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William BabellEnglish musician and composer
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of William Babell
William Babell was an English musician, composer, and prolific arranger of vocal music for the harpsichord. He was born in 1689 or 1690 and received his early musical education under the guidance of his father, Charles Babel, who played the bassoon in the orchestra of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He then studied with the German composer Johann Christoph Pepusch, who spent most of his professional life in England, and possibly with George Frideric Handel. He played the violin in George I's private orchestra and became a harpsichordist from 1711, often performing on the same stage as the composer and violinist William Corbett, the French composer and virtuoso recorder player Jacques Paisible, and later with the Irish conductor and violinist Matthew Dubourg. Babell's creative work was associated with the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. From November 1718 until his death on September 23, 1723, at the age of 33-34, he served as the organist of All Hallows Bread Street Church, where he was succeeded by John Stanley.
Early Death and Reputation
Although very little is known about the composer's life, his early death was attributed to his unrestrained habits by his contemporaries. Babell was buried in All Hallows Church in Canonbury, Islington. Despite his premature departure, he wrote numerous keyboard arrangements of arias from popular operas of the time. They were published in France, the Netherlands, Germany, and England, and became the foundation of his musical reputation. His style was strongly influenced by his close acquaintance with Handel, whose compositions were admired throughout London at that time. The German composer and music critic Johann Mattheson believed that Babell surpassed Handel as a virtuoso organist. However, the English music historian Charles Burney criticized his manner of performing arrangements of opera arias, stating that Babell undeservedly acquired great fame by performing beloved songs from famous operas of that period in an impressive and brilliant manner, where finger speed and agility replaced taste, expression, harmony, and modulation. According to Mr. Burney, this certainly allowed him to astonish ignorant listeners and gain a reputation as a great virtuoso at a low cost. It is now difficult to judge who was right. Despite Burney's criticism, his colleague, the music historian Sir John Hawkins, believed that Babell had succeeded so well in developing his performance technique that he could have written and published a collection of musical exercises that could be played by others as well.
Other Works
Babell also composed an original sonata for violin or oboe with basso continuo, several concertos, and other compositions. His works are considered a valuable source of information about the ornaments and improvisations characteristic of the early 18th century.
