations. He sold instruments and music and taught lessons in various instruments including keyboard and horn. Valentine performed at concerts in the area mostly as a violinist or violist, and played in the Handel Commemoration concerts in memorial for George Frederic Handel in London in 1784. John Valentine was a member of a musical family in Leicester. He was the great-nephew of composer Robert Valentine. John's son Thomas Valentine (1759 – c. 1800) was also a violinist, who performed in the Handel Commemoration and in the London area for at least a decade. John's uncle, Henry Valentine, played oboe and also operated a music shop in Leicester. John Valentine married Tabitha Simpson (b. 1728) in 1755 and they had six children, including Sarah, John, Charles and Ann. Ann Valentine was a composer with work available in modern editions. Sarah (1771–1843) served as an organist at St Martin's Church in Leicester from 1800 to 1840, and composed at least one work, ''The British March and Quickstep for the Pianoforte''. John Valentine died in Leicester and was buried at St Margaret's Church.

Works

Valentine composed minuets, marches, sacred music and symphonies. He published a number of compositions during 1765–85. Selected works include: * ''Eight Easy Symphonies'' (1782, Bodleian Library) *''The Epithalamium for Isabella, or the Fatal Marriage'', for theatre (1762) *''My Shepherd is the Living Lord'' from ''Thirty Psalm Tunes'', for

SATB In music, SATB is a scoring of compositions for choirs or consorts of instruments consisting of four voice types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Choral music Four-part harmony using soprano, alto, tenor and bass is a common scoring in classic ...

, text by

Thomas Sternhold Thomas Sternhold (1500–1549) was an English courtier and the principal author of the first English metrical version of the Psalms, originally attached to the Prayer-Book as augmented by John Hopkins. Life Anthony Wood says that Sternhold ...

*''Ode to Peace'', for SATB (1763) *''Ode on the Birthday of the Marquis of Granby''

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, John 1730 births 1791 deaths English Classical-period composers English violinists English male violinists Musicians from Leicester English violists 18th-century English composers 18th-century English male musicians 18th-century English musicians