Seedo (also Sidow) (c. 1700 – c. 1754), also called Mr Seedo, as his forename is unknown, was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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 ...

who worked primarily in

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until 1736 when he became musical director to Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia.

Life

Seedo was a son of Samuel Peter Sidow, a musician employed by the

Elector of Brandenburg This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...

. By the mid-1720s, Seedo was working at the

Little Theatre Little Theatre or Little Theater may refer to: Australia *Little Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia * Little Theatre, Sydney, former name of the Royal Standard Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales *Melbourne Little Theatre, an amateur theatre company ...

in London's

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. On 27 September 1727 he married the singer

Maria Manina Maria Manina, later Maria Fletcher later Maria Seedo/Sydow, () was an Italian opera and concert singer. She came to notice in London in 1712 and was last recorded in Potsdam in 1736. Life Her place and date of birth are unknown and although her ...

, who had small parts in London’s Italian operas beginning in 1711, including

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 ...

's ''

Teseo ''Teseo'' ("Theseus", HWV 9; ) is an opera seria with music by George Frideric Handel, the only Handel opera that is in five acts. The Italian-language libretto was by Nicola Francesco Haym, after Philippe Quinault's ''Thésée''. It was Hande ...

''. Between 1731 and 1734, Seedo worked on

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...

imitations. He wrote several successful stage works, of which his

ballad opera The ballad opera is a genre of English stage entertainment that originated in the early 18th century, and continued to develop over the following century and later. Like the earlier '' comédie en vaudeville'' and the later ''Singspiel'', its disti ...

''The Devil to Pay'' was the most successful. When the work was first performed on stage it was a failure, but when the composer cut it significantly, from a full opera of 42 airs to an afterpiece of sixteen airs, it became a hit. Apart from ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...

'', ''The Devil to Pay'' was by far the most popular ballad opera of the 18th century. The work was given regular London performances until well into the 19th century and a translation by C. W. von Borcke made it popular in Austria and the German states as well. Borcke's translation was a major influence on the development of ''

singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...

''. He also composed the ballad opera ''

The Lottery ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' with

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel '' Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

in 1732. "Mr Seedo" was also an organist and organ composer in London during the first part of the 18th century; some of his organ Voluntaries are preserved in the John Reading Manuscripts of Dulwich College, London, and have been recorded.Riccardo Bonci (organ), The John Reading Manuscripts of Dulwich College, Brilliant Classics 94454 (2011) In 1736 his wife appeared singing in a benefit for Seedo as he was in debt. He and Maria Seedo were in Potsdam later that year where Seedo was the musical director to Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia. Seedo died in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

about 1754, a date inferred from payments made to him.

References

Sources

Roger Fiske Roger Fiske (11 September 1910 – 22 July 1987) was a musicologist, broadcaster and author who played an important part in establishing music for schools at the BBC during and after World War II. Fiske was born in Surbiton. He studied English at ...

/Irena Cholij. ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), and {{authority control 1700s births 1754 deaths German emigrants to the Kingdom of Great Britain German Baroque composers English classical composers German opera composers Male opera composers 18th-century classical composers German male classical composers German emigrants to England English Baroque composers 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians