:''This article refers to the composer; for the politician see John Garth.'' John Garth (1721 – 1810) was an English

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, born in Harperley, near

Witton-le-Wear Witton-le-Wear is a village in County Durham, North East England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Wear, to the north-west of Bishop Auckland. Geography and administration Witton-le-Wear is part of the North West Durham Parliament ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

Life

On 23 June 1742 Garth became a freemason at the lodge meeting at the Bird and Bush in Saddler Street, Durham.See 'Harmony and brotherly love: musicians and Freemasonry in 18th-century Durham City' by Simon Fleming in ''The Musical Times'', 2008 (Autumn), 69-80 Little else is known of his early life, but in September 1745 and August 1746 he promoted concerts in

Stockton Stockton may refer to: Places Australia * Stockton, New South Wales * Stockton, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region New Zealand *Stockton, New Zealand United Kingdom *Stockton, Cheshire *Stockton, Norfolk *Stockton, Chirbu ...

. In the latter year he was living in Durham city, where he organised a concert series until 1772, selling tickets from his house, first in Sadler Street, thereafter in North Bailey, where he lived until after 1791. It appears that the Durham concerts were in alternate weeks to those organized by his friend Charles Avison in Newcastle, where Garth played the cello. Garth's fame spread and he taught music to leading families in the region, as well as giving organ recitals. In Darlington, in 1794, he married Nancy (Nanny) Wrightson (1749/50–1829) and died at his home, Cockerton Hall on 29 March 1810. Garth was buried on 5 April 1810 in the north aisle of St Cuthbert's,

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

Works

Garth is chiefly remembered for his eight-volume edition with English text of ''The First Fifty Psalms Set to Music'' by Benedetto Marcello (1757–65). He also composed a set of cello concertos (op. 1, 1760) and five sets of

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 ...

sonatas (opp. 2, 4–7, 1768–82), among other works.

Gerald Finzi Gerald Raphael Finzi (14 July 1901 – 27 September 1956) was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a choral composer, but also wrote in other genres. Large-scale compositions by Finzi include the cantata '' Dies natalis'' for solo voice and ...

took an interest in his music, among other neglected British composers of the 18th and 19th centuries whose work he sought to have published in modern editions.

Discography

*John Garth, Six Cello Concertos, The Avison Ensemble, 2 discs, Divine Art *John Garth, Accompanied Keyboard Sonatas Op. 2 and 4, The Avison Ensemble, 2 discs, Divine Art

References

Classical-period composers English classical composers 1721 births 1810 deaths Musicians from County Durham English male classical composers 19th-century British male musicians Freemasons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England People from Witton-le-Wear {{UK-composer-stub