John Isham (or John Isum) (1680?–1726) was an English composer and organist.

Life

Born about 1680, he was educated at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

. He went from there to London and served as deputy organist of St Anne's, Westminster, under

William Croft William Croft (baptised 30 December 1678 – 14 August 1727) was an English composer and organist. Life Croft was born at the Manor House, Nether Ettington, Warwickshire. He was educated at the Chapel Royal under the instruction of John Blow ...

. Croft resigned in Isham's favour in 1711, and in 1713 Isham went from London to Oxford to assist Croft in the performance of the exercise for his doctoral degree, and at the same time was himself admitted to the degree of Mus. Bac. Appointed organist of

St Andrew's, Holborn The Church of St Andrew, Holborn, is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without. History Roman and medieval Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 exc ...

, in April 1718, and of

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster a ...

, in the following year, Isham held both posts until his death in June 1726, when he was buried in St. Margaret's Church.

Works

Two anthems composed by Isham, ''Unto Thee, O Lord'', and ''O sing unto the Lord a new song'', are included in Croft's ''Divine Harmony, or a New Collection of Select Anthems'' (1712). With William Morley, he published, about 1710, a collection of songs;

John Hawkins John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

reprinted in his ''General History of the Science and Practice of Music'' a duet by Isham, ''Bury delights my roving eye''. Other songs are catalogued under the name of Isum in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

References

* ;Attribution 1680 births 1726 deaths 18th-century British classical composers 18th-century British male musicians 18th-century keyboardists English Baroque composers English classical organists English male classical composers Alumni of Merton College, Oxford English male classical organists {{UK-composer-stub