Francis Forcer the Elder

Francis Forcer the elder (c.1650–c.1705) was an English composer. Life Forcer is mentioned by Hawkins as the writer of many songs, five of which may be found in Playford’s Choyce Ayres and Dialogues, (bk. ii. 1679, one in the edition of 1681, and two in that of 1683). Some of his music is in the Fitzwilliam Collection, Cambridge, an overture and eight tunes are in the Christ Church Library, Oxford, and a set of instrumental trios, with a jig and gavotte for organ, among the British Museum manuscripts. He was one of four stewards for the celebration of St. Cecilia’s day of 1684. Towards the end of the seventeenth century Forcer became the lessee of Sadler’s Wells music house, garden, and water at Clerkenwell, with one James Miles (about 1697) as his partner. To Miles was assigned the control of the good cheer, the building or “boarded house” becoming known as “Miles’s Music House”, while the waters were advertised as “Sadler’s Wells”. The musical entertainment at such places of resort at that period was said by Hawkins to be hardly deserving the name of concert, i.e., concerted music, for the instruments were limited to violins, hautboys, and trumpets playing in unison, and when a b