John Lodge Ellerton
Encyclopedia
John Lodge Ellerton was an English
composer of classical music
.
Ellerton was born in Cheshire with the name of John Lodge. According to the Dictionary of National Biography of 1889, he attended Rugby School and graduated with an MA from Brasenose College Oxford University in 1828. Between 1829 and 1831 he studied under Pietro Terziani in Rome, where he wrote 7 operas in Italian. In 1837 he adopted the name of Ellerton and on 24th of August that year married Henrietta Barbara Lumley, the sister of the 8th Earl of Scarbrough
. His English opera "Domenica" was produced at Drury Lane
in 1838, but this was unsuccessful; his oratorio Paradise Lost (op. 125; for soloists (SSAATTTBB), chorus (SATB) and orchestra.), published in 1857, had more critical success although apparently few performances.
In 1835 and 1838 the Catch Club awarded him prizes for glees ; he was involved with choral and vocal composition throughout, but his major contribution was in the realm of chamber music.
In 1855 he entertained Richard Wagner in London. In his memoirs Wagner accorded Ellerton "a fine, amiable mind".
Ellerton died at his home in Connaught Place, Hyde Park, London, in 1873.
His musical output includes
His string quartet opus 122 received a performance in 1852. The composition's mostly negative review was republished in the Boston journal Dwight's Journal of Music.
He also produced two books of poetry, "The Bridal of Salerno" (1845) and "The Elixir of Youth" (1864). The latter features a short poem, possibly self-referential, entitled "Neglected Genius".
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
composer of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
.
Ellerton was born in Cheshire with the name of John Lodge. According to the Dictionary of National Biography of 1889, he attended Rugby School and graduated with an MA from Brasenose College Oxford University in 1828. Between 1829 and 1831 he studied under Pietro Terziani in Rome, where he wrote 7 operas in Italian. In 1837 he adopted the name of Ellerton and on 24th of August that year married Henrietta Barbara Lumley, the sister of the 8th Earl of Scarbrough
Earl of Scarbrough
Earl of Scarbrough is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1690 for Richard Lumley, 2nd Viscount Lumley. He is best remembered as one of the Immortal Seven who invited William of Orange to invade England and depose his father-in-law James II...
. His English opera "Domenica" was produced at Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
in 1838, but this was unsuccessful; his oratorio Paradise Lost (op. 125; for soloists (SSAATTTBB), chorus (SATB) and orchestra.), published in 1857, had more critical success although apparently few performances.
In 1835 and 1838 the Catch Club awarded him prizes for glees ; he was involved with choral and vocal composition throughout, but his major contribution was in the realm of chamber music.
In 1855 he entertained Richard Wagner in London. In his memoirs Wagner accorded Ellerton "a fine, amiable mind".
Ellerton died at his home in Connaught Place, Hyde Park, London, in 1873.
His musical output includes
- Six symphonies
- No. 3 "Wald-Symphonie", op. 120, D minor (ca. 1857)
- Approximately fifty string quartets (sources quote numbers ranging from 44 to 55. At least 20 were published during his lifetime and the manuscript parts of a further 28 unpublished quartets are in the library of London's Royal College of Music).
- A string quintet, opus 100, in F minor (string quartet + cello)
- 9 Operas:
- (in English)
- Domenica (premiered 7 June 1838, London, Drury Lane)
- The Bridal of Triermain (1831, not performed?)
- in German:
- Lucinda
- (in English)
His string quartet opus 122 received a performance in 1852. The composition's mostly negative review was republished in the Boston journal Dwight's Journal of Music.
He also produced two books of poetry, "The Bridal of Salerno" (1845) and "The Elixir of Youth" (1864). The latter features a short poem, possibly self-referential, entitled "Neglected Genius".