John S. Beckett

Who was John S. Beckett?

John Stewart Beckett (5 February 1927 - 5 February 2007), was an Irish musician, composer and conductor; cousin of the famous writer and playwright Samuel Beckett. John and his twin sister Ann were born in Sandymount, Dublin to Gerald and Peggy Beckett. Gerald, brother of Bill Beckett (Samuel Beckett’s father), studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin and became County Medical Officer for Wicklow.

John attended St. Columba's College, Dublin, where he was taught music by Joe Groocock, whom he admired little short of idolatry, and who furthered his lifelong devotion to the music of J. S. Bach. John wrote his first fugue at around the age of fourteen in the Groocock family home while visiting one weekend.

John received scholarships to study at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London. John went to London in 1945 and studied composition for three years - one of his teachers was Edmund Rubbra. He won a travelling scholarship and went to Paris in 1949, where he studied composition with Nadia Boulanger. He returned to Dublin in 1950 and played the harpsichord continuo part in a performance, at the Dublin Metropolitan Hall, of Bach's Mass in B minor, conducted by Otto Matzerath (see photo). The historic Weber harpsichord from the National Museum was used for the occasion.

John returned to London in 1953 and, with fellow Irishman Michael Morrow, founded Musica Reservata in 1960. This group specialized in the performance of medieval and early Renaissance music. John played in and then conducted this group, which made many records. He also composed avant-garde incidental music for experimental dramas broadcast on the BBC Third Programme.

John came back to Ireland in around 1970 and worked at teaching music in the Royal Irish Academy of Music until 1983. During this period he conducted a memorable series of Bach Cantatas in St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, in Dublin. He also featured in many RTḖ radio programmes.

From 1983 he worked as a producer for BBC Radio 3 until he retired. He lived in London until his sudden death in February, 2007.