John Parke (1745 – 2 August 1829) was an English

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

, performing at prominent concerts of the day.

Life

He was born in 1745;

William Thomas Parke William Thomas Parke (15 February 1761 – 26 August 1847) was an English oboist and composer. He played in notable concerts of the day; in retirement he published ''Musical Memoirs''. Life Parke began his musical studies in 1770 under his elder ...

, also an oboist, was his younger brother. John Parke studied the oboe under Simpson, and musical theory under

Charles Frederick Baumgarten Charles Frederick Baumgarten (originally Karl Friedrich Baumgarten; 1739/1740 – 1824) was a German-born violinist, organist, composer and teacher, living in London. Life Baumgarten was born in Lübeck, and was a pupil of the organist . In 1757 h ...

. In 1768 he was appointed principal oboe at

the King's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...

; in the same year he played at the first Birmingham festival, and also at the

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester) and originally featu ...

in Hereford. He continued to perform at the Three Choirs Festivals for thirty-five years. In 1768

Johann Christian Fischer Johann Christian Fischer (c. 1733 – 29 April 1800) was a German composer and oboist, one of the best-known oboe soloists in Europe during the 1770s. Employed as a music copyist and theatre director for the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Ludwi ...

, an oboist from Dresden, first came to London: his performances stimulated Parke to greater ambition, and he improved his style; two years later he succeeded Fischer as concerto player at

Vauxhall Gardens Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being ...

. In 1771 he accepted an offer from

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

to become first oboe at

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

. He was also engaged by

John Christopher Smith John Christopher Smith (born Johann Christoph Schmidt; 1712, Ansbach3 October 1795, Bath, Somerset, Bath) was an English composer who, following in his father's footsteps, became George Frideric Handel's secretary and amanuensis. Life John Chri ...

and John Stanley as a principal at the Lenten oratorios, and in the summer he played at

Ranelagh Gardens Ranelagh Gardens (; alternative spellings include Ranelegh and Ranleigh, the latter reflecting the English pronunciation) were public pleasure gardens located in Chelsea, then just outside London, England, in the 18th century. History The Ran ...

and Vauxhall Gardens. The

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedo ...

took Parke into his band, led by Baumgarten, in 1783, and the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

employed him at his

Carlton House Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James's district of London. The location of the house, no ...

concerts, with a salary of £100. He was a prominent performer at the Concerts of Antient Music, the

Professional Concerts The "Professional Concerts" were subscription concerts established in 1783 and given at the Hanover Square Rooms in London. Leading musicians of the day performed at the concerts. History Background Other regular concerts began in London around th ...

, and other concerts. He composed some oboe concertos, but did not publish them. In 1815, at the age of seventy, he retired. Falling into debt, he was imprisoned in the

Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners, including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition, it became known, in ...

in 1823. He died in London on 2 August 1829, and was buried at

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the mediev ...

. He married in 1772 Hannah Maria Burnett; they had several children, including the musician Maria Frances Parke, the eldest child, and the architect

Henry Parke Henry Parke (1790–1835) was an English architect and draughtsman. Life He was a son of John Parke the oboist, was intended for the bar, and studied under a special pleader; but a speech impediment led him to abandon the law. He studied architect ...

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parke, John 1745 births 1829 deaths English classical oboists Male oboists 18th-century English musicians 19th-century English musicians 19th-century British male musicians