John Abraham Fisher

John Abraham Fisher (Dunstable or London, 1744 – Ireland, 1806) was an English violinist and composer whose career unfolded largely in the theatres, the Vauxhall Gardens and the stages of much of Europe. His career is useful for understanding London's musical life in the second half of the eighteenth century, when solo violin, the stage and public entertainment were often closely intertwined.

He made his solo debut at the King's Theatre in 1765, under the patronage of Lord Tyrawley, and soon joined the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, where he led the orchestra from about 1768 to 1778. There he composed music for pantomimes, sung masques and plays, among them Harlequin Jubilee, The Druids and The Syrens, the last of which was well received by the critics. He also directed the orchestra at Vauxhall during the summers and took part in the musical activity of the Freemasons, although a dispute over publication rights ended with his expulsion from the order. In 1772 he married the widow of a former theatre manager, which gave him access to part of the theatre's property and to administrative duties.

After his wife's death in 1780, he largely abandoned writing for the stage and devoted himself to concert tours through France, Germany and Russia. In Vienna he married the singer Nancy Storace in 1784, a union that reportedly was unhappy from the outset; rumours of ill-treatment reached the ears of the emperor, and Fisher left the city, although there is no record of a formal expulsion. His final years were spent in Dublin, where he taught and played at occasional concerts, and he depended in part on the support of Sir Owen Wynn. Details of these last years are scarce.

As a performer he was described as brilliant and of great technical ease, although some accused him of showmanship. His three violin concertos are demanding and full of rhythmic vigour, though less varied in their harmony; his six violin duets, intended for amateurs, are more accessible. His symphonies show a notable command of sonata form and devices derived from the Mannheim school, such as dynamic contrasts. He is also credited with being the first English composer to use a ppp marking in a published work. His music for Macbeth (1780), rediscovered in 1982, is an interesting testimony to the relationship between Shakespeare and the music of the period.

Fisher is today remembered above all for his work for the London stage and for his instrumental compositions, which still circulated in the Vauxhall repertoire in the early 1790s.