John Alcock ( 28 January 1740 – 30 March 1791) was an English

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, who composed several songs between 1770 and 1780.

Biography

John Alcock was born around 1740, to Margaret Alcock, ''née'' Beaumont (1711–1792), and John Alcock (1715–1806), himself a famous composer and organist. He was born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and baptised there on 28 January 1740. He learned to play the organ through his father's position as organist and master of the choristers at

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

, working under him as a

chorister A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

. By the age of twelve he was deputising for his father on occasion, his father apparently assured Alcock was already sufficiently skilled. Alcock's first professional position was as organist and master of the song school at

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

parish church, 1758 to 1768. In 1766, he accompanied his father to

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

in 1773, while his father proceeded to a

Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (D.Mus., D.M., Mus.D. or occasionally Mus.Doc.) is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions and/or scholarly publications on music. Like other higher doctorates, it is granted b ...

. In 1773, he became the organist of

St Matthew's Church, Walsall St Matthew's Church (formerly All Saints' Church) is a Church of England parish church in Walsall, West Midlands, England. It was rebuilt in 1820-1821 by Francis Goodwin, but includes remains of the earlier church built around 1220 and dedica ...

, a position he maintained until his death. Between 1770 and 1780, Alcock composed and published several songs,

cantatas A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of t ...

, and instrumental works, for both the

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. He collaborated in his father's publication, ''Six New Anthems'' (1795). Alcock composed alone ''Parochial Harmony, or a Collection of Divine-Music in Score'' (1777), published by Francis Roome (fl. 1777-1794), and "Expressly Composed for the use of Country Choirs", stating his position as "Batchelor in Music and Organist of Walsall" on the title page. Those of Alcock's published works, noted by the ''Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland'', are 'Arise, O Lord, and Lift Up' and 'The Lord is King'. Alcock died on 30 March 1791, aged 51, at his house, near Walsall, predeceasing both his parents. His obituary was published in ''

The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

''. The obituary memorialized his compositions flatteringly as "much esteemed by all competent judges" and praised his "superior knowledge in musick, as well as his excellent performances on the organ, which always were in the true church style".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcock, John, Jr. 1740 births 1791 deaths English male classical organists