John Ella

John Ella

John Ella (1802-1888) was an English violinist and director of concerts.

Bust of John Ella.

Contents

Early life

Ella was born at Thirsk 19 December 1802. He was intended by his father, Richard Ella, for the law; but in 1819 he was taught the violin by M. Fémy. On 18 January 1821 he made his first appearance as a professional musician in the orchestra of Drury Lane Theatre. In the following year he was promoted to the band of the King's Theatre.

In 1826, on the completion of his musical education under Thomas Attwood, and subsequently under François-Joseph Fétis in Paris, that he took his place as a member of major orchestras of London, such as the Philharmonic and the Ancient Concerts. The Saltoun Club of Instrumentalists and the Società Lirica were perhaps founded by him as early as this period of his life. They were intended for the practice and performance of unfamiliar operatic music. He played in the orchestra on the occasion of Carl Maria von Weber's funeral, 21 June 1826. Around this time he was appointed to a subordinate post at the Royal Academy of Music, and became musical editor of the Athenæum and other papers.

The Musical Union

In 1830 he seems to have given public concerts under the patronage of Augustus FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster. During his journeys to the continent he made the acquaintance of musical celebrities. The set of chamber concerts which he inaugurated, under the name of the "Musical Union", and which originated in a weekly meeting at his own house, had an effect on public taste, particularly through its successor, the Popular Concerts. By the formation of an aristocratic committee, and by making the concerts in some measure social gatherings, for which tmembership could only be obtained by personal introduction, he secured for his scheme a high prestige. The programme always contained at least two concerted instrumental works and the executants were generally artists of established position, many of whom had not appeared before in England. The annual series consisted of eight afternoon concerts given during the season, at first in Willis's Rooms, and a benefit concert when vocal music was allowed to form part of the programme. The artists played in the middle of the room, with the audience surrounding them, and programmes were printed and sent out to the subscribers a few days before the concert. The undertaking met with such support that a series of evening concerts, at somewhat lower prices, was started in the early part of 1852, under the title of "Musical Winter Evenings".

In 1858 both sets of concerts were transferred to Hanover Square Rooms, and in the following year to the newly opened St James's Hall. In the same year, the Monday Popular Concerts having been set on foot, Ella's evening series was given up. His title of professor was derived from a post at the London Institution. He was honorary member of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome, and of the Philharmonic Society of Paris.

Later life

The Musical Union ceased to exist in 1880, when Ella gave up active work. For the last twenty years of his life he lived at 9 Victoria Square, London, where he died 2 October 1888, after repeated attacks of paralysis. For some years before his death he had been totally blind. He was buried in Brompton Cemetery 5 October.

Works

He wrote a Victoria March in November 1837, almost his only experiment as a composer. In 1855 he was appointed musical lecturer to the London Institution, and the substance of three lectures on melody, harmony, and counterpoint was given in the Musical Union Record, i.e. the programmes. A set of four lectures on dramatic music was also published (1872). In 1869 he published Musical Sketches Abroad and at Home, a volume of anecdotes, autobiographical and otherwise, bearing on music. The book ran through two editions, and a third, edited by the author's friend John Belcher was published in 1878. A Personal Memoir of Meyerbeer, with Analysis of "Les Huguenots" is Ella's other important contribution to musical literature.

References

External links

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain"Ella, John". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. 


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John McClane — Este artículo o sección se refiere o está relacionado con una producción cinematográfica futura o en desarrollo. La información de este artículo puede cambiar frecuentemente. Por favor, no agregues datos especulativos y recuerda colocar… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ella Flagg Young — um 1910 Ella Flagg Young (* 15. Januar 1845 in Buffalo; † 26. Oktober 1918 in Washington, D.C.) war eine US amerikanische Lehrerin, Lehrerbildnerin, Schulreformerin, Schulverwaltungsreformerin und Vertreterin der „progressive education“. Sie war… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ella Grasso — Ella T. Grasso Ella Tambussi Grasso, geborene Ella Rosa Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, (* 10. Mai 1919 in Windsor Locks, Connecticut; † 5. Februar 1981 in Hartford, Connecticut) war eine US amerikanische Politikerin und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Gabriel Borkman — ist ein Theaterstück von Henrik Ibsen aus dem Jahr 1896. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Entstehung 2 Handlung 3 Figuren 4 Uraufführung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Mayer — Datos generales Nombre real John Clayton Mayer Nacimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ella Enchanted — Título Ella está encantada (doblaje mexicano, distribución en América Latina) Hechizada (doblaje en España) Ficha técnica Dirección Tommy O Haver Guion Gail Carson Levine Laurie C …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Harvey Kellogg — Kellogg circa 1913 Born February 26, 1852(1852 02 26) Tyrone, Michigan Died …   Wikipedia

  • John French Sloan — John Sloan Nombre de nacimiento John French Sloan Nacimiento 2 de agosto de 1871 …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Stuart Mill — John Stuart Mill. John Stuart Mill (Londres, 20 de mayo de 1806 Aviñón, Francia, 8 de mayo de 1873) fue un filósofo, político y economista inglés representante de la escuela económica clásica y teórico del utilitarismo, pl …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Dudley — John Duddley John Duddley general, almirante y político inglés. Nombre real John Duddley Otros títulos Duque de …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”