John Eccles

An English composer who was the son of Henry the elder. His compositional production included masques and operatic pieces, a quantity of incidental music (primarily many songs for Anne Bracegirdle), odes, airs, and noted songs for Celebration Days, St. Cecilia's day, coronations and royal birthdays. Joining the company of composers of the United Companies, Eccles published numerous songs and masques most of which were presented in competition with or at Lincoln's Inn Fields. Eccles' melodies were shaped in beautific and sentimental structures that held to the meanings and intricacies of the prose which he was attempting to convey. Melodies were easily able to be sung for his shorter works and Eccles' larger works were written with effective rhythms and strong recitatives with continuo accompaniment. ~ Keith Johnson