John Sims Reeves

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John Sims Reeves (born September 26, 1818 in Woolwich, England; died October 25, 1900 in Worthing) was an English vocalist.

He received his musical education from his father, a musician in the Royal Artillery. At the age of fourteen he had progressed so far as to be appointed organist of North Cray church, and could play the oboe, bassoon, violin, and violoncello. He seems to have studied medicine for a year, but changed his mind when he gained his adult voice: it was at first a baritone.

He made his earliest appearance at Newcastle in 1839 in various baritone parts. He studied with Hobbs and T. Cooke, and, his voice having become a tenor, he appeared under William Charles Macready's management at Drury Lane (1841-1843) in subordinate tenor parts in Henry Purcell's King Arthur, Der Freischütz, and Acis and Galalea, when Händel's pastoral was mounted on the stage with William Clarkson Stanfield's scenery.

Four years were spent in study on Continental Europe, under Signer Bordogni in Paris and Mazzucato in Milan, and his debut in Italian opera was made at the Scala as Edgardo in Lucia. He reappeared in London in May 1847 at a benefit concert for William Vincent Wallace, and at one of the Ancient Concerts in the following month, his career on the English operatic stage beginning at Drury Lane in December 1847 in Lucia, under the conductorship of Hector Berlioz; in Balfe's Maid of Honor he created the part of Lyonnel in the same season.

In 1848 he went to Her Majesty's Theatre, singing in Linda di Chamounix; and in the autumn of that year, at the Norwich Festival, made a great sensation in The enemy said, from Israel in Egypt, a song in which the finest qualities of his ringing voice could be appreciated. From his first appearance at the Sacred Harmonic Society in the following November he was recognized as the leading English tenor; and in Michael Costa's Eli and Naaman the tenor parts were written for him. His first Händel Festival was that of 1857, and the effect of his wonderful declamation in the Crystal Palace was a main attraction of this and of many subsequent festivals.

His retirement from public life, at first announced as to take place in 1882, did not actually occur until 1891, when a farewell concert for his benefit was given at the Royal Albert Hall. His savings were invested in an unfortunate speculation, and he was compelled to reappear in public for a number of years.