Introduction

Biography

François was the son of wig mak­er Em­ma­nu­el Bar­thé­lé­mon, who worked for the French gov­ern­ment in one of their co­lo­ni­al dé­parte­ments. His mo­ther was an Ir­ish la­dy from a weal­thy family in Queen’s Coun­ty.

His wife was so­pra­no, com­pos­er and harp­si­chord­ist Ma­ry Young, niece of Mrs. Tho­mas Arne and Mrs. John Lampe (mar­ried 1766).

François start­ed out as an of­fic­er in the Ir­ish Brigade of Ber­wick’s Re­gi­ment, then be­came a pro­fess­ion­al vio­lin­ist on the ad­vice of the Earl of Kel­ly.

He stu­died mu­sic­al com­po­si­tion and vio­lin in Pa­ris, and played in the or­ches­tra of the Co­mé­die-Ita­li­enne.

He moved to Eng­land in 1765, and by 1770 was lead­ing the Vaux­hall Gar­dens Or­ches­tra. He al­so com­posed op­eras and oth­er mu­sic.

He be­came as­so­ci­ated with Ja­cob Du­ché, chap­lain of the Roy­al Fe­male Or­phan Asy­lum, and wrote his tune Morn­ing Hymn at Du­ché’s re­quest.

In 1776 he made a pro­fess­ion­al tour through Ger­ma­ny, It­aly, and France. He vi­sit­ed Dub­lin in 1784.