Matthew Peter King

Matthew Peter King (c.1773 – January 1823) was an English composer, mainly of light operas.

Little is known of his life. King was born in London about 1773,^[1] and studied musical composition under Charles Frederick Horn. He lived mainly in London, where he died in January 1823.^[2]

King wrote the music to a number of dramatic pieces, most of which were produced at the Lyceum Theatre, London. These include:^[2]

• Matrimony, comic opera, words by James Kenney, 1804
• The Invisible Girl, and The Weathercock, 1806
• False Alarms, comic opera, music by King and John Braham, words by J. Kenney, 1807
• One O'clock, or The Wood Demon, comic opera, music by King and Kenney, words by M. G. Lewis, 1807
• Ella Rosenberg, melodrama, by J. Kenney, 1807
• Up all Night, or The Smugglers' Cave, comic opera, words by S. J. Arnold, 1809
• Plots, or The North Tower, melodramatic opera, words by S. J. Arnold, 1810
• Oh! this Love, comic opera, words by J. Kenney, 1810
• The Americans, music by King and Braham, 1811
• Timour the Tartar, romantic melodrama, by M. G. Lewis, 1811
• Turn him out, musical farce, words by J. Kenney, 1812
• The Fisherman's Hut, music by King and Davy, 1819

King composed a number of glees, ballads, and piano pieces, as well as an oratorio, The Intercession, which was produced at Covent Garden in 1817. From this, Eve's lamentation, "Must I leave thee, Paradise?" became very popular.^[2]

He was the author of:^[2]

• Thorough Bass made easy to every Capacity (1796)
• A General Treatise on Music, particularly on Harmony or Thorough Bass (1800; new edition 1809)
• Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Singing at First Sight (1806)
• He edited The Harmonist, a Collection of Glees and Madrigals from the Classic Poets (1814)

His son, C. M. King, published some songs in 1826.^[2]

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Sharp, Robert Farquharson (1892). "King, Matthew Peter". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 142.

• Free scores by Matthew Peter King at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Matthew Peter King at Associated Chamber Music Players