Career
He was appointed musical instrument-maker-in-ordinary to the king in 1692. Walsh began publishing music in 1695, at which time he had few rivals in the trade. Walsh took advantage of this situation, and soon his firm was printing engraved music on a scale previously unknown in England.
In addition to English composers, he published a good deal of music by foreign composers, which he often copied from Dutch editions (Kidson et al 2001a).
Among his innovations were the use of softer but cheaper pewter rather than copper for the shorter runs of most music, and the introduction of punches (Kidson et al 2001a). From 1711 he published Handel"s works, beginning with Rinaldo.
He also issued two periodicals, The Monthly Mask of Vocal Music and Harmonia anglicana. From about 1716 he started to collaborate with Estienne Roger in Amsterdam.
Walsh was also a distributor for Roger"s editions, many of which survive with Walsh"s label (Kidson et al 2001a).
In 1739 he was granted a monopoly on Handel"s music for 14 years. About half of Walsh"s output was of Handel compositions (Kidson et al 2001b). In the 1732 publication of Handel"s solo sonatas, the following was printed on the cover page: "Printed and Sold by John Walsh at the Harp and Hoboy in Catherine Street in the Strand".
The cover also displayed other works by Handel that had been printed by Walsh, and the prices for those publications.
1 and Attilio Ariosti"s opera Vespasiano, was displayed at the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague in 2015. During his travels in England, Ferdinand Philip, 6th Prince Lobkowicz, acquired a large selection of music printed by Walsh.