Richard Hobbs (organist) explained

Richard Hobbs B.M. (ca. 1726 - 23 June 1810) was an English organist.^[1]

He was born around 1726, the son of Thomas Hobbs (1710-1810) and Mary Matthews. Until 1753 he was organist of St Martin’s Church, Leicester when he was appointed to St Martin in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, in the place of Barnabas Gunn^[2] a position he held until 1771. He introduced Oratorio performances in Birmingham^[3] with the first taking place in the New Theatre on 10 October 1759 with a performance of William Boyce’s Solomon.

He died in Birmingham on 23 June 1810.

Appointments

• Organist of St Martin’s Church, Leicester ???? - 1753
• Organist of St Martin in the Bull Ring, Birmingham 1753 - 1771

Notes and References

1. News: . Deaths . Bristol Mirror . England . 7 July 1810 . 1 January 2019 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
2. News: . Birmingham Organists . . England . 13 April 1939 . 1 January 2019 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
3. Book: Money, John . 1977 . Experience and Identity:Birmingham and the West Midlands, 1760-1800 . Manchester University Press . 83 . 9780719006722 .