# Esther Young > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Esther_Young > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Esther_Young.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Young > Source revision: 1353466304 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English operatic contralto (1717–1795)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Esther Young''' (also Esther Jones or Hester Jones) (14 February 1717 in [London](/source/London) – 6 June 1795 in London) was an English [opera](/source/opera)tic [contralto](/source/contralto) and the wife of music publisher [Charles Jones](/source/Charles_Jones_(publisher)). She was part of a well-known English family of musicians that included several professional [singers](/source/singing) and [organist](/source/organist)s during the 17th and 18th centuries.{{Cite web |url=http://hosting.triboni.com/triboni/exec?method=com.operissimo.artist.webDisplay&id=ffcyoieagxaaaaabbwro&xsl=webDisplay&searchStr=Isabella%20Young |title=Biography of Isabella Young (Lampe) on Operissimo.com (in German). Accessed 13 January 2008 |access-date=13 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717100829/http://hosting.triboni.com/triboni/exec?method=com.operissimo.artist.webDisplay&id=ffcyoieagxaaaaabbwro&xsl=webDisplay&searchStr=Isabella%20Young |archive-date=17 July 2011 |url-status=dead }} == Biography == Esther Young was born on 14 February 1717 in the [Covent Garden](/source/Covent_Garden) area of London.Olive Baldwin, Thelma Wilson: "Esther Young", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed January 12, 2009), [http://www.grovemusic.com (subscription access)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041031/http://www.grovemusic.com/ |date=2008-05-16 }} Both her father, [Charles Young](/source/Charles_Young_(musician)), and his brother, [Anthony Young](/source/Anthony_Young_(musician)), were well known [organist](/source/organist)s and minor [composer](/source/composer)s. The youngest child of four, Esther's oldest sister [Cecilia](/source/Cecilia_Young) was one of the greatest English sopranos of the 18th century and the wife of composer [Thomas Arne](/source/Thomas_Arne). Her other older sister [Isabella](/source/Isabella_Lampe) was also a successful [soprano](/source/soprano) and the wife of [composer](/source/composer) [John Frederick Lampe](/source/John_Frederick_Lampe). Although her older brother Charles was a clerk at the [Royal Treasury](/source/HM_Treasury) and not a professional musician, his daughters [Isabella](/source/Isabella_Young), [Elizabeth](/source/Elizabeth_Young_(contralto)), and [Polly](/source/Polly_Young) followed in the foot steps of their aunts to become successful singers.Olive Baldwin, Thelma Wilson: "Cecilia Young", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed January 12, 2009), [http://www.grovemusic.com (subscription access)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041031/http://www.grovemusic.com/ |date=2008-05-16 }} Along with her sisters, Esther's earliest musical training was with her father but she eventually studied privately with other teachers. She made her professional [singing](/source/singing) debut in a series of concerts in 1736. The following year she made her first [opera](/source/opera) appearance in the role of Mauxalinda in the original production of Lampe’s ''[The Dragon of Wantley](/source/The_Dragon_of_Wantley_(opera))'' at the [Haymarket Theatre](/source/Haymarket_Theatre). Her sister Isabella sang the heroine Margery in the production and both girls stayed with the show when it moved to the [Covent Garden Theatre](/source/Royal_Opera_House). The opera was a tremendous success and ran for several seasons. Isabella married Lampe midway through the show's run. Esther continued to appear in productions for the next four decades, mostly at Covent Garden. She appeared in several Lampe operas and played Lucy in [John Gay](/source/John_Gay)'s ''[The Beggar’s Opera](/source/The_Beggar%E2%80%99s_Opera)'' for many years. In 1744 she sang Juno and Ino in the world première of [Handel](/source/Handel)’s ''[Semele](/source/Semele_(Handel))'' and in 1750 sang the role of Hercules in the world premiere of Handel's ''[The Choice of Hercules](/source/The_Choice_of_Hercules_(Handel))''. Some references have indicated that she went with her sister [Cecilia Young](/source/Cecilia_Young) and her husband [Thomas Arne](/source/Thomas_Arne) to Ireland in 1755, but performance records prove this to be inaccurate as she sang at Covent Garden throughout the 1755–6 season. Indeed, Esther sang at that theatre every year from 1743 until her retirement in 1776. However, towards the end of her career she sang mostly in the chorus and not in featured roles. On 8 April 1762, Esther married the music seller and publisher Charles Jones. According to historian [Charles Burney](/source/Charles_Burney), by December 1785, a few years after her husband's death, Esther was impoverished and seriously ill. Her sister Isabella Lampe took care of her during this time with "unremitting Tenderness" until her death on 6 June 1795.{{cite book |title= A General History of Music from the Earliest Ages to the Present Period |last= Burney |first= Charles |editor= F. Mercer |date= 1776–1789 |publication-date = 1935 |publisher= Oxford Publishing Company }} == References == {{reflist}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Esther}} Category:1717 births Category:1795 deaths Category:English opera singers Category:English contraltos Esther --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Esther Young](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Young) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Young?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.