Johann Ernst Galliard - Whither is Roman honour gone – chorus from Julius Caesar

Johann Ernst Galliard (?1666/?1687–1749 ) was a German composer. Galliard was born in

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

, Germany to a French

wig-maker A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...

. His first composition instruction began at age 15. Galliard studied composition under Jean-Baptiste Farinel, the director of music at the Court of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, and Abbate Steffani. In addition to his compositional ability, he was also a capable

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

and

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

player. Galliard made a step forward in his musical career when he performed one of his original compositions. This Sonata for oboe and two bassoons debuted at one of Farinel’s concerts. Galliard earned an esteemed seat in the chamber music of

George, Prince of Denmark Prince George of Denmark ( da, Jørgen; 2 April 165328 October 1708) was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. The marriage of Georg ...

. Later, he moved to England where he became chapel-master of

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

. Galliard became a familiar face in high society due to his proximity to and frequenting of the royal residence. In response to war victories, Galliard composed a ''Te Deum'', ''Jubilate'', and three additional anthems. Bigger and better things seemed promising following his participation in the founding of the

Academy of Ancient Music The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name (originally the A ...

. However, in the kingdom-wide competition for directorial status, Galliard could not match

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 ...

and

Bononcini Bononcini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antonio Maria Bononcini (1677–1726), Italian cellist and composer *Giovanni Bononcini (1670–1747), Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer, and teacher *Giovanni Maria Bononcin ...

. He wrote th
music to the opera ''Calypso and Telemachus''
upon the request of a friend, the poet John Hughes. Despite approval from his peers, musical politics caused its failure. As a result, he refocused on his oboe performance and joined Handel’s Italian Opera in 1713 as a soloist. Galliard composed several more cantatas to texts by Hughes and Congreve. He published an opera, music to the ''Morning Hymn of Adam and Eve'' taken from

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

’s ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

,'' and a large number of pantomimes which he devised under contract to Rich, the enterprising manager of the Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields Theatre. His published instrumental music includes the following: ''Six Sonatas for a Flute and a Thorough Bass,'' ''Six Solos for the Violoncello,'' and
Six Sonatas for the Bassoon or Violoncello with a Thorough Bass for the Harpsichord
'.

References

*''6 sonatas for Bassoon or Cello and piano,'' vol. 1, published by: McGinnis & Marx, 201 West 86 Street, New York, New York, 1946.
Musical Biographies

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Galliard, Johann Ernst German Baroque composers German classical oboists Male oboists 1687 births 1749 deaths People from Celle German people of French descent 18th-century classical composers German classical composers German male classical composers 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians