Joseph Antonio Emidy (1775 – 23 April 1835) was a Guinean-born British musician who was enslaved by Portuguese traders in his early life. He was later freed and resided in Portugal before being impressed into the Royal Navy. He was eventually discharged near Cornwall and later became a notable and celebrated violinist and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

in the region, passing away in 1835.

Life

Born in

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

, Emidy was sold into slavery as a child to Portuguese traders who took him to Brazil and later to Portugal. In Portugal, he became a

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

violinist in the Lisbon Opera. He was

press-ganged Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. The large size of ...

by sailors under

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir

Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother ...

during the Napoleonic Wars and spent the next four years serving as a ship's

fiddler A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Although in many ...

Music

In 1799, Emidy was discharged in Falmouth, Cornwall. In Falmouth, he earned his living as a violinist and a teacher. He became the leader of the Truro Philharmonic Orchestra, and went on to become one of the most celebrated and influential musical figures in early 19th-century Cornwall. He composed many works, including concertos and a symphony, but no known copies survive.

Personal life

In 1802, he married Jane Hutchins, a local tradesman's daughter, and they had eight children. They moved to Truro around 1815.

Death

He died in Truro, Cornwall, and his grave is in

Kenwyn Kenwyn ( kw, Keynwynn) is a settlement and civil parish in Cornwall, England. The settlement is a suburb of the city of Truro and lies 0.5 mi (1 km) north of the city centre, within Truro parish, whereas Kenwyn parish covers an area w ...

churchyard. Transcript of his gravestone reads:

HERE LIE DEPOSITED The mortal remains of Mr Jos:h Antonia Emidy Who departed this life, On the 23:rd of April 1835 AGED 60 YEARS
And sacred to whose memory This tribute of affection is erected By his surviving family. He was native of PORTUGAL Which country he quit about forty years since and pursuing the Musical Profession, resided in Cornwall until the close of his earthly career. Devoted to thy soul-inspiring strains, Sweet Music! Thee he hail'd his chief delight And with fond zeal that shunn'd nor toil nor pain His talent sear'd, and genius mark'd its flight In harmony he liv'd, in peace with all Took his departure from this world of woe, And here his rest, till the last Trumpet's call, Shall 'wake mankind to joys that endless flow.

Tributes

On 24 March 2007, during a service at Kenwyn Church to mark the 200th anniversary of the parliamentary abolition of the slave trade throughout the British Empire, the life of Emidy was featured and some typical pieces of music from his time were played in tribute. Emidy is the subject of a play by Dr

Alan M. Kent Alan M. Kent (1967 – 20 July 2022) was a Cornish poet, dramatist, novelist, editor, academic and teacher. He was the author of a number of works on Cornish and Anglo-Cornish literature. Kent was born in 1967 in St Austell, Cornwall and died ...

, ''The Tin Violin''. In 2015 a carved wooden boss was erected in

Truro Cathedral The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary. It i ...

in his memory.

References

Sources

* He is mentioned at length (pp. 163–172) in the autobiography of James Silk Buckingham (MP for Sheffield), which was published in 1855. * ?-"My Hero Joseph Emidy", ''BBC History'' magazine, October 2001 * Richard McGrady, ''Music and Musicians in Early Nineteenth Century Cornwall: the world of Joseph Emidy - slave, violinist and composer''. Exeter: Exeter University Press, 1991, * Richard McGrady
"Emidy, Joseph Antonio (c.1770–1835)"
'' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; accessed 11 October 2007.

External links

Official homepageTrail marks abolition anniversary (BBC News Story)
A Project from Jon Rose. Accessed June 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Emidy, Joseph Antonio 1775 births 1835 deaths Brazilian slaves English classical composers English male classical composers Musicians from Cornwall Black British former slaves Black British classical musicians Portuguese classical violinists Male classical violinists Portuguese emigrants to the United Kingdom Guinean emigrants to England Burials in Cornwall