Jonathan Battishill
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Jonathan Battishill (May 1738 – 10 December 1801) was an English composer,
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...
player, and concert
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
. He began his career as a composer writing theatre music but later devoted himself to working as an organist and composer for the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
. He is considered one of the outstanding 18th century English composers of church music and is best remembered today for his seven-part
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
''Call to Remembrance'', which has long survived in the repertoires of cathedral choirs.


Biography

Battishill was born in London. Beginning at the age of nine, he sang as a chorister at
St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
initially under the direction of composer Charles King. After his voice broke he studied organ, music composition, and singing under
William Savage William Savage (1720 – 27 July 1789) was an English composer, organist, and singer of the 18th century. He sang as a boy treble and alto, a countertenor, and as a bass. He is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frid ...
, almoner and master of the choristers. He became a highly skilled organist and was particularly talented at
extempore ''Ex tempore'' (Latin for "out of the moment“) is a law latin legal term that means 'at the time'. A judge who hands down a decision in a case soon or straight after hearing it is delivering a decision ''ex tempore''. Another way a judge may de ...
playing; a skill that soon attracted attention and led to his appointment as William Boyce's deputy at the
Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...
.Peter Ward Jones: "Jonathan Battishill", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed 17 December 2008)
(subscription access)
During the mid-1750s he began appearing as a tenor soloist in London concerts. One of his earliest engagements was on 16 March 1756 in a concert 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 ...
's '' Alexander's Feast'' at the Great Room,
Dean Street Dean Street is a street in Soho, central London, running from Oxford Street south to Shaftesbury Avenue. It crosses Old Compton Street and is linked to Frith Street by Bateman Street. Culture The Soho Theatre presents new plays and stand-u ...
, where he was described as 'Mr Batichel'. That same year he became the conductor and
harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...
at the
Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
. While there he composed incidental songs and
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...
es for plays and
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
music for both Covent Garden and the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...
. In 1758 he became a member of the Madrigal Society and in 1761 a member of the
Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a Charitable organization, charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a ...
. He was also a of the Noblemen and Gentlemen's Catch Club from c1762, but lost his membership twice for not attending meetings. In 1771 his glee ''Come bind my hair, ye wood nymphs fair'' won the club's gold medal. In 1764 Battishill was appointed organist of
St Clement Eastcheap St Clement Eastcheap is a Church of England parish church in Candlewick Ward of the City of London. It is located on Clement's Lane, off King William Street and close to London Bridge and the River Thames. Clement was a disciple of St Peter the ...
, which had recently united with the parish at
St Martin Orgar St Martin Orgar was a church in the City of London in Martin Lane, off Cannon Street. Its name is said to derive from one Ordgarus (Odgarus, Orgarus, Ordgar, Orgar), a Dane who donated the church to the canons of St Paul’s. It is sometimes ...
. Three years later he became organist at
Christ Church, Newgate Street Christ Church Greyfriars, also known as Christ Church Newgate Street, was a church in Newgate Street, opposite St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. Established as a monastic church in the thirteenth century, it became a parish church afte ...
as well and served at both St Clement and Christ Church until his death in 1801. During this time he periodically gave organ concerts and he particularly became known for his performances of Handel's keyboard works. He also would still occasionally perform in concerts as a singer. He possessed an exceptional memory which was displayed in one concert where he played and sang from memory several airs from Samuel Arnold's
oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
''The Prodigal Son'' without the sheet music, and after not hearing the work for more than 20 years. While working at Covent Garden, Battishill met singing actress Elizabeth Davies who had originated the role of Margery in
Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (; 12 March 17105 March 1778) was an English composer. He is best known for his patriotic song " Rule, Britannia!" and the song " A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777 production of '' The Beggar's Opera'', w ...
's ''Love in a Village''. The two became romantically involved and on 19 December 1765 they married. However the marriage was unsuccessful, and Elizabeth had a publicly known affair with actor Anthony Webster, with whom she eventually moved to Ireland in 1776. Elizabeth died in
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
in October 1777. Battishill also had an affair with a woman who called herself Ann Battishill at the time of his death. They apparently lived together from about 1775 until the end of Battishill's life. Although Battishill was involved with another woman, his wife's desertion caused a deep depression from which he never recovered. He declined into alcoholism and his compositional output became minimal for the rest of his life. His alcoholism also resulted in his not being appointed organist of St Paul's on the death of John Jones in 1796. From 1777 on Battishill devoted himself mainly to his book collection.Jonathan Battishill at Encyclopædia Britannica Online (subscription access)
/ref> From the time he was a boy he was an avid reader, and throughout his life he had collected some 6000 to 7000 volumes in his personal library. He was mostly interested in theological works and the works of classical authors. In 1801 Battishill was buried in St Paul's near the grave of William Boyce in keeping with his own wishes.


Works

Most of Battishill's compositions date from the period 1760–1775, and reflect his diverse employments during this time. He began his career primarily as a composer of theatre music; writing mostly incidental music for plays. He composed the music for one
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
, ''The Rites of Hecate'', which used a text by poet James Love. It premiered at Drury Lane on 26 December 1763. He also notably co-composed the music to the three-act opera ''Almena'' with
Michael Arne Michael Arne (c. 174014 January 1786) was an English composer, harpsichordist, organist, singer, and actor. He was the son of the composer Thomas Arne and the soprano Cecilia Young, a member of the famous Young family of musicians of the sevente ...
, the son of
Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (; 12 March 17105 March 1778) was an English composer. He is best known for his patriotic song " Rule, Britannia!" and the song " A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777 production of '' The Beggar's Opera'', w ...
, which premiered in 1764 at Drury Lane. The opera was a theatrical failure, but critics of the day attributed its lack of success to dramatic faults on the part of the librettist Rolt, rather than to problems with the music. He also wrote several songs for London's
pleasure gardens A pleasure garden is a park or garden that is open to the public for recreation and entertainment. Pleasure gardens differ from other public gardens by serving as venues for entertainment, variously featuring such attractions as concert halls, b ...
, of which ''Kate of Aberdeen'' is probably his best known. Upon taking his first organist post in 1764, Battishill composed chiefly church music, glees, catches,
madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th centuries) and early Baroque (1580–1650) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the ...
s, and
part-song A part song, part-song or partsong is a form of choral music that consists of a song to a secular or non-liturgical sacred text, written or arranged for several vocal parts. Part songs are commonly sung by an SATB choir, but sometimes for an all- ...
s. He was particularly prolific in his output of
Anglican chant Anglican chant, also known as English chant, is a way to singing, sing Meter (poetry), unmetrical texts, including psalms and canticles from the Bible, by matching the natural Prosody (linguistics), speech-rhythm of the words to the notes of a s ...
(used for the
psalms 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 B ...
and
canticles In the context of Christian liturgy, a canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a psalm-like song with biblical lyrics taken from elsewhere than the Book of Psalms, but included in psalters and books such ...
),
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
s, and
anthems An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...
. His anthems are considered his most exemplary work and are admired for employing rich blends in a multi-voiced arrangement. His anthems included ''O Lord, Look Down from Heaven'' and ''Call to Remembrance'', the latter of which was sung at his own funeral and is still performed in cathedrals today. Of his glees, ''I Loved Thee Beautiful and Kind'' is probably his best known work. His chants also remain in use.


References


Sources

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battishill, Jonathan 1738 births English opera composers English male opera composers Glee composers English classical organists English tenors 1801 deaths Members of the Royal Society of Musicians Burials at St Paul's Cathedral English classical composers of church music People educated at St. Paul's Cathedral School 18th-century English composers 18th-century English male musicians English male classical organists