John Randall (organist)

John Randall (1715–1799) was an English organist and academic.

Life

He was a chorister of the Chapel Royal under Bernard Gates; on 23 February 1732 at Gates's house, Randall acted and sang the part of Esther in the dramatic representation of Handel's oratorio Esther. In 1744 he graduated Mus. Bac. at Cambridge. In the following year he was appointed organist to King's College Chapel.

In 1755 Randall succeeded Maurice Greene as Professor of Music, Cambridge University, and in 1756 he proceeded Mus. Doc. Assisted by his pupil, William Crotch, who joined him in 1786, Randall retained his appointments until his death at Cambridge on 18 March 1799. His wife predeceased him on 27 April 1792.

Works

Randall set to music Thomas Gray's Ode for the Installation of the Duke of Grafton as Chancellor of the University, 1768. He published A Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes, some of which are new and others by permission of the authors, with six Chants and Te Deums, calculated for the use of congregations in general, Cambridge, 1794; these six were his original tunes. Randall is best known by his two double chants (Grove). The Hopeless Lover (London, 1735?), and other songs were attributed to him. Sacred Harp singers sing William Cowper's hymn "The Contrite Heart" to Randall's tune "Cambridge New."

References

•  "Randall, John (1715-1799)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Randall, John (1715-1799)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.