John Young
John Young
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| Given name: | John |
| Middle name: | |
| Family name: | Young |
| Place of birth: | |
| Place of death: | London |
| Year of birth: | |
| Year of death: | |
| Profile: | Editor, Engraver, Musician, Publisher |
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Biographical notes
JOHN YOUNG. John Young was the successor to the Playford publishing concerns after Henry Playford, who probably died around the year 1706. He was a friend of Henry's father, John Playford, and seems, like Playford, to have been held in affection and esteem. In the first quarter of the 18th century the Playford monopoly on dance music and dances in London had deteriorated, and several other publishers were beginning to issue similar collections, often blatantly imitative. John Walsh's issued a shameless imitation in 1719 of Young's Second Volume of the Dancing Master. In addition to publishing music and dance collections, Young made musical instruments and had a son, Talbot, who was a notable fiddler. Both father and son are the subject of a catch from The Pleasant Musical Companion published by Playford, himself:
You scrapers that want a good fiddle well strung
You should go to the man that is old while he's Young.
But if this same fiddle you fain would play bold
You must go to his son who'll be Young when he's old.
There's old Young and young Young, both men of renown,
Old sells and young plays the best fiddles in town.
Young and old live together, and may they live long,
Young to play an old fiddle, Old to sell a new song.