John Sale (1758 – 11 November 1827) was an English bass singer of church music, and a singer and composer of

glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

Life

He was born in London in 1758, the son of John Sale (1734–1802). From 1767 to 1775 Sale was a chorister of

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle 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 Gar ...

and of

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, and of both was

lay vicar A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, or (occasionally) collegiate choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars chora ...

from 1777 to 1796. In 1788 he was appointed gentleman of the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...

, in 1795

vicar choral A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, or (occasionally) collegiate choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars chora ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, and in 1796 lay vicar of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. In 1800 he succeeded Richard Bellamy as Almoner of St Paul's and Master of the Choristers, which posts he held until 1812. In 1818, becoming senior gentleman or father of the Chapel Royal, he was excused further duty and attendance. Sale sang as soloist and in concerted music at many concerts and cathedral festivals. From 1789 to 1814 his name appeared in the programmes of the

Concerts of Antient Music The Concerts of Antient Music, also known as the ''Ancient Concerts'' or ''The King's Concerts'', were an influential concert series put on annually in London from 1776 to 1848. The concerts consisted solely of music composed at least twenty year ...

. He was also interested in

-singing: he conducted the Glee Club, and in 1785 became honorary member, and in 1812 secretary, of the

Noblemen and Gentlemen's Catch Club In music, a catch is a type of round or canon at the unison. That is, it is a musical composition in which two or more voices (usually at least three) repeatedly sing the same melody, beginning at different times. Generally catches have a secular ...

. He was much sought after as a teacher. He died in Westminster on 11 November 1827, and was buried on 19 November at St Paul's Cathedral. The obituary in ''The Quarterly Musical Magazine & Review'' commented that "... very few of his contemporaries possessed so sound a judgment in musical compositions, especially vocal, or manifested on all occasions so much taste and discrimination.... As a vocal performer, Mr. Sale was eminently distinguished; united to a rich, full and mellow bass voice, his taste was of the good old English school, strictly pure and carefully adapted to the subject...." His obituary in ''

The Harmonicon ''The Harmonicon'' was an influential monthly journal of music published in London from 1823 to 1833. It was edited at one period by William Ayrton (1777–1858.) Issues contained articles on diverse topics, including reviews of musical composi ...

'' noted: "His aid was generally required in those charming glee parties which were formerly so much the fashion, where his smooth, agreeable voice, and subdued manner of using it, rendered him a valuable assistant."

Family

Two sons had musical careers: John Bernard Sale (1779–1856) was a bass singer, and organist at

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 ...

; George Charles Sale (1796–1869) was organist at St Mary's, Newington and later at

St George's, Hanover Square St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London (the Queen Anne C ...

Compositions

Sale published, about 1800, ''A Collection of New Glees'', including six original numbers for three and four voices: "My Phillida, adieu", "Thyrsis, the music of that murmuring spring", "With an honest old friend", "No glory I covet", "With my jug of brown ale" and "Sometimes a happy rustic swain". He also edited

Lord Mornington Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. On the death of the fifth earl in 1863, it passed to the Duke of Wellington; si ...

's glees.

References

Attribution *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sale, John 1758 births 1827 deaths Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal 18th-century British male singers 19th-century British male singers English basses Glee composers Burials at St Paul's Cathedral Singers from London