Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Templeton, John (1802-1886)
TEMPLETON, JOHN (1802–1886), tenor vocalist, son of Robert Templeton, was born at Riccarton, near Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, on 30 July 1802. He had a fine voice as a boy, and, joining his eldest brother, a concert-singer and teacher in Edinburgh, he took part in concerts there. In 1822 he became precentor to the Rose Street secession church, then under John Brown (1784-1858) [q. v.] Resolving to adopt a professional career, he went to London and studied under Blewitt, Welsh, De Pinna, and Tom Cooke. In July 1828 he made his début on the stage at Worthing, Sussex, and, after some wanderings in the provinces, obtained an engagement at Drury Lane, where he appeared as Meadows in 'Love in a Village.' Soon afterwards he undertook, at the short notice of five days, the part of Don Ottavio in Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' at Covent Garden. In 1833 Malibran selected him as her tenor for 'La Sonnambula,' and he continued to be successfully associated with her until her death in 1836. Bellini was so pleased with his performance of the part of Elvino that he once embraced him and, 'with tears of exultation,' promised to write a part that would 'immortalise him.' After touring for some years in the provinces he visited Paris in 1842, where he was entertained by Auber. In 1843 he started concert-lecture entertainments on national and chiefly Scottish music, and toured through the provinces as well as America. He retired to New Hampton, near London, in 1852, and died there on 1 July 1886. He had four brothers, all more or less celebrated for their vocal abilities (cf. Brown and Stratton).
Templeton's voice was of very fine quality and exceptional compass. Cooke called him 'the tenor with the additional keys.' His chest voice ranged over two octaves, and he could sustain A and B flat in alt with ease. His weakness was an occasional tendency to sing flat. He had a répertoire of thirty-five operas, in many of which he created the chief parts. He wrote a few songs, one, 'Put off! put off!' on the subject of Queen Mary's escape from Lochleven. One of his concert lectures, 'A Musical Entertainment,' was published at Boston, United States, in 1845.
[Templeton and Malibran, by W. H. H[usk], which contains two portraits of Templeton; Kilmarnock Standard, 16 Feb. 1878; Brown and Stratton's British Musical Biography; Baptie's Musical Scotland; Grove's Dictionary of Music.]