John Templeton (1802–1886) was a British

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

singer. A

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

, he sang at the first English productions of Mozart's operas '' Don Giovanni'' and ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

''.

Early life

He was born at

Riccarton Riccarton may refer to: New Zealand * Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch ** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it ** The location of Riccarton Race Course * a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago Scotlan ...

, near Kilmarnock, the son of Robert Templeton. He was the youngest of three brothers, all of whom had musical talent. His elder brother James was a distinguished music teacher in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, and his other brother Robert was a

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

, in the

Laigh Kirk, Kilmarnock The Laigh Kirk is a church in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. History The current church, the third on the site, was built in 1802. The first church was built in the 17th century and was replaced in 1750. By 1801, the building was too small ...

. John had a fine voice as a boy and from the age of 14 until his

voice broke ' A voice change or voice mutation, sometimes referred to as a voice break or voice crack, commonly refers to the deepening of the voice of men as they reach puberty. Before puberty, both sexes have roughly similar vocal pitch, but during puberty ...

when he was 17, took part in concerts in Edinburgh with his brother James. In 1822 he became precentor to the

Rose Street Rose Street is a street in the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a narrow street running parallel between Princes Street and George Street. Today, it is principally a shopping street, however, it is well known for its many bars and ...

Secession church. Then, intending to become a professional singer, he went to London and studied under

Jonathan Blewitt Jonathan Blewitt (19 July 1782 – 4 September 1853) was an English organist, composer of light operas and songs, and a musical director. Early career Blewitt was born in London. His father, Jonas Blewitt (died 1805), was a distinguished organist ...

, Thomas Welsh, De Pinna, and Tom Cooke.

Career

Templeton made his stage debut at

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...

in 1828, appearing as Dermot in ''

The Poor Soldier ''The Poor Soldier'' is a 1783 British pasticcio opera with music by William Shield and a text by John O'Keeffe. It was a comedy set around Irish soldiers returning home after fighting in the British army in the American War of Independence, wh ...

''. After some time in the provinces he made a successful London debut in October 1831 at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 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 Dr ...

. In 1832 he appeared as Raimbaut in the first British performance of

Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le d ...

's ''

Robert le diable ''Robert le diable'' (''Robert the Devil'') is an opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer between 1827 and 1831, to a libretto written by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne. ''Robert le diable'' is regarded as one of the first grand o ...

''. In 1833 he took the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

, Covent Garden, at five days' notice. In 1833

Maria Malibran Maria Felicia Malibran (24 March 1808 – 23 September 1836) was a Spanish singer who commonly sang both contralto and soprano parts, and was one of the best-known opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality ...

chose him as her tenor for Bellini's ''

La sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...

'', at Covent Garden, and he continued as her leading tenor until her death in 1836. He visited Paris in 1842 before embarking on provincial tours, giving lecture recitals on Scottish, English, and Irish

folk-songs Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. In 1845–46 he went on a tour of the United States. Templeton had a repertoire of thirty-five operas, in many of which he created the chief parts.

Retirement and death

Templeton retired at the age of 50 and lived at what is now called Templeton Lodge in Parkside,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Surrey and at 114 High Street,

Hampton Hill Hampton Hill (initially known as "New Hampton") is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to the south of Twickenham, bounded by Fulwell and Twickenham Golf Courses to the northwest; the road bridge over the railway line; a ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

. Both sites are marked with

blue plaques A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

. He died at his home in Hampton on 2 July 1886. A monument to his memory stands on

Calton Hill Calton Hill () is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the cit ...

, Edinburgh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Templeton, John 1802 births 1886 deaths 19th-century Scottish male opera singers People from East Ayrshire People from Richmond, London Scottish operatic tenors