Born in Newark, Nottinghamshire, bap. Feb 23, 1649
Died in Westminster, London, Oct 1, 1708
- John Blow was an English composer, organist, and teacher best remembered for his sacred and ceremonial music. He also wrote the first (surviving) English opera, Venus and Adonis.
- Blow’s pupil, Henry Purcell, would overshadow this early opera with his own theatrical work, Dido and Aeneas.
- In addition to composing, Blow was known for his work as organist at Westminster Abbey, first from 1668-1679 and then again from 1695 until his death (he had bequeathed the position to Purcell in the interim and resumed it following Purcell’s death).1
- The following was inscribed on Blow’s burial monument in Westminster Abbey:
Here lieth the Body of John Blow, Doctor in Musick, who was Organist, Composer, and Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal for the Space of 35 Years, in the Reigns of K. Charles II, K. James II, K. William and Q. Mary, and her present Majesty Q. Anne: And also Organist of this Collegiate Church about 15 Years. He was Scholar to the excellent Musician Dr. Christopher Gibbons, and Master to the famous Mr. Henry Purcell, and most of the eminent Masters in Musick since. He died Oct. 1st, 1708, in the 60th Year of his Age. His own Musical Compositions (especially his Church Musick) are a far nobler Monument to his Memory, than any other can be raised for him.2
Sources
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “John Blow,” Encyclopedia Britannica (2022), accessed January 3, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Blow.
- “John Blow,” Westminster Abbey, accessed January 3, 2023, https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/john-blow.