David Johnson

Dr David Charles Johnson (27 October 1942 in Edinburgh – 30 March 2009 in Edinburgh) was a Scottish composer and a scholar of 18th century Scottish music. Johnson was "an internationally recognised scholar", whose work did much to rediscover and reinvent 18th century Scottish music, and set it in its historical context. Johnson’s work concentrated on the music and wider social life of 18th century lowland Scotland, its influences and tastes, and the key musical figures within it.

Early life Johnson was born in Edinburgh in October 1942, the eldest of three sons. His father, Sir Ronald Johnson, was a senior civil servant at the Scottish Home and Health Department and organist of the episcopal church of St. Columba’s-By-the-Castle. His mother, Lady Elizabeth, was the Director of the Holst Singers (of Edinburgh) and was organist at Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian. This remains a seminal work in its field and "brought to light the synergy between ‘folk’ and ‘art’ music which existed in Baroque and Classical music of Scotland". The book also examined music’s position in 18th century Scottish society, and the work of Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie, and other notable composers of the period such as William McGibbon and James Oswald.

Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century followed in 1984, and in it Johnson brought his own editions of a wealth of important works for fiddle, and provided historical commentary and context. A further collection of 27 editions was published in 2000 as Chamber Music of Eighteenth-century Scotland, as part of the Musica Scotica series. Johnson also published a large number of editions through his own publishing house, David Johnson Music Editions, many under the Enlightenment Edinburgh heading.

He also held short-term research and teaching posts at Napier University and Edinburgh University. Johnson sought to make his compositions accessible, relevant, offer social commentary and possess a distinctly Scottish flavour. However, his work never reached a wider non-specialist audience.