header background
Neil Jenkins Logo & Home Page
NJ logo

John Beard Biography

  • Foreword

    PDF File
    41 kB

    John Beard (1715-91) has appeared as a footnote in books about Handel and Garrick for too long, but  has been consistently overlooked.

  • About the author

    PDF File
    41 kB
  • JOHN BEARD - Handel's favourite tenor

    PDF File
    11 kB

    A talk by Neil Jenkins given at the Royal College of Music on May 25th 2006

  • Introduction - The origins of John Beard

    PDF File
    134 kB

    The name ‘John Beard’ proves to be remarkably common in London in the first half of the 18th century.

  • Chapter 1 - John Beard at the Chapel Royal

    PDF File
    121 kB
  • Chapter 2 - John Beard and the London theatre

    PDF File
    524 kB
  • Chapter 3 - First Marriage

    PDF File
    174 kB
  • Chapter 4 - Resumption of work at the theatre

    PDF File
    112 kB
  • Chapter 5 - Beef, Liberty and the National Anthem

    PDF File
    382 kB
  • Chapter 6 - The rise of the Charities

    PDF File
    158 kB
  • Chapter 7 - Ranelagh Gardens

    PDF File
    129 kB
  • Chapter 8 - The Garrick years

    PDF File
    105 kB
  • Chapter 9 - Music at Court

    PDF File
    112 kB
  • Chapter 10 - Widowhood and remarriage

    PDF File
    80 kB
  • Chapter 11 - Management of Covent Garden

    PDF File
    276 kB
  • Chapter 12 - The Professional life of an actor

    PDF File
    154 kB
  • Chapter 13 - Retirement

    PDF File
    127 kB
  • Chapter 14 - Beard's Vocal legacy

    PDF File
    129 kB
  • Appendix 1

    PDF File
    41 kB
    John Beard: Theatrical career, and Benefit Nights
  • Appendix 2

    PDF File
    27 kB
    Covent Garden during Beard's management, 1759 - 1767, main-pieces and after-pieces
  • Appendix 3

    PDF File
    30 kB
    Works that Beard sang for Handel 1734 - 48 & 1751 - 59;
    Beard's absence from Handel's Oratorios 1748 - 50
  • Appendix 4

    PDF File
    14 kB

    Oratorio at Covent Garden 1759 - 67.
    Messiah at the Foundling Hospital 1759 - 1767

  • Appendix 5

    PDF File
    40 kB
    Theatrical Correspondence:
    Covent Garden riot; Beard / Shebbeare correspondence
  • Appendix 6

    PDF File
    50 kB
    Private correspondence
  • Appendix 7

    PDF File
    71 kB
    Ballads, Songs and Cantatas
  • Appendix 8

    Poetry relevant to Beard's career

  • Appendix 9

    PDF File
    49 kB
    The Beard / Rich / Waldegrave family trees
  • Bibliography

    PDF File
    25 kB

John Beard

John Beard - Handel and Garrick's Favourite Tenor,
a book by Neil Jenkins.

Each chapter and appendix is a separate Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file. Please select the file you require by clicking on the file link.