John Barnett
Encyclopedia
John Barnett was an English
composer
and writer on music
.
n Jew named Bernhard Beer, who changed his surname on settling in England as a jeweller. According to some he was a cousin of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer
. Barnett was born at Bedford, and at the age of eleven sang at the Lyceum Theatre stage in London
. His good voice led to his being given a musical education, and he soon began writing songs and lighter pieces for the stage.
In 1834 he published a collection of Lyrical Illustrations of the Modern Poets. His opera The Mountain Sylph
- with which his name is nowadays most associated - received a warm welcome when produced at the Lyceum on 25 August 1834, as the first modern English opera
, and was given over 100 performances, which was an unusual success. It was followed by Fair Rosamond in 1837, and Farinelli
in 1839, but Barnett never again achieved the success that he had enjoyed with The Mountain Sylph. Disappointed with his reception as a composer, Barnett retired to the country. He had a large connection as a singing-master at Cheltenham
, and published Systems and Singing-masters (1842) and School for the Voice (1844). Barnett wrote several songs for the theatre with the actor, playwright and theatre manager John Baldwin Buckstone
, and also some instrumental works, including three string quartet
s and a violin sonata
.
Amongst his light music is a piece for Concertina and Piano called Spare Moments composed in 1859.
One of his daughters Clara Kathleen Barnett
became a singer and composer. His nephew John Francis Barnett
(1837–1916) was also a composer.
Although The Mountain Sylph is all but forgotten, it inspired parts of Gilbert and Sullivan
's 1882 Savoy Opera
, Iolanthe
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and writer on music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
Life
Barnett was the eldest son of a PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Jew named Bernhard Beer, who changed his surname on settling in England as a jeweller. According to some he was a cousin of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
. Barnett was born at Bedford, and at the age of eleven sang at the Lyceum Theatre stage in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His good voice led to his being given a musical education, and he soon began writing songs and lighter pieces for the stage.
In 1834 he published a collection of Lyrical Illustrations of the Modern Poets. His opera The Mountain Sylph
The Mountain Sylph
The Mountain Sylph is an opera in two acts by John Barnett to a libretto by Thomas James Thackeray, after Trilby, ou le lutin d'Argail by Charles Nodier...
- with which his name is nowadays most associated - received a warm welcome when produced at the Lyceum on 25 August 1834, as the first modern English opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and was given over 100 performances, which was an unusual success. It was followed by Fair Rosamond in 1837, and Farinelli
Farinelli (opera)
Farinelli is an opera in two acts, described as 'serio-comic', by John Barnett, to a libretto by his brother Charles Zachary Barnett. Produced in 1839, it is the third of the composer's large-scale operas, and was the last to reach the stage...
in 1839, but Barnett never again achieved the success that he had enjoyed with The Mountain Sylph. Disappointed with his reception as a composer, Barnett retired to the country. He had a large connection as a singing-master at Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, and published Systems and Singing-masters (1842) and School for the Voice (1844). Barnett wrote several songs for the theatre with the actor, playwright and theatre manager John Baldwin Buckstone
John Baldwin Buckstone
John Baldwin Buckstone was an English actor, playwright and comedian who wrote 150 plays, the first of which was produced in 1826....
, and also some instrumental works, including three string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s and a violin sonata
Violin sonata
A violin sonata is a musical composition for violin, which is nearly always accompanied by a piano or other keyboard instrument, or by figured bass in the Baroque period.-A:*Ella Adayevskaya**Sonata Greca for Violin or Clarinet and Piano...
.
Amongst his light music is a piece for Concertina and Piano called Spare Moments composed in 1859.
One of his daughters Clara Kathleen Barnett
Clara Kathleen Rogers
Clara Kathleen Rogers , was an American composer, singer, writer and music educator.-Biography:Clara Kathleen Barnett Rogers was born into a musical family...
became a singer and composer. His nephew John Francis Barnett
John Francis Barnett
John Francis Barnett , English music composer and teacher, was the son of John Barnett's brother, Joseph Alfred, also a professor of music. John Francis carried on the traditions of the family as a composer and teacher...
(1837–1916) was also a composer.
Although The Mountain Sylph is all but forgotten, it inspired parts of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's 1882 Savoy Opera
Savoy opera
The Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
, Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
.