The Life and Works of Robert Woodcock
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~: ',; I" I -'~ S -- .a '/~~*~~~-u~ y ", :i~i'. ~__ ct~. ~s~'~ The Life and Works of ~ Robert Woodcock, 1 1690-1728 David Lasoc~i and Helen Neate ~ ... ~ !If ~• ...•'\~0 ,<'}Cfj~'l ,,~" , .. ~ " f-i..,rr.. f· ;-J '" .. .",f}/';,[:'.::t lr{/ii8ilfl!; controversial since 1954, when Brian made public Carl Dolmetsch's suggestion Priestman alleged that at least two of them that "Robert Woodcock was not the musi, were probably written by one of the Loeil, cian alluded to by both Burney and Haw, lets (on stylistic grounds, he attributed kins, but Robert Woodcock the celebrated them to Jacques) and stolen by Woodcock. marine painter ... [who} was a noted ama' Because music scholars have known little teur musician."5 MacMillan apparently re, about Woodcock, 4 it has been difficult to jected this notion, going on to argue on come to firm conclusions about his role in musical grounds that the composer of the the composition and publication of these concertos was "the recorder player Robert Woodcock" rather than "Woodcock the "'\~ .. (~" ~ ('~J~ \JY'\ -. \""' 7' ~\.Y'\' The purposes of our article are: first, to demonstrate that there was only one Rob, ert Woodcock, a marine painter, amateur woodwind player, and composer; second, to present new biographical information about him; and finally, to discuss the con' certos in the light of this information as well as musical evidence, concluding that the sole Robert Woodcock probably did compose the concertos published under his name. Woodcoc~'s life The life of Robert Woodcock the marine painter is described in two brief accounts by the engraver George Vertue (1684 1756) among the forty volumes of notes he ltm~ made between 1713 and 1731 for a pro' jected general history of art in England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Vertue's notes have served as source ma' terial for several entries in biographical dic' Shrewsbury House, Chelsea (engraving in the Chelsea Public Library from a drawing by tionaries from the eighteenth century to Edward Ward). Woodcoc~ lived here from 1695 to 1714. the present; they are always summarized and sometimes misinterpreted. He was a contemporary of Woodcock and seems to After Woodcock's death, Vertue added to deal with the references to Woodcock have known him, or at least his friends. his second account: by Dr. Charles Burney and Sir John Haw, These accounts are therefore worth quot, kins cited by MacMillan and mentioned Mr. Robert Woodcock, whose genius led him ing in full. The first, evidently written to the study of painting sea pieces of ships, above. Burney, as it happens, merely around 1725, is as follows: became much esteemed for the little time that quotes an advertisement for a concert at he practiced and gave great hopes by his im' which a concerto "composed by Wood, An ingenious gentleman lover of the arts of provement daily, though much' afflicted by the cock" (no first name given) was per' painting and music, and professor. In his gout which, increasing mightily, flew up in head formed.ll Hawkins mentions him twice: youthful days he had a mighty inclination to and stomach, [and} after many returns put an "[blank: no first name given} Woodcock, drawing, particularly sea pieces, in which by end to his life 8 in the prime of his age (about a celebrated performer on this instrument continual practices he made great improve' 37), 10th April 1728, and buried at Chelsea. [the recorder}" and "Robert Woodcock, a ment. But by his often viewing of ships and tak, He was very skillful in music, had judgment famous performer on the flute [i.e., record, ing great pleasure to see ships, was comparing and performed on the hautboy in a masterly er}."12 Hawkins offers no other biograph, their shapes and forms, and studying the use manner, there being many pieces, some pub, ical information, except for a story about and beauty ofeach part, in so much that he ar, lished, and much approved by skillful masters rived to so much skill in them as to form and in that science. 9 Robert's alleged brother Thomas Wood, cut models of ships with all the parts - decks, cock, who does not in fact seem to have cabins, cables, ropes, masts, sails-in propor' Vertue thus gives us several important been related to Robert.13 Whether Wood, tion justly to admirable perfection. Besides this, pieces of information about Woodcock's cock really was a famous recorder player, his great genius to music which [he} studied at life in general and his musical activities in rather than a good amateur, is open to times so as to compose pieces of music of many particular. First and foremost, he reports question. Neither Hawkins (b. 1719) nor parts for several instruments, that are well ap' that Woodcock the marine painter studied Burney (b. 1726) could have known Wood, proved of by masters of music, playing a part music, played the oboe, wrote music (some cock's playing personality. Hawkins also himself. Still, painting had the greatest share of which was apparently published be' seems to have been unfamiliar with Wood, of his affection, and about 1723 he took to prac' tice in oil colors. Having some little instructions tween 1725 and 1728), performed his own cock's concertos, since he describes them from painters his friends, he set himself to copy' compositions, and was admired by his con, as if they were all for recorder ("twelve ing little pieces after Van de Velde which he temporaries for his performing and com' concertos, so contrived, as that flutes of so happily imitated even at first that greatly en' posing. Since Vertue was in close contact various sizes, having the parts transposed, couraged him to pursue that way, and surprised with Woodcock, we have no reason to might play in concert with the other in' everyone that see his daily improvement. In doubt that the painter is to be identified struments").14 When all is said and done, about two years has copied near 40 pieces of with the named composer of the twelve then, the only reliable information we have Van de Velde, bigger and small, by which concertos. We see, too, that his contem' about Woodcock comes from Vertue and means he was lately able to complete a piece poraries took it for granted that he had the archival sources. for which the Duke of Chandos paid him 30 compositional skill to write his published To return to Vertue, he tells us that guineas. 6 He had till lately a place or clerkship in the Government which he has left and now works. (The only compositions he is Woodcock was a "professor," or teacher, professes himself painter. A man of genteel known to have published, incidentally, are perhaps of art or music-this is not clear. mien, well shape and good features. His picture the concertos; the unpublished works do He gives us some details of Woodcock's ar' lately painted by Mr. Gibson. He is much af, not seem to have survived.)lO tistic development, including the year fected by the gout. 7 To confirm this identification, it remains when he began to copy paintings by Wil, August 1988 93 lem Van de Velde the younger (1633 working for the Crown, a great many of his sea Old Church on 9 October 1690,24 1707), the greatest marine painter of his paintings must have been viewable in the probably within a few weeks of his birth. era (and one of the most important of all London area - at Court and through pri~ Robert junior grew up in Shrewsbury time). We should point out that there was vate collectors, pupils, assistants, and House, Chelsea, where his father and nothing shameful about copying the works followers. Therefore Woodcock would not mother ran a girls' school from about 1695 of an established master: it was a recog~ have had to travel to the Netherlands to onwards. The house was built in the ear~ nized method of acquiring technique. view them. There is nothing in any extant ly sixteenth century as a residence for the These paintings, like his music, were ad~ biographical document about Woodcock Earls of Shrewsbury and is said to have mired, and he sold one to no less a patron to suggest that he ever travelled abroad. been occupied for a time by Sir Thomas than the Duke of Chandos, known for his Finally, Vertue tells us that Woodcock More. (It was demolished in 1813, the site extravagant visual tastes as well as his was born in 1690-91,18 had a clerkship in now being occupied by 43-45 Cheyne musical patronage of Handel and Pepusch. the Government that he left, apparently Walk.) We might add that the "painter friends" around 1725,19 and died of the gout at Robert senior and his wife seem to have referred to by Vertue could well have been Chelsea on 10 April 1728. been in comfortable circumstances. When other well~known followers of Van de Vertue's biographical data can be con~ he died on 4 April 1710,25 he left to his Velde, such as Johann van der Hagen and firmed and extended from parish registers daughter, Deborah, £1,000, and to Robert Peter Monamy. and wills. Robert was the second child and junior £500 due from land in Sawbridge~ David Cordingly writes that Woodcock only son20 of Robert Woodcock senior and worth, Hertfordshire, an annuity of £14, "remained a faithful follower ofthe young~ his second wife, Deborah. Robert senior "my rings I now wear, my watch, my er Van de Velde's style throughout his had been born on 30 September 1642 in swords and all my books, together with my life."15 This opinion can be documented by Upton St.