Joseph Kelway (also Kellaway, Kellway; c. 1702–1782) was an English organist and

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

player, among the most highly regarded in his day.

Life

Kelway was probably born in

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

. He was the younger brother of the organist Thomas Kelway; he studied with him and with

Francesco Geminiani 230px Francesco Saverio Geminiani (baptised 5 December 1687 – 17 September 1762) was an Italian violinist, composer, and music theorist. BBC Radio 3 once described him as "now largely forgotten, but in his time considered almost a musical god, ...

. In 1734 he succeeded

Obadiah Shuttleworth Obadiah Shuttleworth (died 1734), English composer, violinist and organist, was the son of Thomas Shuttleworth of Spitalfields in London. Thomas was a professional music copyist and harpsichord player.Hawkins, John (1776/1963). ''A General History ...

as organist of

St Michael, Cornhill St Michael, Cornhill, is a medieval parish church in the City of London with pre-Norman Conquest parochial foundation. It lies in the ward of Cornhill. The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London, and replaced by the present bui ...

in London; This article states that Shuttleworth retained the post until his death (1734). The 1892 DNB article for Kelway states "about 1730"; this date is repeated in the online DNB article. in 1736 he resigned this post to succeed John Weldon as organist of

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the mediev ...

, London.

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicist a ...

wrote that

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

was among the musicians who visited St Martin's to hear him play. Kelway became in 1739 a founding governor of the

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a declaration of trust sign ...

. His pupils included

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include " And Can It Be", " Christ the Lord Is Risen ...

and Mrs

Mary Delaney Mary Delany ( Granville; 14 May 1700 – 15 April 1788) was an English artist, letter-writer, and Blue Stockings Society, bluestocking, known for her "paper-mosaicks" and botanic drawing, needlework and her lively correspondence. Early life Ma ...

, and he was appointed harpsichord master to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

, wife of George III, at the time of her arrival in England in 1761. Richard, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam was a patron. Burney wrote that Kelway, as a harpsichordist, was "head of the Scarlatti sect". His only notable publication was ''Six Sonatas for Harpsichord'' (1764), influenced by Scarlatti. Towards the end of his life, his music went out of fashion: a new style was introduced by

Johann Christian Bach Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a German composer of the Classical period (music), Classical era, the eighteenth child of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the youngest of his eleven sons. After living in Italy for ...

, and the pianoforte became fashionable.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelway, Joseph 1702 births 1782 deaths People from Chichester English classical organists British male organists 18th-century keyboardists Members of the Royal Society of Musicians Male classical organists