William McGibbon (April 1690, in
Glasgow,
Scotland – 3 October 1756) was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
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 ...
and
violinist.
[David Johnson. "McGibbon, William". Grove Music Online. Accessed 15 March 2012.]
Life
Eighteenth-century sources disagree about many details of his life, and consequently his early life is shrouded in uncertainty. He was probably born in
Glasgow, the child of the violinist Duncan McGibbon and his wife Sarah Muir, although earlier sources say he was born in Edinburgh. He may have studied in London under
William Corbett, and may have travelled in Italy in his youth, possibly with Corbett. He seems to have settled in Edinburgh in the 1720s.
He died in 1756, and left his estate to the
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...
.
Career
He was the principal violinist of the
Edinburgh Musical Society
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of ...
orchestra from 1726 until his death.
Although a prolific composer, particularly for the flute, recorder and fiddle, only a few of his works are now known. Grove says they "vary in quality"; his early work shows influences of
Corelli,
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 ...
,
Veracini Veracini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Agostino Veracini (1689–1762), Italian painter and engraver, cousin of Francesco
* Antonio Veracini (1659–1733), Italian composer and violinist
*Francesco Maria Veracini
Fra ...
, and
Purcell, while after 1740 he produced many settings of Scottish tunes, which were then very popular, but still show an Italian influence.
See also
*
Scottish Baroque music
Classical music in Scotland is all art music in the Western European classical tradition, between its introduction in the eighteenth century until the present day. The development of a distinct tradition of art music in Scotland was limited by the ...
References
External links
*
1690 births
1756 deaths
Musicians from Edinburgh
Scottish classical composers
British male classical composers
Scottish classical violinists
British male violinists
18th-century Scottish musicians
18th-century Scottish composers
18th-century British male musicians
18th-century classical composers
18th-century violinists
Male classical violinists
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