John Blow (b. London, 1649; d. Newark, England, 1708)

Blow began his musical career in 1659 as a choirboy at the Chapel Royal. He was appointed organist at Westminster Abbey in 1668 at age nineteen. In 1674 he became a Gentleman of the Chapel and Master of the Children, a position he held for the rest of his life. His students included William Croft and Henry Purcell.

Blow was appointed choirmaster at St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1687, and in 1699 he became the official Chapel Royal composer—the first person to occupy the post. Blow’s compositions include 11 services, around 115 anthems, 10 Latin church works, the masque Venus and Adonis, 36 known odes, and many songs, pieces for string ensemble, and works for organ and harpsichord.