John Francis Barnett

John Francis Barnett was an English composer, pianist and teacher.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article on John Francis Barnett.

From the period sources

John Francis Barnett, nephew of the prolific opera composer John Barnett, was born in London in 1837. A gifted musician from an early age, he became a piano pupil of Dr. Wylde in 1849 and won the Queen’s Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in both 1850 and 1852, where he was a free scholar (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900; Dictionary of Music, 1896). His pianistic debut came in 1853 at the New Philharmonic Concerts, where he notably performed Mendelssohn’s D minor concerto under the direction of Spohr (Dictionary of Music, 1908). From 1856 to 1859, Barnett furthered his studies at the Leipzig Conservatorium with notable figures such as Moscheles, Plaidy, and Hauptmann, making an appearance at the Gewandhaus in 1860 (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900).

Barnett maintained a varied career as a teacher, concert-giver, and conductor, eventually being appointed Professor at the Royal College of Music in 1883 (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900). His compositions include several cantatas, such as The Ancient Mariner and Paradise and the Peri, which were performed at the Birmingham Festivals in 1867 and 1870 respectively, and The Building of the Ship for the Leeds Festival of 1880 (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900; Dictionary of Music, 1908). He also undertook the significant task of scoring Schubert’s unfinished E major symphony from the composer’s indications, a work produced at the Crystal Palace in 1883 at the suggestion of Sir George Grove (Grove’s Dictionary, 1922).