(b Newcastle upon Tyne, bap. 16 Feb 1709; d there, 9/10 May 1770). English composer. He was probably a pupil of Geminiani in London. He was organist of St Nicholas's Church, Newcastle, from 1736 until his death, refusing offers of posts elsewhere. From 1735 he organized and directed subscription concerts and later promoted them with John Garth in Durham; among the famous performers was the violinist Felice Giardini. His main literary publication (not all his own work) was An Essay on Musical Expression (1752), which discusses aesthetics, composers and performance. Its judgments, for instance that Geminiani and B. Marcello (whose psalms he edited) were better composers than Handel, led to controversy.

Avison was the most important English concerto composer of the 18th century. His 60 concerti grossi for strings, published between 1740 (op.2) and 1760 (op.10), are tuneful works modelled primarily on Germiniani's. His own arrangements of them included versions as organ concertos; he also arranged harpsichord sonatas by D. Scarlatti as 12 concerti grossi. In his sonatas opp.5, 7 and 8 (1750-64) the two violins and cello are treated as accompaniments to the harpsichord; the harpsichord style is influenced by Rameau.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.