Matthew Peter King

(1773–1823) English composer

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

## Life

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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]

## Compositions

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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]

## Literature

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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]

## References

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1. ^ "King, Matthew Peter". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15579. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
2. ^ a b c d e Sharp, Robert Farquharson (1892). "King, Matthew Peter" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 31\. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 142.

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.

## External links

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

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