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 in the late 18th century, author of ''A Complete Treatise on the Organ'', and ''Ten Voluntaries and Twelve Preludes'' for the organ. He was educated by his father and his godfather

Jonathan Battishill Jonathan Battishill (May 1738 – 10 December 1801) was an English composer, keyboard player, and concert tenor. He began his career as a composer writing theatre music but later devoted himself to working as an organist and composer for the Ch ...

, and he is said to have received some instruction from Joseph Haydn. At the age of eleven he acted as deputy to his father, and subsequently he held several appointments as organist in London. He was also organist at

Haverhill, Suffolk Haverhill ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies about south east of Cambridge, south west of Bury St Edmunds, and north west of Braintree and Colche ...

, and at

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

, where he remained for three years. In about 1808 he returned to London for the production of an opera he had written for Drury Lane, but the theatre was burnt down before the work was produced. In 1810 he was appointed organist at

Sheffield Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, Sheffield, more commonly known as Sheffield Cathedral, is the cathedral church for the Church of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral st ...

Ireland

In 1811 Blewitt moved to Ireland, where he was a private organist of Lord Cahir. He was appointed organist of St. Andrew's, Dublin; in 1813 he became composer and director of music at the Theatre Royal. He was appointed by the

Duke of Leinster Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title in the Peerage of Ireland and the premier dukedom in that peerage. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, ...

as organist to the Freemasons of Ireland. When J. B. Logier came to Ireland to introduce his system of music teaching, Blewitt joined him and was successful as a teacher; his book ''An Epitome of the Logerian System of Harmony'' was published in Dublin.

London theatres

In 1820 Blewitt moved to London and began the long series of pantomime compositions, light operas and songs with which his name was connected for the rest of his life. For more than twenty-five years he wrote music for most of the London theatres; his last work, ''Harlequin Hudibras'', opened at Drury Lane on 27 December 1852. In 1828 and 1829 he was director of music at Sadler's Wells Theatre, and he was also, at different times, musical director 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 ...

, at the Tivoli Gardens in

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

, and pianist to

John Templeton Sir John Marks Templeton (29 November 1912 – 8 July 2008) was an American-born British investor, banker, Asset management, fund manager, and philanthropist. In 1954, he entered the Mutual fund, mutual fund market and created the Franklin Temp ...

's "Vocal Entertainments". He wrote a few light operas and a large amount of vocal music, most of them comic songs, for which he was celebrated, such as ''Barney Brallaghan''. In his last years Blewitt sank into poverty. He died in London on 4 September 1853, and was buried at St. Pancras Cemetery. He left a widow and two daughters.

References

Attribution *

External links

Interpretations

* , James Doig, tenor/piano {{DEFAULTSORT:Blewitt, Jonathan 1782 births 1853 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century British male musicians 19th-century organists British male organists Burials at St Pancras and Islington Cemetery English classical composers English classical organists English opera composers Male opera composers Male classical organists