John Baptist Grano | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1692 |
| Died | c. 1748 |
| Occupation(s) | Trumpeter, flutist, composer |
| Known for | Imprisonment in the Marshalsea prison, 1728–1729 |
| Notable work | Dairy of John Baptist Grano, held in the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford (Rawlinson D. 34) |
| Spouse | Mary Thurman |
| Parent(s) | John Baptist Grano or Granom, Jane Villeneuve |
John Baptist Grano (c. 1692 – c. 1748) was an English trumpeter, flutist and composer, who worked with George Frederick Handel at the opera house in London's Haymarket.[1]
Grano is best known for having been imprisoned for a debt of £99 in the notorious Marshalsea prison in Southwark from May 1728 until September 1729. He kept a diary of his time there, the manuscript of which is held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It was published in 1998 as Handel's Trumpeter: The Diary of John Grano, edited by John Ginger, with a foreword by Crispian Steele-Perkins. The diary has become an important primary source of material about the Marshalsea. It details Grano's friendships, love affairs and adventures as he struggles to earn enough money to buy his freedom.[2]