Dr Charles Burney was born in Shrewsbury in 1726 and attended Shrewsbury School. His brother James was organist at St Mary’s in the town, where the young Charles received much of his early musical training. At the request of Dr Thomas Arne, Charles began his musical career in London. In the 1770s, he undertook two lengthy tours of France, Germany and Italy. He met Mozart twice and was a close friend of Joseph Haydn. His writings provide some of the clearest portraits of life in 18th-century England and Europe, as he remained at the heart of cultural life until his death in 1814.
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