John Lenton (before 4 March 1657 – May 1719) was an English composer,

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist, and singer. Scholars believe he may have been the John Linton baptized on 4 March 1657 at

St Andrew, 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 ...

.Holman, Peter. "Lenton, John".
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'' (subscription required). ed. L. Macy. Retrieved on November 27, 2008. Little is known about his early life. On 2 August 1681 he was appointed to King Charles II's famed troupe of 24 violinists (part of the

King's Musick Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh' ...

, which comprised the musicians of the royal court) to replace a member who had died;de Lafontaine, Henry Cart, ed. (1909)
The King's Musick: a transcript of records relating to music and musicians (1460-1700)
''London:

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''. . Retrieved on 12 December 2008. he served as a member of the troupe for the remainder of his life. Lenton played at the coronations of James II, William III, and Mary II.Ashbee, Andrew (2004).
Lenton, John (bap. 1657?, d. 1719)
. ''

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''. Oxford University Press. Retrieved on 12 December 2008. Besides performing, he also contributed to the royal court's repertoire, composing suites to celebrate William III's return to London around 1697 and to celebrate the new year of 1699. He juggled his demands with the King's Musick with duties at the Chapel Royal (where he probably became acquainted with Henry Purcell), of which he was appointed Extraordinary Gentleman on 10 November 1685 and Groom of the Vestry in 1708. Lenton found time outside royal service to compose at least 12 suites for plays produced between 1682 and 1705, mostly for

Thomas Betterton Thomas Patrick Betterton (August 1635 – 28 April 1710), the leading male actor and theatre manager during Restoration England, son of an under-cook to King Charles I, was born in London. Apprentice and actor Betterton was born in August 16 ...

's theatre company at

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. Lenton's later life mostly consisted of editing, writing, and publishing. In 1692, he collaborated with his fellow court musician Thomas Tollett to publish ''A Consort of Musick of Three Parts''. Its sequel, ''A Three Part Consort of New Musick'' (1697), became popular enough to warrant three editions. Lenton also edited the fourth volume of ''

Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy ''Wit and Mirth: Or Pills to Purge Melancholy'' is the title of a large collection of songs by Thomas d'Urfey, published between 1698 and 1720, which in its final, six-volume edition held over 1,000 songs and poems. The collection started as a sin ...

'' (1706) and the second volume of ''

The Dancing Master ''The Dancing Master'' (first edition: ''The English Dancing Master'') is a dancing manual containing the music and instructions for English country dances. It was first published in 1651 by John Playford. History It was published in several ...

'' (1710). Perhaps Lenton's most notable work is ''The Gentleman's Diversion'' (1693), which he partially engraved himself. This publication is one of the earliest known extant violin treatises. Scholars had thought that no copies of the work survived, but in 1982, a copy of the first edition was found at the

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public library. At the time, it was proclaimed that Lenton had "the honourable (if perhaps temporary) distinction of having written the earliest extant treatise on violin playing in any language." Written for amateurs and beginners, the treatise spends a considerable amount of text explaining basic music principles and notation before making recommendations on holding the instrument, fingering and

bowing Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many European c ...

. The work also contains 28 "Easie Lessons" as practice pieces, many composed by Lenton's colleagues at the royal court.Boyd and Rayson, 331. Lenton died sometime before 13 May 1719, when his replacement was named to the King's Musick. His widow, Anne, received ownership of his estate on 21 May.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenton, John English violinists British male violinists Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal 1650s births 1719 deaths