John Clegg (violinist)

John Clegg (born 1714; died in or after 1746) was an Irish violinist who became one of the most celebrated soloists of his time in both Dublin and London. In 1737 he was chosen by the composer George Frideric Handel to succeed the Italian violinist Pietro Castrucci as leader of his opera orchestra in London. In 1744 Clegg's career was cut short by mental illness when he was admitted twice to Bedlam Hospital. He was discharged in 1746 and died soon afterwards, probably in London.

References

• John Clegg, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
• Highfill, Philip H.; Burnim, Kalman A.; Langhans, Edward A. (1975), A Biographical Dictionary of Actors 1660-1800, Volume 3, Cabanel to Cory, SIU Press, pp. 104–105, 318, ISBN 0809306921