Samuel Thomas Champnes
Encyclopedia
Samuel Thomas Champnes was the first person to sing "Heart of Oak
" in Harlequin's Invasion at the Garrick Theatre
in Drury lane. A former Westminster Chorister, probably owing to his maternal Grandfather being John Weldon
an apprentice to Purcell
and a Royal Organist at St George's Chapel. (This connection was made using John's will) Samuel later went on to be one of Handel's soloists.
According to Peter Ward Jones, music librarian of the Bodleian Library, "Champness had sung in Handel performances as a boy treble in the 1740s (according to the article on him in the Biographical Dictionary of Actors
), and Handel had apparently written several arias for the part of the young Benjamin in his oratorio "Joseph and his Brethren" for Champness in 1744, and he may well have sung in the choruses of Messiah as a boy."
Heart of Oak
"Heart of Oak" is the official march of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is also the official march of several Commonwealth navies including the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy....
" in Harlequin's Invasion at the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
in Drury lane. A former Westminster Chorister, probably owing to his maternal Grandfather being John Weldon
John Weldon
John Weldon may refer to:* John Weldon , British musician* John Weldon , Academy Award-winning National Film Board of Canada animator-See also:* Brinsley MacNamara , Irish writer, born John Weldon...
an apprentice to Purcell
Purcell
Henry Purcell was an English composer.Purcell may also refer to:*Purcell, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Johnson Township, Knox County, Indiana*Purcell, Missouri, a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States...
and a Royal Organist at St George's Chapel. (This connection was made using John's will) Samuel later went on to be one of Handel's soloists.
According to Peter Ward Jones, music librarian of the Bodleian Library, "Champness had sung in Handel performances as a boy treble in the 1740s (according to the article on him in the Biographical Dictionary of Actors
), and Handel had apparently written several arias for the part of the young Benjamin in his oratorio "Joseph and his Brethren" for Champness in 1744, and he may well have sung in the choruses of Messiah as a boy."