Johann Christoph Schmidt (3 March 1683 – January 1763) was a musician and

music copyist A copyist is a person that makes duplications of the same thing. The term is sometimes used for artists who make copies of other artists' paintings. However, the modern use of the term is almost entirely confined to music copyists, who are emplo ...

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 concertos. Handel received his training i ...

. After settling in London, he anglicized his name to John Christopher Smith; to avoid confusion with his son of the same name, he is referred to as John Christopher Smith sr. He may also be referred to as "John Christopher Smith the elder".Highfill, Philip H.; Burnim, Kalman A.; Langhans, Edward A. (1973). ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800, Volume 14'', p.149. SIU Press. . Born in

Kitzingen Kitzingen () is a town in the Germany, German state of Bavaria, capital of the Kitzingen (district), district Kitzingen. It is part of the Franconia geographical region and has around 21,000 inhabitants. Surrounded by vineyards, Kitzingen County i ...

, Smith sr. probably studied at Halle, where he met Handel. . There is also a facsimile edited by P. M. Young, New York, 1979. He moved in 1705 to

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, and then, a couple of years later, to

Ansbach Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, a ...

. In Ansbach he was a wool merchant and amateur musician, until about 1716 when Handel visited and convinced him to move and become a professional musician. By 1720, he and his family had settled in London, where he was making a living as a viola player and as Handel's copyist,(2009). ''The Cambridge Handel Encyclopedia'', pp.592–3. Cambridge. as Handel's treasurer, and through his music shop in

Coventry Street Coventry Street is a short street in the West End of London, connecting Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square. Part of the street is a section of the A4, a major road through London. It is named after the politician Henry Coventry, secretary ...

. Smith sr. employed his wife and children as copyists, including his son

John Christopher Smith John Christopher Smith (born Johann Christoph Schmidt; 1712, Ansbach3 October 1795, Bath, Somerset, Bath) was an English composer who, following in his father's footsteps, became George Frideric Handel's secretary and amanuensis. Life John Chri ...

, who became Handel's

amanuensis An amanuensis () is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another, and also refers to a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In one example Eric Fenby ...

later on. Smith sr. and Handel worked well together and were close friends until the late 1740s, when Smith sr. tried to persuade Handel to co-operative with the Middlesex Opera Company. Relations between the two men grew worse, and they were estranged for much of the 1750s. John Smith jr. managed to reconcile them shortly before Handel's death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Johann Chis 1683 births 1763 deaths People from Kitzingen Music copyists

Further reading

References