Marsh: Symphonies

John Marsh (1752–1828) was perhaps the most prolific English composer of his time. His own catalog of compositions records over 350 works, of which he lists thirty-nine symphonies. Of these, only the nine that Marsh had printed are extant, together with three one-movement finales. Marsh was a lawyer by training and a gentleman of varied interests, and his thirty-seven volumes of journals, now published in an abridged edition by Pendragon Press, are among the most valuable sources of information on life and music in eighteenth-century England. The symphonies here published represent the varied styles that Marsh utilized in writing for the musicians in the cities where he worked. “Although not masterpieces of the highest class, Marsh’s symphonies have such charm that their neglect seems inexcusable” (Richard Gorer, Grove, 5th ed.).