John Ashley, known as "Ashley of Bath," (c. 1760 - 1830) was a performer on the

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

and a vocalist in his native city of

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, active for over fifty years. He is chiefly remembered as the writer and composer of a large number of songs and ballads (between the years 1780 and 1830), many of which acquired considerable popularity. He is also deserving of notice as the author of two ingenious pamphlets in answer to

Richard Clark Richard Clark may refer to: * Richard Clark (dermatologist), American dermatologist * Richard Clark (business executive) (born 1946), president of Merck * Richard Clark (director), British television director * Richard Auldon Clark, American condu ...

's work on the origin of the

British national anthem "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, but ...

: ''Reminiscences and Observations Respecting the Origin of the National Anthem Called "God Save the King!"'', 1827; 'A Letter to the Rev. W. L. Bowles, supplementary to the Observations, etc.' 1828, both published at Bath.

Works

* Royal Dorsetshire march. 2 Flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 trumpets, 2 horns and double bass. pub. London, c. 1795Ashley 'of Bath', John (Josiah)
at composers-classical-music.com

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, John Musicians from Bath, Somerset 1760s births 1830 deaths 18th-century English people 18th-century English musicians 19th-century English musicians