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John Thomas (1 March 1826 – 19 March 1913) was a
Scores by John Thomas
on archive.org from the International Harp Archives 1826 births 1913 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century British male musicians 20th-century British male musicians Academics of the Royal College of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music British Romantic composers Composers for harp People from Bridgend Welsh classical composers Welsh classical harpists Welsh male classical composers {{Wales-bio-stub
John Thomas (1 March 1826 – 19 March 1913) was a Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
composer and harpist. The bardic name Pencerdd Gwalia (Chief of the Welsh minstrels) was conferred on him at the 1861 Aberdare Eisteddfod.''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 5th ed., 1954
Life
He was born in Bridgend onSaint David's Day
Saint David's Day ( cy, Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant or ; ), or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrat ...
, son of a tailor, also named John Thomas, a clarinetist in the amateur town band. He was the eldest of seven children, four of whom also played the harp, most notably his brother Thomas Thomas. John Thomas started off by playing the triple harp
The triple harp is a type of multi-course harp employing three parallel rows of strings instead of the more common single row. One common version is the Welsh triple harp (Welsh: ''telyn deires''), used today mainly among players of traditional W ...
, which had three sets of strings and was very difficult to play. At the age of 14, through the influence of Ada Lovelace, (Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...
's daughter), he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. His teachers there included Cipriani Potter for composition and John Balsir Chatterton for harp.
He taught at the Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
, where he eventually became professor, and at the Guildhall School of Music.
He wrote many pieces for the harp that are popular today and are used in the exam syllabus. He also wrote an opera, a symphony, two harp concertos, overtures, chamber music, and two cantatas – ''Llewellyn'' (1863) and ''The Bride of Neath Valley'' (1866). He played one of his own harp concertos at a Philharmonic concert in 1852.
In 1861, he was briefly engaged to the Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
soprano Désirée Artôt
Désirée Artôt (; 21 July 1835 – 3 April 1907) was a Belgian soprano (initially a mezzo-soprano), who was famed in German and Italian opera and sang mainly in Germany. In 1868 she was engaged, briefly, to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who may h ...
. He eventually married twice, both times to former students. His first wife, Alice Ann Keate, died in 1880, two years after their marriage; he married Joan Francis Denny in 1885.
In 1872, he was appointed harpist to Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
.
Publications
*1862 ''Welsh Melodies, with Welsh and English Poetry'', vols. 1 & 2, byJohn Jones (Talhaiarn)
John Jones (19 January 1810 – October 1869), known by his bardic name of Talhaiarn, was a Welsh poet and architect.
Life and reputation
Jones was born at the ''Harp Inn'' (now known as ''Hafod y Gân'') in Llanfair Talhaearn, Denbighshi ...
& Thomas Oliphant
Thomas Oliphant is an American journalist who was the Washington correspondent and a columnist for ''The Boston Globe''.
Life and career
Oliphant was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from La Jolla High School in California and in 196 ...
. Author: John Thomas.
*1870 ''Welsh Melodies, with Welsh and English Poetry'', vol. 3, by John Jones (Talhaiarn)
John Jones (19 January 1810 – October 1869), known by his bardic name of Talhaiarn, was a Welsh poet and architect.
Life and reputation
Jones was born at the ''Harp Inn'' (now known as ''Hafod y Gân'') in Llanfair Talhaearn, Denbighshi ...
& Thomas Oliphant
Thomas Oliphant is an American journalist who was the Washington correspondent and a columnist for ''The Boston Globe''.
Life and career
Oliphant was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from La Jolla High School in California and in 196 ...
. Author: John Thomas.
*1874 ''Welsh Melodies, with Welsh and English Poetry'', vol. 4, by John Jones (Talhaiarn)
John Jones (19 January 1810 – October 1869), known by his bardic name of Talhaiarn, was a Welsh poet and architect.
Life and reputation
Jones was born at the ''Harp Inn'' (now known as ''Hafod y Gân'') in Llanfair Talhaearn, Denbighshi ...
& Thomas Oliphant
Thomas Oliphant is an American journalist who was the Washington correspondent and a columnist for ''The Boston Globe''.
Life and career
Oliphant was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from La Jolla High School in California and in 196 ...
. Author: John Thomas.
Selected recordings
* ''John Thomas. Harp Music'': ''Scenes of Childhood''; '' Grand Duet''; ''Cambria''. Lipman Harp Duo (Naxos, 2007). * ''John Thomas. Welsh Music for Voice and Harps'': ''Hela'r sgyfarnog''; ''Gogerddan''; ''La primola''; ''Cambria''; ''Ymadawiad y brenin''; ''Serch hudol''; ''Hob a derry dando''; ''Souvenir du nord''; ''Dadl dau''; ''Bedd Gelert''; ''Thou art the star''; ''L'Adieu''. Rachel Ann Morgan, Edward Witsenburg (Globe Classics, 2012). * ''John Thomas. Complete Duos for Harp and Piano'', vol. 1: ''Souvenir du nord''; ''Dyddiau Mebyd (Scenes of Childhood)''; ''Cambria''; ''Dewch i'r Frwydyr (Come to Battle)''; ''Grand Duet in E flat minor''; arrangements of ''Adelaide'', Op. 46 (Beethoven); ''Themes from Carmen'' (Bizet); ''Gigue'' from ''Water Music'' (Suite No. 3 in G major by Handel). Duo Praxedis: Praxedis Hug-Rütti (harp); Praxedis Geneviève Hug (piano) (Toccata Classics, 2020).References
Further reading
*External links
Scores by John Thomas
on archive.org from the International Harp Archives 1826 births 1913 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century British male musicians 20th-century British male musicians Academics of the Royal College of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music British Romantic composers Composers for harp People from Bridgend Welsh classical composers Welsh classical harpists Welsh male classical composers {{Wales-bio-stub