Richard Godfrey Ashley (8 September 1774 – 11 October 1836) was an English musician, and a son of John Ashley.

Early life

Ashley was the fourth son of John Ashley, a conductor and

bassoonist The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

who became the father of a notable family of musicians ( General Charles Ashley, John James Ashley, and

Charles Jane Ashley Charles Jane Ashley (1773 – 29 August 1843) was an English cellist. Ashley was born in London, the third son of musician John Ashley. He was a performer on the violoncello, and also for some time carried on the Covent Garden oratorios with his ...

), and his wife, Mary (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Jane). He was born on 8 September 1774, in the parish of

St George Hanover Square St George Hanover Square was a civil parish created in 1724 in the Liberty of Westminster, Middlesex, which was later part of the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of St George's, Hanove ...

, London, and baptised in the parish church on 10 September. At 9 years old, Ashley was already performing, participating in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

's 1784

Handel Commemoration The Handel festival or "Commemoration" took place in Westminster Abbey between 26 May and 5 June 1784, to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of George Frideric Handel in 1759. The commemoration was organized by John Montagu, ...

and performing at

the Pantheon The Pantheon (, ; la, Pantheum,Although the spelling ''Pantheon'' is standard in English, only ''Pantheum'' is found in classical Latin; see, for example, Pliny, '' Natural History'36.38 "Agrippas Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Atheniensis". Se ...

in May and June of the same year.

Career

As of Joseph Doane's ''Musical Directory'' (1794), at age 20, Ashley was living at his father's house. At this time, he was employed as a drummer for 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 Op ...

oratorios An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

, where he worked alongside his family. 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 ...

also made him one of the musicians to play at the annual

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

benefit concert, an honour usually reserved for members of the Society. His father proposed him as a member the following year, a proposal which was ratified in 1796, certifying Ashley as a qualified

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/composers, ...

violist ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

, and player of

kettledrums Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditiona ...

. He continued to play at this concert from 1795 to 1805, gaining the right to send a deputy in his place in 1806. At several dates in the 1810s, he served on the Society's Court of Assistants. Ashley enjoyed what one ''Biographical Dictionary'' called "a long orchestral and solo concert career". From 1798, he performed in

Ranelagh Gardens Ranelagh Gardens (; alternative spellings include Ranelegh and Ranleigh, the latter reflecting the English pronunciation) were public pleasure gardens located in Chelsea, then just outside London, England, in the 18th century. History The Ran ...

, under his father's influence. He also performed under his elder brother,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, at the Royal Opera House's oratorios. As of his father's death in 1805, Ashley was apparently in "a better situation than either of his brothers were placed in", according to the will. In 1817, he was part of the King's Theatre Band. According to the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', "throughout his life he was in demand at major festivals"; it lists him as leading the violas at the Three Choirs festival in 1811, Oxford in 1813, York in 1823, and Chester in 1829. On 8 October 1800, Ashley became a freeman of the

Worshipful Company of Musicians The Worshipful Company of Musicians is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Its history dates back to at least 1350. Originally a specialist guild for musicians, its role became an anachronism in the 18th century, when the centre of ...

, and, on 7 July 1802, entered the Company's

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

Personal life

At age 42, on 1 April 1816, Ashley married the "

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

", Elizabeth Palmer, at St George Hanover Square. He died on 11 October 1836 at his home of Park Place, Chelsea, having signed his will the previous day. His obituary was published in that year's volume of the ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

''. Elizabeth survived her husband, receiving a widow's allowance of £2 12s 6d by 1837. Later that year, the Society donated £5 for the treatment of Elizabeth's

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

, and Elizabeth was dead by 9 January 1839, when £8 was spent on the funeral of "the widow of the late Richard Ashley".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Richard 1774 births 1836 deaths 18th-century English musicians 19th-century English musicians Members of the Royal Society of Musicians