The son of a town wait, Charles Avison was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in northern England and was taught by his father, before moving to London, where he became a pupil of Geminiani. He returned to the North in 1735 as organist at St John’s Church in Newcastle, before moving to the more important church of St Nicholas. He organized fortnightly winter subscription concerts in the city and remained a leading figure in the musical life of the region.

Orchestral and Chamber Music

As a pupil of Geminiani, the latter a pupil of Corelli, Avison continued the Italian tradition of the concerto grosso, while his accompanied keyboard sonatas follow the example of Rameau. He left more than forty concerti, including transcriptions of keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. His twelve concerti of Opus 6 were published in 1758.