Barnett, John (1802–1890)

English composer of German descent (related to Meyerbeer). He was a stage singer as a child and studied with the stage composer C E Horn. In 1825 he composed his first stage piece, and this was followed by many others, including The Mountain Sylph, which was produced on 25 August 1834. His nephew John Francis (1837–1916) wrote choral works on ‘The Ancient Mariner’ (1867) and ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ (1913), and completed Schubert's sketches for a symphony in E (1883).