A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Jackson, John

by William H. Husk

JACKSON, John. One Jackson, who in 1669 held the office of 'Instructor in Musick' at Ely Cathedral for three months, has been conjectured to be identical with the John Jackson who early in 1676 was appointed nominally a vicar choral but in fact organist of Wells Cathedral.^[1] His name is not found in the Chapter books after 1688, so that it is presumed that he died or resigned in that year. He composed some church music now almost wholly lost. An anthem, 'The Lord said unto my Lord,' included in the Tudway Collection (Harl. MS. 7338); a Service in C, in the choir books of Wells, and four chants in a contemporary MS. organ part in the library of the Sacred Harmonic Society are all his compositions that are to be found complete. The last-named MS. contains the organ parts of the Service in C and 8 anthems, and in the choir books at Wells are some odd parts of an anthem and a single part of a Burial Service.

[ W. H. H. ]

1. In some cathedrals the statutes do not specify an organist as an officer of the church. In such the custom is to assign to one of the vicars choral the performance of the duty of organist.