John Thomson (composer)
Encyclopedia
John Thomson was a Scottish
classical composer. He was born in Sprouston, Roxburghshire
, the son of the Minister of Sprouston Church.
admired when they met in Edinburgh
in the summer of 1829 was a G minor piano trio of 1826, in which stormy and sometimes fierce passages are mixed with Schubertian
warmth. Another favourite of Mendelssohn's was his lively rondo of 1828. They became friends and Fanny Mendelssohn
is cited as saying that she liked Thomson “best of all the Britons I know”. Thomson's C major trio is described as a fine work.
He studied in Germany
with a letter of introduction to the Mendelssohn family, and his Drei Lieder were published in Leipzig
in 1838. John Purser
contends that we have to look to Schumann
to find anything comparable to these songs published two years before Schumann composed any songs in his mature style. The first song, Keiner von den Schonheit Tochtern, is based on the poem There be none of beauty's daughters by Byron
, set in German
by Thomson to match the other songs.
Thomson became the first Reid Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh
in 1838. As a musicologist he edited the Vocal Melodies of Scotland, and he was one of the first conductors to provide his audience with a programme of his concerts giving a critical analysis of the works to be performed. His other compositions included a fine bagatelle for solo piano, a six part Glee With Whispering Winds, three operas, a flute concerto and a flute quartet, and concert arias. However his career was cut short by his death in 1841.
Subsequently his work was little performed, but there has been a recent revival of interest with his work being featured in John Purser's Scotland's Music series, and a group of people in Kelso organised a bicentennial festival in 2005. Scores of some of John Thomson's compositions, including the G minor piano trio and flute quartet have been made freely available on Sibelius Music's website. More will follow in due course. Some scores are also being added to the International Music Score Library Project http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Thomson%2C_John. A recording of the overture to Hermann, or the broken spear his third opera, can be found here http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/1/showcase/1000587.aspx
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
classical composer. He was born in Sprouston, Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
, the son of the Minister of Sprouston Church.
Life
Among the compositions that his younger contemporary Felix MendelssohnFelix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
admired when they met in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in the summer of 1829 was a G minor piano trio of 1826, in which stormy and sometimes fierce passages are mixed with Schubertian
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
warmth. Another favourite of Mendelssohn's was his lively rondo of 1828. They became friends and Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn , later Fanny Hensel, was a German pianist and composer, the sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn and granddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn...
is cited as saying that she liked Thomson “best of all the Britons I know”. Thomson's C major trio is described as a fine work.
He studied in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with a letter of introduction to the Mendelssohn family, and his Drei Lieder were published in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1838. John Purser
John Purser
John Purser, born in 1942 in Glasgow, Scotland, is an eminent composer, musicologist, and music historian. He is also a playwright.He initiated the reconstruction which commenced in 1991 of the Iron Age Deskford Carnyx, producing a replica which was first played in 1993 by trombonist John Kenny.The...
contends that we have to look to Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
to find anything comparable to these songs published two years before Schumann composed any songs in his mature style. The first song, Keiner von den Schonheit Tochtern, is based on the poem There be none of beauty's daughters by Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
, set in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
by Thomson to match the other songs.
Thomson became the first Reid Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1838. As a musicologist he edited the Vocal Melodies of Scotland, and he was one of the first conductors to provide his audience with a programme of his concerts giving a critical analysis of the works to be performed. His other compositions included a fine bagatelle for solo piano, a six part Glee With Whispering Winds, three operas, a flute concerto and a flute quartet, and concert arias. However his career was cut short by his death in 1841.
Subsequently his work was little performed, but there has been a recent revival of interest with his work being featured in John Purser's Scotland's Music series, and a group of people in Kelso organised a bicentennial festival in 2005. Scores of some of John Thomson's compositions, including the G minor piano trio and flute quartet have been made freely available on Sibelius Music's website. More will follow in due course. Some scores are also being added to the International Music Score Library Project http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Thomson%2C_John. A recording of the overture to Hermann, or the broken spear his third opera, can be found here http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/1/showcase/1000587.aspx