John Walton Barker (October 7, 1933 – October 24, 2019) was an American historian and specialist in

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

history and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

. He was the author of a number of works on Byzantine history, including ''Justinian and the Later Roman Empire'' (1966) and ''Manuel II Palaeologus: 1391-1425: A study in late Byzantine Statesmanship'' (1969). Later in his career, he also wrote books on

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

: ''Wagner and Venice'' (2008), ''Wagner and Venice Fictionalized: Variations on a Theme'' (2012).

Biography

John Walton Barker was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on October 7, 1933 to John W. (Jack) Barker and Evelyn Doty Barker. He was descended from ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...

'' bond servant

Edward Doty Edward Doty (August 23, 1655) was a passenger on the 1620 voyage of the ''Mayflower'' to North America; he was one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact. Early life Doty came from England, but from where in Suffolk, England 1598. According ...

through his mother's ancestors, while on his father's side from a Virginia-originated, Kentucky-based family of tobacco plantation owners. His ancestors fought in the

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

and

Civil Wars A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.James Fearon"Iraq' ...

, during the latter on the side of the

Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

. Barker graduated from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

in 1955, received his M.A. (1956) and Ph.D (1961) at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

and spent three fellowship years (1959–62) at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

Dumbarton Oaks Dumbarton Oaks, formally the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, is a historic estate in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was the residence and gardens of wealthy U.S. diplomat Robert Woods Bliss and his wife ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

before joining the faculty of the History Department at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, where he served until retirement in 1999. He was dedicated to the history of

Medieval Europe In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, with teaching and research specialities in Byzantine, the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

, as well as Venetian history and civilization. In 1975 he helped found the Byzantine Studies Conference (now th
Byzantine Studies Association of North America
, which continues to be the main venue for presenting current research on Byzantine studies in the western hemisphere. He hosted the second Byzantine Studies Conference in 1976 and the 23rd in 1997. He and his wife traveled extensively and, for a good decade, he led educational tours to Turkey, Greece, Italy, and especially

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. Barker was a devoted connoisseur of classical music, especially opera and oratorio, with a particular devotion to the oratorios of

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 ...

. He was a reviewer for the

American Record Guide The ''American Record Guide'' (''ARG'') is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935. History and profile The magazine was founded by Peter Hugh Reed in May 1935 as the ''American Music Lover''. It chan ...

for 62 years and collected over 110,000 classical music recordings. He wrote extensive music criticism for local Madison journals, and since 2001 was a staff reviewer for

Isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

. For over three decades he was a regular broadcaster on recorded music for WHA/WERN Public Radio, and for the past 18 years was a monthly host on WORT's "Musica Antiqua". He was a co-founder of UW Opera Props and between 1981 and 2006 produced 61 issues of “The Prompter,” extended journals for the University opera productions. In addition, he sang in several local choirs including the choir at the

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Assumption Greek Orthodox Church is a historic church building at 6900 Delmar Boulevard in University City, Missouri. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. History The church edifice was built in 1924 by Fi ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

for 47 years. Barker was married to Margaret B. Barker (born Grabowski), a retired attorney and author of non-fiction works. He is buried in the Coughlin family plot at

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

, Brooklyn, where he joins his ancestor Thomas Joralemon (–1850) and where his neighbors include

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

Louis Moreau Gottschalk Louis Moreau Gottschalk (May 8, 1829 – December 18, 1869) was an American composer, pianist, and virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works. He spent most of his working career outside the United States. Life and career Gottschalk ...

, as well as other notables.

Selected works

*''Justinian and the later Roman Empire''. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1966. *''Manuel II Palaeologus: 1391–1425: A Study in Late Byzantine Statesmanship''. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1969. *''The use of music and recordings for teaching about the Middle Ages: A practical guide, with comprehensive discography and selective bibliography''. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications, 1988. *''Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia'' (Edited with Christopher Kleinhenz). New York: Routledge, 2004. *''Wagner and Venice''. Rochester: Rochester University Press, 2008. *''Wagner and Venice fictionalized: Variations on a theme''. Rochester: Rochester University Press, 2012. *''The Pro Arte Quartet: A Century of Musical Adventure on Two Continents''. Rochester: Rochester University Press, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, John W, 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Rutgers University alumni 20th-century American male writers 1933 births 2019 deaths Writers from Brooklyn Writers from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty American Byzantinists 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Scholars of Byzantine history Historians from Brooklyn Historians from Wisconsin Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery