Thomas Morell

{{for|the Swedish politician|Thomas Morell (politician)}} '''Thomas Morell''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ɔː|ˈ|r|ɛ|l}}; 18 March 1703 – 19 February 1784) was an English librettist, classical scholar,<ref>{{cite ODNB|author=Morell, Thomas |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101019201 |title=Morell, Thomas (1703–1784), classical scholar and librettist | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/19201 |accessdate=2020-03-01}}</ref> and printer.<ref name="www.jstor.org">[https://www.jstor.org/pss/3840463 Smith, R. (2002). Thomas Morell and His Letter about Handel. Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 127(2), 191-225.] Retrieved March 1, 2020</ref>

[[File:Thomas Morell by James Basire.jpg|thumb|Thomas Morell, 1763 engraving by James Basire after William Hogarth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pictures.royalsociety.org/image-rs-11199 |title=Portrait of Thomas Morell | Royal Society Picture Library |publisher=Pictures.royalsociety.org |date=2012-05-15 |accessdate=2020-03-01}}</ref>]]

==Life== He was born in Eton, Berkshire and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge (BA, 1726, MA, 1730 and DD, 1743).

He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and in 1768 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society as a "''Rector of Buckland in Hertfordshire, Author of the Greek Thesaurus lately published, and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, a Gentleman well skilled in Natural History and every branch of Polite Literature''".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collections.royalsociety.org/DServe.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqSearch=Code==%27NA6932%27 |title=Morell; Thomas (1703 - 1784) - DServe Archive Persons Show |publisher=Collections.royalsociety.org |date= |accessdate=2020-03-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://collections.royalsociety.org/DServe.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqSearch=RefNo==%27EC%2F1768%2F11%27  | title = Library and Archive Catalogue| publisher = Royal Society| accessdate = 2020-03-01}}</ref>

He was appointed Garrison Chaplain at Portsmouth barracks in 1775.

Morell wrote the longest and most detailed surviving account of collaboration with Handel.<ref>''The Manuscripts of J. Eliot Hodgkin, F.S.A., of Richmond, Surrey'', Historical Manuscripts Commission 15th Report, Appendix, pt ii (London, 1897), 91-93</ref>

He died in 1784 and was buried in Chiswick, London.

==Librettos== He is best known as the librettist of the following of George Frideric Handel's oratorios: *''Judas Maccabaeus'' (1747).<ref name="www.jstor.org" /> *''Joshua'' (1748). *''Alexander Balus'' (1748).<ref name="www.jstor.org" /> *''Theodora'' (1750).<ref name="www.jstor.org" /> *''The Choice of Hercules'' (1751). Uncertain if Morell was the librettist. *''Jephtha'' (1752).<ref name="www.jstor.org" /> *''The Triumph of Time and Truth'' (1757). Morell was probably the librettist.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Librivox author |id=18074}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morell, Thomas}} Category:1703 births Category:1784 deaths Category:18th-century British scholars Category:People educated at Eton College Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Morell Category:Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Category:Fellows of the Royal Society