John Marsh (1752 – 1828)

On Sunday 8 July 2018, we were reminded of the existence of a somewhat neglected English composer, John Marsh, through a concert in the Guildhall of three of the symphonies he wrote in Salisbury in the late 1770s, and the unveiling of a commemorative blue plaque on a house in which he lived, now the offices of Myddelton & Major in 49 High Street. The plaque was unveiled by the editor of his diaries, Brian Robins who told us that when Marsh arrived in Salisbury with his wife and baby son, he was a young, recently qualified lawyer with a passion for music. He was taking up residence in what was at the time one of the leading musical centres in England, with a year round subscription concert series and an annual musical festival that drew some of the most prominent London performers to Salisbury each year, plus, of course, music involving the Cathedral… Alongside all this musical activity Marsh recorded in his journals the colourful daily life of the city. After he left Salisbury to take up an inheritance in Kent he remained in touch with his many friends here and often returned for the music festival. Indeed, he made his final visit to Salisbury just weeks before his death in 1828 to attend the festival.