Michael Christian Festing

As an English violinist, and later composer, Festing received early training from Richard Jones and <a href="spotify:artist:4Vn6axeFKEaPRH1sI7JVKj">Geminiani</a>. (Later, Thomas Arne was one of his own students for the violin.) Among the professional positions that Festing acquired were playing for the King's Theatre orchestra, Master of the King's Musick, director of the Italian opera house, director of Ranelagh Gardens, and he was a co-founder of the Society of Musicians (of which <a href="spotify:artist:1QL7yTHrdahRMpvNtn6rI2">Handel</a> was a member). With the help of patrons such as William Pitt, Festing successfully published his own music. His compositions are clear insights into the character of his technique. There is a definitive knowledge of technique demonstrated in the scores, combined with precisely marked bowing strategies, and rapid and virtuostic string crossings from the higher registers to the lower registers. The strains of his melodic lines were refined and tasteful and the instrumental works contained four movements the pace of which fluctuated between fast and slow. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi