James Hook (3 June 1746 – 1827) was an English composer and organist.

Life and musical career

He was born in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, the son of James Hook, a razor-grinder and cutler. He displayed a remarkable musical talent at an early age, playing the harpsichord by the age of four and performing concertos in public at age six. He began performing regularly by the time he was 10 years old, including benefit concerts. He held many jobs to earn money, including teaching, composing, transcribing music and tuning keyboard instruments. Sometime between June 1763 and February 1764 Hook moved to London.McGairl, Grove Online There he became the organist at

White Conduit House The White Conduit House was a building in Islington, London. From the late 17th century, it was a leisure resort away from the city centre; it was demolished in 1849. History There were springs and conduit-heads in the area in the medieval period. ...

, Pentonville, one of the tea gardens that were popular in 18th-century London. He worked as an organist, teacher and composer, and gained a reputation for composing vocal music. He married the artist and writer Elizabeth Jane Madden on 29 May 1766, at St. Pancras Old Church. They had two sons, James (1772–1828) and Theodore Edward (1788–1841). Hook was appointed organist and composer to

Marylebone Gardens Marylebone Gardens or Marybone Gardens was a London pleasure garden sited in the grounds of the old manor house of Marylebone and frequented from the mid-17th century, when Marylebone was a village separated from London by fields and market ga ...

in 1768. In addition to his performances as an organist, and occasionally on the harpsichord, he was now invited to perform concertos between the main works in the theatres, and his short musical entertainments and comic operas were being produced for the

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, ...

and in the London theatres. He was appointed organist of St Johns Horselydown, Bermondsey, in 1776, and frequently played concerts on newly built organs, both in London and in nearby counties, often playing his own compositions. He was highly successful as a teacher of organ and harpsichord. Hook remained at Marylebone Gardens until the end of the 1773 season, and a year later was engaged in a similar position at

Vauxhall Gardens Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being ...

. Hook had a pupil then named Margaret Thornton and 1778 when she was singing Hook's songs in

. She sang his songs there each summer until 1780. Thornton returned to Vauxhall as Margeret Martyr and Hook worked there until 1820. Throughout these years he composed operas and other musical works, most of which were produced at Drury Lane and Covent Garden Theatres. He frequently collaborated with family members. His wife Elizabeth wrote the libretto for the opera ''The Double Disguise'' (1784). His son James provided librettos for ''Jack of Newbury'' (1795) and ''Diamond Cut Diamond'' (1797), while Thomas Edward composed librettos for at least eight operas. On 18 October 1805 Hook's first wife, Elizabeth Jane Madden, died. A year later, on 4 November 1806, he married his second wife, Harriet Horncastle James.''The Annual Register ... of 1806'' reports the marriage of "James Hook, esq. of Charlotte-Street, Bedford-Square, to Miss Harriet Horncastle James, daughter of Joseph J. esq." It was at this time that he produced his best work, ''Tekeli, or the Siege of Montgatz'', the life and adventure of

Imre Thököly Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry. ...

. In 1820 he unexpectedly left his position at Vauxhall, after almost a half century of service, and he died seven years later in Boulogne.

Works

Stage works *''Trick Upon Trick'' (pantomime), July 1772, Op. 3 *''Cupid's Revenge'' (pastoral farce), 12 June 1772, Op. 8 *''The Lady of the Manor'' (comic opera), 23 November 1778, Op. 20 *''Too Civil by Half'' (farce), 5 November 1782, Op. 25 *''The Double Disguise'' (farce), 8 March 1784, Op. 32 *''The Fair Peruvian'' (comic opera), 18 March 1786, Op. 45 *''The Feast of Anacreon'' (serenata), 24 May 1788, Op. 53 *''Look ere you Leap'' (serenata), 2 June 1792, Op. 69 *''Jack of Newbury'' (comic opera with

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...

), 6 May 1795, Op. 80 *''Diamond Cut Diamond, or Venetian Revels'' (comic opera), 23 May 1797, Op. 89 *''The Wreath of Loyalty, or British Volunteer'' (serenata), 31 July 1799, Op. 94 *''Wilmore Castle'' (comic opera), 21 October 1800, Op. 96 *''The Soldier's Return or What Can Beauty Do?'' (comic opera), 23 April 1805, Op. 108 *''The Invisible Girl'' (operatic farce), 28 April 1806, Op. 112 *''Catch him who Can'' (farce), 12 June 1806, Op. 113 *''Tekeli, or the Siege of Montgatz'' (melodrama), 24 November 1806, Op. 114 *''The Fortress'' (melodrama), 16 July 1807, Op. 117 *''Music Mad'' (comic sketch), 27 August 1807, Op. 119 *''The Siege of St Quintin, or Spanish Heroism'' (drama), 10 November 1808, Op. 122 *''Killing no Murder'' (farce), 21 August 1809, Op. 129 *''Safe and Sound'' (comic opera), 28 August 1809, Op. 130 *''Sharp and Flat'' (operatic farce), 4 August 1813, Op. 140 Large vocal works *''The Ascension'', oratorio, Covent Garden, 20 March, 1776 Chamber music *''Six Sonatas For Violoncello and Piano'', 1783 *''Six Solos for Flute and Harpsichord'', ca.1774 *''Six Sonatas For flute (or violin) and Piano, Op. 54'' *''Six duets for 2 cellos, Op. 58'' *''Six Trios for Three Flutes'', ca.1795, Op. 83 *''Six Trios for Three Flutes'', Op. 133 Keyboard sonatas *''Six Familiar Sonatas'', 1798 Concerti *Works for the clarinet, organ, fortepiano, etc. Songs *Over 2,000 Songs, most notably ''

The Lass of Richmond Hill "The Lass of Richmond Hill", also known as "The Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill", is a song written by Leonard McNally with music composed by James Hook, and was first publicly performed in 1789. It was said to be a favourite of George III and, at one ...

'' Rhymes * Christmas Box * Christmas box, Volume 2 (For Juvenile Amusement. Set to music by Mr. Hook.) Pedagogical works *''Guida di musica'', Being a Complete Book of Instructions for Beginners on the Harpsichord or Piano Forte … to which is added 24 Progressive Lessons (c1785), Op. 37 *''Guida di musica, Second Part'', Consisting of Several Hundred Examples of Fingering … and *''Six Exercises'' … to which is added, a Short … Method of learning Thoro' bass … (?1794), Op. 75 *''The Preceptor for the Piano-Forte, Organ or harpsichord'' … Favorite Airs … a Collection of Progressive Lessons … ndTwo Celebrated Lessons (?1795) *''New Guida di musica'', Being a Compleat Book of Instructions for Beginners on the Harpsichord or Piano Forte … to which is added 24 Progressive Lessons (1796), Op. 81

Life and musical career

Works

Footnotes

References

External links