Thomas Jarman

JARMAN, Thomas. b. Clipston, Northamptonshire, 21 December 1776; d. 19 February 1861. The son of a tailor, he inherited his father’s business which ‘kept him poor and soured his temper’ (Kant, 1931). He was one of the tradesmen of the time, mostly nonconformist, who wrote sacred music. A singing teacher and a multi instrumentalist, he took charge of the music at Clipston Baptist Church where there was no organ. Under his guidance the choir became well known and gave performances in Peterborough and London. In the early 19th century, he began to publish his numerous collections of psalm and hymn tunes and anthems, amongst which were four volumes of Sacred Music (ca.1803-1822) and The...