John Feltham Danneley (baptised 1785 – c.1835) was an English writer on music.

Life

The second son of George Danneley, a lay clerk of

St. George's Chapel, Windsor St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...

, and his wife Elizabeth, he was born at

Wokingham Wokingham is a market town in Berkshire, England, west of London, southeast of Reading, north of Camberley and west of Bracknell. History Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a Saxon chieftain who may als ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, into a family who had come down in the world. His first musical instruction was from his father, and at the age of 15 he studied thorough bass with

Samuel Webbe Samuel Webbe (1740 – 25 May 1816) was an English composer. Life Born in Menorca in 1740, Webbe was brought up in London. His father died when he was still an infant, and his mother returned to London where she raised Webbe in difficult c ...

and the pianoforte under

Charles Knyvett Charles Knyvett (11 February 1752 – 19 January 1822) was an English singer and organist. He established in 1791 in London the Vocal Concerts, a series of subscription concerts. Life He was born in Westminster, son of Charles Knyvett and his wif ...

, and then

Charles Neate Charles Neate (1806–1879) was an English politician and academic, economist and political writer. Life He was the fifth of the eleven children of Thomas Neate, rector and squire of Alvescot, Oxfordshire, and his wife Catherine, born at Adsto ...

. He is also said to have had some lessons from

Joseph Woelfl Joseph Johann Baptist Woelfl (surname sometimes written in the German form Wölfl) (24 December 1773 - 21 May 1812) was an Austrian pianist and composer. Life Woelfl was born in Salzburg, where he studied music under Leopold Mozart and Mich ...

, presumably later, as Woelfl only settled in England in 1805. About 1803, Danneley abandoned music to live with a rich uncle, from whom he had expectations; but later resumed his musical studies. Until 1812 he lived with his mother at

Odiham Odiham () is a large historic village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The 2011 population was 4,406. The parish in 1851 had an area of 7,354 acres wi ...

, where he became interested in continental music and languages from intercourse with prisoners of war quartered there. In 1812 he went to

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

as a teacher of music; a few years later he was appointed organist of the church of St. Mary of the Tower. In 1816, Danneley visited Paris, where he studied under

Anton Reicha Anton (Antonín, Antoine) Joseph Reicha (Rejcha) (26 February 1770 – 28 May 1836) was a Czech-born, Bavarian-educated, later naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Beethoven, he is now best reme ...

Louis-Barthélémy Pradher Louis-Barthélémy Pradher (16 December 1782 – 19 October 1843) was a French composer, pianist and music educator. Life Born in Paris, Pradher was the son of a violinist of the Prince de Condé. He received his first music lessons from his fat ...

, and Aleksander Mirecki, and encountered

Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny ( – ) was a French composer and a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts (1813). He is considered alongside André Grétry and François-André Danican Philidor to have been the founder of a new musical genre ...

and

Luigi Cherubini Luigi Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the gre ...

. He returned to Ipswich. He was married in 1822, and around 1824 seems to have settled in London. Details of the latter years of Danneley's career in London are scanty. He published music at 22 Tavistock Place, and in the post-office directories from 1832 to 1834 his name occurs as a music seller and publisher of 13 Regent Street.

Works

Danneley published: *''Introduction to the Elementary Principles of Thorough Bass and Classical Music'' (Ipswich, 1820) *''Palinodia a Nice'', set of thirteen vocal duets *''An Encyclopædia or Dictionary of Music'' (1825) *''Musical Grammar'' (1825), the preface dated from 92 Norton Street, Portland Place. London *Article on ''Music'' (1829) in the ''London Encyclopædia'' *''The Nosegay: a Gage d'Amour and Musical Cadeau for 1832'', with F. W. N. Bayley, from 13 Regent Street, London. *Sonatinas for the pianoforte, and songs.

References

External links

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Danneley, John Feltham Year of birth missing Year of death missing English classical organists English classical composers English music publishers (people) 19th-century English writers