James Johnson (engraver): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|British engraver, born 1753}} |
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==Life== |
==Life== |
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Johnson was born in the [[Ettrick|Ettrick Valley]] the third of four children to Bessie Bleck and James Johnstan, a herdsman.<ref name="DNB |
Johnson was born in the [[Ettrick, Scotland|Ettrick Valley]], the third of four children to Bessie Bleck and James Johnstan, a herdsman.<ref name="DNB"/> |
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He may have been trained to become an engraver under James Reed of Edinburgh. He was a prolific engraver of music and made the plates for over half the music printed in Scotland from 1772 to 1790. His early engravings were done on copper and included ''Six Canzones for Two Voices'' (1772), ''A Collection of Favourite Scots Tunes … by the Late Mr Chs McLean and other Eminent Masters'' (c1772) and ''Twenty Minuets'' (1773) by [[Daniel Dow]].<ref name="Grove"/> |
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On 2 July 1791 he married Charlotte Grant, daughter of the writer Lauchlan Grant. They had a son, James, baptised on 13 September 1792, who appears not to have survived to his majority.<ref name="DNB"/> |
On 2 July 1791 he married Charlotte Grant, daughter of the writer Lauchlan Grant. They had a son, James, baptised on 13 September 1792, who appears not to have survived to his majority.<ref name="DNB"/> |
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He opened a music shop, Johnson & Co., in 1790 in the [[Lawnmarket]] in Edinburgh which was continued after his death until 1815 as Johnson & Anderson by his apprentice John Anderson.<ref name="Grove">{{ |
He opened a music shop, Johnson & Co., in 1790 in the [[Lawnmarket]] in Edinburgh which was continued after his death until 1815 as Johnson & Anderson by his apprentice John Anderson.<ref name="Grove">{{Cite Grove |last=Kidson |first=Frank |display-authors=etal |title=James Johnson}}</ref> |
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He died in Edinburgh on 26 February 1811 and a public appeal was made for support for his widow in March 1819.<ref name="DNB">{{cite DNB|wstitle=Johnson, James (d.1811)|volume=30}}</ref> |
He died in Edinburgh on 26 February 1811 and a public appeal was made for support for his widow in March 1819.<ref name="DNB">{{cite DNB|wstitle=Johnson, James (d.1811)|volume=30}}</ref> |
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==''The Scots Musical Museum''== |
==''The Scots Musical Museum''== |
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{{main|Scots Musical Museum}} |
{{main|Scots Musical Museum}} |
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Johnson had a plan for a two-volume collection of Scottish, Irish and English songs, when he met Robert Burns. The nature of the project then changed: its scope was restricted to Scottish songs, and the number of volumes rose to six, produced from 1787 to 1803. The success of the conception was not matched by financial security for Johnson.<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=14890|title=Johnson, James|first=Richard Ian|last=Hunter}}</ref> Burns contributed 184 pieces; some were original, including many of his best-known lyrics, and others were alterations of or derived from old ballads. Prefaces to some of the volumes were by Burns, who in effect edited the work. Johnson tried [[pewter]] plates to cut down the production costs.<ref name="DNB"/> |
Johnson had a plan for a two-volume collection of Scottish, Irish and English songs, when he met [[Robert Burns]]. The nature of the project then changed: its scope was restricted to Scottish songs, and the number of volumes rose to six, produced from 1787 to 1803. The success of the conception was not matched by financial security for Johnson.<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=14890|title=Johnson, James|first=Richard Ian|last=Hunter}}</ref> Burns contributed 184 pieces; some were original, including many of his best-known lyrics, and others were alterations of or derived from old ballads. Prefaces to some of the volumes were by Burns, who in effect edited the work. Johnson tried [[pewter]] plates to cut down the production costs.<ref name="DNB"/> Burns produced an [[Robert Burns's Interleaved Scots Musical Museum|interleaved version of the ''Museum'']] of the first four volumes for Robert Riddell. |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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'''Attribution:''' |
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{{DNB|wstitle=Johnson, James (d.1811)|volume=30}} |
* {{DNB|wstitle=Johnson, James (d.1811)|volume=30}} |
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{{authority control}} |
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{{Persondata |
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| NAME = Johnson, James |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = British engraver |
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| DATE OF BIRTH = circa 1753 |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH = Ettrick Valley, Scotland |
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| DATE OF DEATH = 26 Feb 1811 |
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| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]] |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, James}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, James}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1750s births]] |
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[[Category:1811 deaths]] |
[[Category:1811 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Scottish engravers]] |
[[Category:Scottish engravers]] |
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[[Category:Scottish publishers (people)]] |
[[Category:18th-century Scottish publishers (people)]] |
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[[Category:Scottish musicologists]] |
[[Category:Scottish musicologists]] |
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[[Category:18th-century Scottish businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:19th-century Scottish businesspeople]] |
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Latest revision as of 10:58, 18 September 2024
James Johnson (1753? – 26 February 1811) was a Scottish engraver, publisher and music seller known for his connection with the songbook The Scots Musical Museum and the poet Robert Burns.
Life
[edit]Johnson was born in the Ettrick Valley, the third of four children to Bessie Bleck and James Johnstan, a herdsman.[1]
He may have been trained to become an engraver under James Reed of Edinburgh. He was a prolific engraver of music and made the plates for over half the music printed in Scotland from 1772 to 1790. His early engravings were done on copper and included Six Canzones for Two Voices (1772), A Collection of Favourite Scots Tunes … by the Late Mr Chs McLean and other Eminent Masters (c1772) and Twenty Minuets (1773) by Daniel Dow.[2]
In 1786 he became burgess of Edinburgh.[1]
On 2 July 1791 he married Charlotte Grant, daughter of the writer Lauchlan Grant. They had a son, James, baptised on 13 September 1792, who appears not to have survived to his majority.[1]
He opened a music shop, Johnson & Co., in 1790 in the Lawnmarket in Edinburgh which was continued after his death until 1815 as Johnson & Anderson by his apprentice John Anderson.[2]
He died in Edinburgh on 26 February 1811 and a public appeal was made for support for his widow in March 1819.[1]
The Scots Musical Museum
[edit]Johnson had a plan for a two-volume collection of Scottish, Irish and English songs, when he met Robert Burns. The nature of the project then changed: its scope was restricted to Scottish songs, and the number of volumes rose to six, produced from 1787 to 1803. The success of the conception was not matched by financial security for Johnson.[3] Burns contributed 184 pieces; some were original, including many of his best-known lyrics, and others were alterations of or derived from old ballads. Prefaces to some of the volumes were by Burns, who in effect edited the work. Johnson tried pewter plates to cut down the production costs.[1] Burns produced an interleaved version of the Museum of the first four volumes for Robert Riddell.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 30. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ a b Kidson, Frank; et al. (2001). "James Johnson". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.
- ^ Hunter, Richard Ian. "Johnson, James". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14890. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Johnson, James (d.1811)". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 30. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
